I’m autyy, a photography student based out of north york. I joined OAP in May of 2022, and since then (I like to believe) I’ve been one of the most active and interactive people on this site.

I believe I should be elected (voted? levelled up? evolved?) to level 4 because of the quality of my content and my activity on this site. Since I joined 20 months ago, I’ve posted 159 albums from 126 different places. 39 of them are my own locations (below the suggested requirements), but I’ve also contributed a substantial amount to locations that I didn’t post. I’ve explored with only a few people from the site, including DAExplores, but I hope to meet more of the community over the next few years. (idk if I need a community member to vouch for me like the requirements say. I think I still owe DA gas money.)

Going off the feedback from my previous election, I received this comment:

“my only goal in life is to stand out” well you're certainly accomplishing that. great photos, great description quality, great consistency, etc. you've got a good head on your shoulders, and I find myself looking forward to seeing your take on a location when I see you've uploaded a new gallery. I eagerly await to see what you'll do in the future.

Though a lot can change in 11 months since I earned level 3, I believe that aspect of me hasn’t. While remaining one of the most active people on the site, I routinely contributed unique mediums to my albums. I bring along a 35mm film camera on most of my adventures, which allows for a more creative perspective of locations that not many other users have tried or even considered. I try to include some drone shots, which once again provides some new and unseen angles of some of these places. My favourite new medium that I’ve brought to OAP is self portraits. I’m not the best at them, and I definitely wasn’t the first to post them, but I like to believe that when others see mine it encourages them to at least try something new out on their own.

I started this hobby at full speed. My first location, and second album that I took was of location 531. At that time, no one had posted an interior album since almost 6 years earlier. I got in, took some mediocre photos, and got out unharmed and free. Then, after I had some more photography practice, I looked back on my photos and I saw that it didn’t do it justice so I made a return trip. That 121 photo album is one of my most viewed, and my most cherished. I updated the long overdue hazard list and contributed to the history. I am always going be improving, trying new shit, and taking feedback.

Another location I’ve contributed to extensively was 15346, where I captured every part of the accessible location in over 200 photos. To that location, I checked every box. I added a description, I got drone photos of its demise, and I got a full roll of Portra 800. Motivation like that is what I lacked this past fall, but as school got easier and I found some creative spirit, that is the kind of motivation that I bring into the new year. I figured now was the best time to apply for the next level, so I can channel that into forgotten places on the next level. This isn't a short term thing to get some adrenaline while skipping class, this is more a disease that I caught on April 15th, 2022 at #531, giving me the desire to explore any and every abandoned place I can get my hands on.

Lastly, I was one of the first paid supporters of OAP, signing up for a premium account the day that they released. Without this site, I wouldn’t have met some pretty cool people, or received feedback that has encouraged me to continue exploring and taking pictures.

I applied for level 2 within a week of my first 3 months of activity, and applied for level 3 11 months ago. Back then I said I’d shoot more on a tripod, and I ended up following through with that as you could see from my banger self portraits- so from now on I’ll be revisiting old places and checking out some more rooftops.

Tldr: I’ve been in the hobby for 20 months, I’ve captured 120ish locations, I’m interactive with the community, I sometimes take decent photos (only sometimes), and you should vote up.

If you don't agree that I deserve the next level, include what I can do better.