The sound of the bouncing basketball echoes in the empty sports hall of American University in Bulgaria.

Early hours during the exam week, almost no one stops by the sports hall but one person, Marian Kutra. This time, he is not alone. I am in the room with him, setting up my camera with assignment deadline on my mind.

He effortlessly leads the ball around the hall while answering my questions. As our conversation slows down, and I focus more on his movements, he offers to share another passion of his, Hip-hop music. The sound of the dribbles mixing with the expressive lyrics fuels Marian to deliver baskets one after another.

In the Fall of 2022, I was assigned to create a visual sports project for my Digital Photojournalism class. The indoor shoot lasted about two hours.. The outdoor photos were taken while recording our interview, which you can view below.

Today, I am proud to say that this project has been showcased as an example in the course since 2022.