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“Growing up as a twin, I was consistently referred to as a unit instead of an individual, and I became accustomed to it,” said Brooklyn Sadler, a third-year media production major. “And when I decided to take a series of self-portraits for a class project, I was originally going to use my twin sister.”

We sat down with Sadler to learn more about how a seemingly basic assignment turned into a deep dive into her own identity.

Photos courtesy of Brooklyn Sadler.

Responses edited for length and clarity.

����You were going to use your sister for a��self-portrait?��
Yeah, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at first, and when she fell through, I had to rethink my approach. My process is to see what feels right, and for these photos, I wanted to try something different, like with double exposure.

����Interesting—double exposure almost leans into the idea of twins. Tell me how you found yourself through the process.��
Well, I wanted to show how I’ve grown out of that, which you see through the symbolism of the flowers growing in my hair, and the butterfly. The central element to these photos is the long exposure transparent faces, which I used to illustrate the falsehood of that “unit” idea I held.��

It also helps to have your own work—something you can call your own. So, becoming a filmmaker and a photographer has helped me realize that I am my own individual. And even though my sister has helped me with sound design for another project, she’s a psychology major, so that helps, too.

����Is identity a major theme in your work?��
This was actually the first time I explored it visually. Nature is where my biggest interest lies—I camp a lot—that’s where I base a lot of my work around.��

����When you’re not behind the camera or camping, what else do you do?��
I’m a dog groomer! And I also recently toured the radio station with my class, so I’m thinking about getting involved in that.

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Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.