Artist Statement: This is my cousin Emma (pictured above) and she is in 5th grade. Emma personality is always delightful and we have been good friends despite the age gap that separates us. She is always happy and is constantly putting others before herself. She means a lot to me and I couldn't imagine holidays and summers with out her. Even though we don't see each other much because she lives 2 hours away, my sister and I treasure every moment that we get to spend with her. The environment that I chose to take this picture in was in my back yard against a group of trees. This created a simple back round so that more attention could be drawn to Emma. Some of the challenges that I faced was trying to find the perfect lighting. I think that I succeeded in the end because you can see most of the features on her face. I also wanted to try and avoid getting a back round that was distracting and took away from the portrait it self.