Tamra Gould Research Paper

Tamra Gould is a senior at Edmond North High School who has shown exceptional talent in photography and exceptional character in her reaction to society’s expectations. While Gould has always expressed an interest in photography, it was not until a photo of hers received first place at a UCO competition that she truly began to recognize her talent. Gould specifically prefers to photograph people who lack self-confidence or people who are looked down upon by society or viewed as “special” or “weird.” A few of her favorite subjects include her little brother, who has Down Syndrome and her little sister, who has been bullied all throughout school.
“My goal is to show them in a way that people would never expect and show their true beauty,” said

Because of her photographs, her sister was given uplifting feedback from her peers that boosted her self-confidence.
“Seeing how much this has helped my sister has inspired me to help others and has made this subject near and dear to me,”said Gould.
Her eye for natural beauty has not gone unnoticed. Photographs of Gould’s have been chosen to hang in the 2015-2016 AP art exhibit, and her work has won her the Norrick Art Center award from Oklahoma City University as well as two gold keys (one for her portfolio and one for a single submission) and three silver keys from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Gould is a Merit Winner for YoungArts, and she has received an honorable mention in the Young Talent Oklahoma State competition.
Gould has been employed at a photography studio for two years and still manages to balance other professional projects in her spare time. She has taken senior portraits for a couple of her friends and wedding portraits for a couple of newlyweds, and her swimsuit portraits featuring a model friend of hers have been featured in several swimsuit companies’ websites and