Nyana: This photo was taken in Marcus Garvey park. I took this photo because the flowers caught my eye and I admire the different colors of the flowers and that the colors blend in well with each other.

Kadiatou: This image captures a small dog walking with its owner along a sunny city street. There's something calm and authentic about the everyday moments. This is a peace of daily life, full of companionship, energy, and love.

Aisha: A field of pink flowers holds the morning light, each stem rises through, green, quiet but certain. Some petals are open, some still undergrown reminding us growth is not rushed, and beauty can be quite. In their gentle sway they keep a promise to return each season holding color against the greens.

Dana: The photo I took shows how there’s beauty. How beautiful is the simplicity of flowers. The show is even though the world is cool. There’s beauty in the simplest places as in flowers. I brightened up this photo to show how beautiful it actually is and also how vibrant life can be.

Aicha: This picture captures a vibrant graffiti piece through the gate. The swings and graffiti reflect the resilience and spirit of a community that finds color and life even within restricted spaces.

Gyasi: Beauty contained from the outer world. In the fridge’s hum, the flowers sleep, Wrapped in silence, cold and deep. A breath of spring in silver light, Grace suspended in the night.

Kady: This is a quiet path in a park with trees on both sides. There are empty benches next to a fence. The ground is covered in little yellow bits from the trees.

Kameira: This photo shows flowers growing behind a fence. One flower has a bee on it. The flowers are very pink and pretty, but the fence is hard and dark. I took this picture to show how nature keeps growing, even when it’s blocked. For me, it shows that life is strong and always finds a way. Even with the fence in the way the flowers still bloom and stay beautiful.

Natalie: A gray and white cat moves slowly through the garden, nose low to the ground, surrounded by tall grass and scattered white flowers. It’s a quiet, sunlit moment that feels both curious and completely at ease.

Sundae: This photo shows a big field with lots of yellow flowers. There are many green trees all around. A black fence is at the front, and a walking path is on the left side. In the back, you can see a blue sky with clouds. The picture feels calm and full of nature.

Zaire: I mostly took pictures of the cars and the buildings because it shows how busy the city is and how the buildings all formed to what it is today and it gave a new york vibe so i only took pictures that seemed cool to me

Alexander, Age 15: The Garden of Eden, July 2024. Verbal flowers, words that bloom and enrapture with their tune. Performed roses fill the space, color mauve, yellow and red filled with rhyme, rhythm and grace. This is a simple but yet graceful photo captured on a warm sunny day. You can see the flowers blooming in color in this photo. It reminds me of a specific nostalgic memory embedded with me. It brings back to my travels in Dominican Republic where I saw a large open field with all types of flowers and plants growing.

Rashidat, Age 14: El Barrio Superette, July 2024.

Yariel, Age 14: Love Towards You, July 2024.Nature has been important to me and to my godmother. She has this love for plants and nature and has always taught me and my siblings about how plants give us oxygen and help us survive.My godmother is like my 2nd mom. When I take these pictures I try to make sure they come out as perfect as possible because nature should have its credit for being here on earth. Both images connect with the rocks and the sky making it seem so relaxing and pretty.

Yariel, Age 14: Love Towards You, July 2024.Nature has been important to me and to my godmother. She has this love for plants and nature and has always taught me and my siblings about how plants give us oxygen and help us survive.My godmother is like my 2nd mom. When I take these pictures I try to make sure they come out as perfect as possible because nature should have its credit for being here on earth. Both images connect with the rocks and the sky making it seem so relaxing and pretty.

Josh, Age 14: Silver Forest, July 2024. Moonlights glow on the grass Silver light paints the trees Silent than dull nights. My inspiration behind this picture was looking for something I could be proud of. We took a walk to Central Park, then came along many green hills and this scene in particular stood out to me. During the week we learned how to edit on Canva, I then had the idea to change up the image. I did this by changing the blue day sky to a dark night sky, I then added a crescent moon to give the image that night look.

Rashidat, Age 14 El Barrio Superette, July 2024.

Gianna, Age 15: The Living World, July 2024.

Deonisio, Age 14: Subtle Waters, July 2024

Jalissa, Age 14: The outside through a lens, July 2024. This is our city, Isnt it pretty? Hidden gems, found through a lens. These pictures were taken throughout Central Park and East Harlem with different techniques.They help show our community and environment hidden beauties in the most obvious places.

Kenechukwu, Age 15: Same Sky, July 2024.

Jordyn, Age 15: Creation, July 2024. The statue represents human creation. As I was viewing it, it reminded me of the time it took for people to build what we know now. It may have taken blood, sweat, and tears, but it was all worth it because the statue will remain for many years and others will be able to experience it just like how I did.

Pharrell, Age 14: Poma nationals, July 2024. Roses are red, the plants are green. The sky is blue, if you litter you're a fool. As you walk around god sees the trash on the ground. I took this picture because basketball means a lot to me, having played since I was five years old. Basketball is something that brings me joy, something that introduces me to other players and people that I can call my brothers to this day. That's what inspired this picture.

Anthony, Age 14: An Entry Into the Urban World, August 2024. The trees are brown everywhere but the center, creating an opening, there you can find a pair of small buildings and clouds passing by. This makes me think about a door between nature and industrialization

Trenton, Age 14: Environmental Journey, July 2024. s this a time to be cloudy and sad? When our Mother Nature laughs around. Whenever the deep blue heavens look glad and gladness breathes from the blossoming ground. As I was going on a walk, I was hit with the realization of how beautiful nature can be. I took this picture because of the shadows of the people and trees which were across from each other. It made me feel calm and stable within. Watching everybody do their everyday things within nature made me feel like I was a part of a community.

Anthony, Age 14: An Entry Into the Urban World, August 2024. The trees are brown everywhere but the center, creating an opening, there you can find a pair of small buildings and clouds passing by. This makes me think about a door between nature and industrialization

Delilah, Age 15: Nature at Randalls, July 2024. This photo expresses how much I love and believe in nature. This location amplifies how nature is the staple for beauty. My image conveys how nature and the community come together to provide a setting like no other. The grass, trees, wind all live in harmony with our community and the only word to explain this is beauty.

Abel, Age 15 Complexion, July 2024. During this summer excursion, as we have visited various locations taken dozens of pictures, I learned that nature is embedded into the city, you just have to know where to look. Often we relate the lonely trees on the sidewalk to nature but nature is how the seeds we plant warp around the landscape we created. I chose this picture because its one of the most vibrant in my catalog and I felt it captured the synergy of the urban scenery with the green bushes and vines perfectly. My image, from my perspective, reflects a sense of home locked behind a gate.

Jenesis, Age 14: Central Park, July 2024. Nurtured by the morning dew, A canvas painted in shades of blue. Trees whisper secrets in the breeze, Underneath, the world finds peace. Rivers dance and mountains stand tall, Eternal beauty, nature's call.

Lariah, Age 14: Black and White, August 9, 2024.