Ever since I got my first iPhone at ten years old, photography has always captured my interest. I was constantly making all types of videos and taking pictures of anything I laid my eyes on. I was always around my aunt when I was younger as well and she was always the one in the family that had the camera and took pictures during vacations or anywhere when our family was all together. A few years later she handed it down to me and I started playing with it around the house just taking pictures of flowers and the sky then it would sit around the house for months until I got bored and decided to go outside and take some more photos.

To me, photography is so powerful and important in many ways: it allows us to capture memories, and convey emotions, ideas, and information in a way that words simply cannot.

Just last year I started to get really into it and take pictures of sporting events, at school, of people, etc. My boyfriend has been racing for the majority of his life, and in the last two years that I have been around him, I started taking pictures of him doing what he loves–maybe a year after being with him. I started doing it for fun because it was something new to take pictures of. After a few races, I really started to learn the camera and what lighting to use, the angles, how still you need to be, settings to use for different types of pictures, ISO, shutter speed, etc.

A few months later, I joined the media team at my church to get more involved. I had to join a services app, and they would schedule me to serve on a Sunday or Wednesday, and I could accept or decline the date and time. One week they would put me on a moving camera where it’s on a scroll and you have to move back and forth for the live stream or just to project at the front of the sanctuary; one week I would get on photography which is getting there early before service, taking pictures of everyone coming in, people talking in the cafe, the welcome team greeting people, the preacher preaching the lesson, the kid’s classes, the people in the sanctuary and other things going on around the church. The last thing I do for the media team is the livestream, which is where you just control the live stream and the comments. The media team is a good and fun experience to get to learn new things and get connected within the church and the people.

Finally, after thinking a lot, I figured I should start taking pictures of other people and race teams at the tracks and sell them. I made my own watermark logo and a Facebook business page. After my first week of selling pictures I already had so many people interested in buying them and also families scheduling photoshoots with me! I have so many supportive friends and family members that started sharing my page and my photos and that started building up my page and my page continues to grow every single day.

The camera that got handed down to me wasn’t the best, but I was so blessed to have something to take pictures with, On my camera, I didn’t have the option to change the ISO or shutter speed or do any of that fancy stuff, I always just went with the flow and made it work and people still told me how great my shots were. My pictures seemed to get a little bit better each time I took them. I’ve learned to use Adobe Lightroom, and that has helped my pictures a whole bunch. I’ve learned to make my own presets and enhance each one of my photos.

For my journalism class we have to cover two events per quarter; every time I cover a sporting event, I ALWAYS follow the professional photographers because they know all of the angles, and the right settings you need and they are always just so fun to talk to because you can learn so much from them. I play volleyball for the school, and there are always these two men that come and photograph our games: Mr.Jim Ward and Mr. Joe Stanley. They are so amazing at what they do, and they have taught me so much, even just by talking to them for a brief ten minutes every time I see them. They will forever inspire me with their work. At the race tracks, I also follow professional photographers because knowing the settings and angles for taking pictures of race cars is completely different from any other type of shoot.

When taking photos for any occasion, you always want to move: you don’t want to stand in one place. You want to get people in it, and you want to capture real-life emotions and interesting things. If you know the rule of thirds, your pictures will come out to be the best pictures you’ve ever taken. There are many things on the internet that you can search for and learn how to make your photos look better.

Just this past week, I’ve gotten the opportunity to get a brand new camera. I couldn’t be any more excited to try out all new settings and learn new things within the camera itself. The camera I got is a SonyA74, and it’s become an asset to me already! The camera has a video option on it as well and I’ve messed around with it some, and it is the coolest thing ever. I’ve had so much fun making and putting together small clips and I can’t wait to see what I can create with it when I learn all of the settings.

I’m excited about my future in photography. I’ve always been told I have an eye for photography, and I believe it. It’s the one thing that I’m very proud of within myself. Anyone has the ability to be creative and have a deep love for anything you have interest in. You have to be passionate about whatever you do. Surround yourself with things that inspire you. This could be art, music, literature, photography, nature, or anything else that sparks your imagination; don’t be afraid to try new things and take risks. The creative process is all about exploration. Failure also comes with this process. There will be many days where nothing goes right, and you want to give up, but it’s just part of the process for success.

Overall, photography allows us to see the world in new and different ways, and it allows us to share our experiences, creativity, and ideas with others. Go for whatever your heart desires!