Tola is a young photographer from Krakow, Poland. She transferred to the University of Michigan in Fall 2021 from Royal Holloway, University of London, to double-major in Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience and Classical Archaeology. Her series "Tolaroids" consists of photo stories, tutorials, and commentaries that explore all kinds of photography. In her free time, she loves dancing, painting, and sipping good coffee. She also pets all the dogs she can meet on the way to class.
Instagram: @akilian.jpg
Email: akilian@umich.edu
When I was a little kid I always thought that I would one day wake up and be able to fly. It was just a superpower I always wanted to have. Sure, we have airplanes, but they fly so high you can barely see anything. That’s why after I grew up I was happy to discover that I could in fact fly and see the world from above – and last week I got to.
So drones were always cool but I never realized how cool. Last weekend I got to fly above Ann Arbor, I had to get an FAA LAANC authorization for it and fly in a specific zone, it was also very windy and not so colorful anymore. However, we got some pretty nice photos and I thought it would be nice to post something different. I really like the patterns that the landscape and different man-made objects create.
And that’s us!
So, technically the photos aren’t even mine, they are Steven the Drone’s .
Partial credit to Linus Hoeller who brought Steven the Drone and put enough faith in me to let me use it.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments!
My Instagram: @akilian.jpg (I promise to post more soon)
Linus’ Instagram: @linus_at (check it out he has more cool drone photos)
This week’s Tolaroids take a political turn. I went to the rally on Saturday, 5th November, freshly press-accredited and not knowing what to expect: I’ve been to a few protests, but not yet a political rally in the US.
I can’t even vote here but I still remember the chills I got when various speakers took the stage of the Rackham building to address problems that make the everyday lives of millions of Americans much harder than they should be. Senator Bernie Sanders along with many other interesting speakers addressed the need for nationalized healthcare, free public education, reproductive rights and body autonomy, problems of climate change, widespread sexism and institutional racism, as well as criticized some behaviors and opinions of the running Republicans while bringing back some infamous moments of Donald Trump’s presidency. Sanders was firm and straightforward, it really felt like he was talking to normal people who are leading normal lives, and the diverse crowd that showed up pushing the capacity of the auditorium proves that. That night addressed many problems that simple elections won’t immediately fix – but it’s a start, a step forward to building a safer, more inclusive, and better future for everyone in the United States.
“We have to build an economy that works for all and not just a few” B. Sanders.
My personal favorite photo, Bernie waiting in the shadowy doorway just two seconds before he enters the stage. He is focused but looks tired, which are probably the effects of touring while endorsing various democratic candidates in the last days.
Branden Snyder,
Executive Director of Detroit Action
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the president of NextGen America
Antonio Arellano, Vice President of Communications
MoveOn Campaign Director, Mia Senechal
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the president of NextGen America
UN-PAC
MoveOn Executive Director, Rahna Epting
Audience members stand up for Bernie Sanders as he talks about fixing what’s broken in American political system
Bernie really seems to have an idea of how to fix what’s broken in the American political system, and as an outsider who has a comparison to my country’s broken system, I consider his arguments extremely valuable. It’s hard to say it about a politician, but even someone who doesn’t agree with his views can have a feeling that he is one of the most “real” politicians, not blind-sided by a two-party race, but rather focused on how to actually progress. During the rally, he says:
“I’m not here to tell you, not for a second, that I think the Democratic Party is doing anywhere near what it should be doing. But it is absolutely imperative that, up and down the line, we defeat right-wing Republicans and we elect Democrats.”
It’s not about the two colors, it’s about who can provide everyone with a better future.
I hope you guys went out there and voted, for yourself, for your family, for your state, and for all the rest of us who also can’t vote but who are affected by all this political mess.
Any questions/comments/concerns, you know where to find me
–Tola
PS. Special credits for Linus Hoeller and his Lightroom
Not every photo you take will be perfect in form and technique: maybe the composition will be slightly off, the shadows are a bit too dark, or there is something in the background. Sure, there is always Lightroom and Photoshop, but personally, I don’t like editing too much unless the photo has an amazing subject and I messed up the settings. I’d much rather try to take a good shot from the start, but as we know that’s not always going to be the case (no matter how much experience you have).
That’s why today I wanted to share three photos from the summer with hopefully fun stories behind them.
A Swiss guard standing at the border of the smallest country in the world. But wait, why Swiss? Swiss soldiers, according to the Roman author Tacitus, were long renowned as the best soldiers in the world and were in especially high demand in the early renaissance. In 1505 Matthäus Schiner, a Swiss bishop to Vatican, proposed the creation of Swiss corps employed and controlled by the Vatican. The guards soon earned a reputation for bravery and sacrifice when 147 of 189 died defending Pope Clement VII during the sack of Rome in 1527, and later taking defensive positions despite being outnumbered when German forces rolled into Rome during World War II. Swiss guards protect the Vatican to this day and there are many requirements to become one starting with actual Swiss citizenship.
While touring the Colosseum we suddenly heard a faint noise from one of the columns. It was a ginger cat looking at the crowds of tourists walking by, but not at all scared of them – he seemed like he owned the place and we were the intruders. We joked that maybe it was Vespasian, the emperor under which Colosseum was built, although Nero would be more fitting – he was thought to be ginger and the Colosseum was built on the grounds he took for himself from the Romans as well as next to a giant statue of his, the Colossus. The truth is, in modern-day Rome, there are over 200 cats living in the Colosseum: reincarnations of Roman emperors or not, they definitely rule the place now.
A security guard takes a break to look outside of a museum of Markets of Trajan in Rome. It’s around 40 degrees outside (around 104F) and his windows are open. Almost every window surrounding him is different, but each reflects the clear blue sky that allows for such brutal weather. His view is even more impressive than his place of work: It’s the Forum Romanum, a collection of public buildings that would make up the center of Roman life for centuries.
Feel free to let me know what you think! I love when you guys reach out
Before I jump into how beautiful Ann Arbor is in the fall, I wanted to post some photos I took over the summer. My favorite was probably a series I didn’t expect to take in the first place – I had a layover in Newark while flying home and got a beautiful view of the New York City skyline, which I thought I would share.
Getting settings right was tricky because of the air at the airport and planes that were constantly moving, but I think I got some pretty decent shots.
If you want to get in touch, you know where to find me:
This week’s series is short: it’s simply a photo series from my first week on campus. Not every photograph here is my favorite and they do differ in subject and style, but I thought it would be interesting to show what I see when I just walk around without really looking for any specific subject.
I apologize for a late-night post! Stay tuned for next week’s dose of photography
Regardless of whether you were here last year or whether it’s your first day at arts, ink., I wanted to (re)introduce myself. My name is Tola and since last fall I have been a photography content creator for Arts at Michigan. I love traveling, good coffee, dogs, and bad puns (as you have figured by now). I have exciting things planned for this year: everything from the weekly photo series through photography tutorials to collaborations with other creators and photographers! For my first post, I decided to put some of my favorite images up from different photo series to show you what kind of stuff I usually do – and although travel photography definitely dominates on my hard drive, I also do a lot of portraits, studio work, reportage, and macro photography.
I will post every Tuesday (probably) afternoon, so stay tuned for more content from Tolaroids. Regardless of whether you want to learn something new about photography or maybe just look at some pretty pictures, I will make sure to keep this blog interesting and exciting for you all! That’s why don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns, or just to say hi (or send me a photography pun).
See you next week!
-Tola.
email: akilian@umich.edu
Instagram: @akilian.jpg
Night sky, Urubamba (Peru)
Rottenmann, Austria
In high school I briefly lived in Peru and took this picture somewhere in the Andes
Daily walk, Kutaisi (Georgia(Sakartvelo))
Work, Urubamba (Poland)
Protest in support of the BLM movement, Krakow
Peackock Island, Germany
“neverendingmovement”
Never lived in Italy, but always wanted to 🙂 (and I did excavations there!)
