In the 6th grade, Zakiyyah Madyun received her first camera from her neighbor—an old point-and-shoot Canon that took video—and it opened a world of opportunity for her. She embarked on photography expeditions in her hometown of Pittsburgh, going to Lake Erie for nature walks or exploring parts of the city she hadn't seen for a fresh perspective. As she got older, she looped friends in on her creative escapades, taking them along while she shoots. “Before shooting, I’d send mood boards to my friends and they give me feedback,” says Madyun. “Then we’ll thrift wardrobe and production design pieces to construct a scene.” Since then, Madyun developed a passion for environmentalism and says she wants to use her photography and film experience to explore human connections through the natural world. As 蜜柚APP’s 2021 Walker Visual Storytelling Fellow, she transforms raw footage of birds into fun and educational stories that resonate with others. But the choice to...