Like a soldier ready for combat, he has camera in hands at all times. With great visions, he can see the hidden secrets in people’s faces through small lenses and a quick flash. Smile!

Alex Harris, a student at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), shoots photos as a hobby. To Harris, being a photographer is so much more than just snapping a photo of something or someone dancing in the street. Photos do not only tell stories; they have deeper meaning.

“To me, taking a photo is capturing moments you may never see again and keep them for a good amount of time,” Harris, Software engineering at FGCU, said.

When Harris was 11 years old, a professional photographer named Tom Burke, a friend at the time, would put the camera in his hands. He showed Harris how to capture the best moments of life and taught him what it meant to take photos.

Tom loved his job and family, according to Harris. His professionalism runs through Harris’ veins, which makes him the unique photographer.

To this day, Harris still remembers when Tom Burke showed him a picture of his family. He says it was memorable because of the meaning and how pure it was to him at the time. The family is very grateful for that photo. It’s considered the best piece of art he left behind for them.

Without a doubt, photography is about passion, but every photographer sees things differently.

Arthur Hardur, a student at Florida Atlantic University, describes Harris as someone who is unique in what he does.

“It’s like he is doing other arts, like painting. He will not share with anyone if he was not satisfied with it,” Hardur said.

Every photographer has his or her own ways of taking photos. Passion is what drives all of them to see the world in their own way. Harris cares more about capturing people’s natural beauty instead of hiding their true selves.

“I like to keep it natural,” Harris said. “Capturing a photo of someone in their natural setting, that’s a good photo to me. That’s putting their personality into memory to keep in time, and you can’t get that by posing someone.”

Tim Murphy, a communication major at FGCU, says people have the drive to go out and take photos.

“Anyone can pick up a camera and put it on auto, but if you really want to challenge yourself, you got to out and shoot things that you are not comfortable shooting," Murphy said. "You need to be out constantly shooting photos.”

Harris prefers a candid setting. He said it is more like who you are. It shows the way the person carries him or herself on a daily basis.

“When you show someone that, they can almost tell your personality, whether it’s little things about you, smile, how much of your teeth you show," Harris said. "It shows the level of your own thinking and how confident you are in yourself.”

James Greco, who works in FGCU marketing, has his own technique of capturing photos.

Figure 1 photo by James J. Greco

“I used a slow shutter and a panning technique to capture the action, speed, and movements of the players,” Greco said.

Harris is a quiet and calm young man. During our interview, he stood calmly and waited for the words to come to him. The same way he wants all his photos to be perfect and say exactly what he wants them to say, he chose his words carefully.

Harris can be hard on himself sometimes if his photos don’t come out the way he wants them to, according to his friend Hardur. And someone can see that same precision on his face when talking to him.

“I want him to show people his work more so that he can grow, and I want to see him improve the skills that he’s lacking,” Hardur said.

Criticism plays a big roll on the lack of sharing, but he is more open to opinions about his work because he wants to improve further. Since he was little he was always shy about sharing his work with others, but now he has more confident on his work because of all the effort he puts into his work. He is planning on creating his own website in the next few months so he can share his work with others and trying to get famous

“I’m my own worse critic," Murphy said. "When I get home, I’ll be editing my photos if I don’t like something, I’ll delete it. Next time I go out, I’m going to make sure I hit those things.”

This photo is one of Harris’ favorites, captured in Miami. This photo is the memory of the good time he had with his friends and how everything around was so real

Photo by Alex Harris

“There’s so much more to photos than just telling a story—what make someone himself. I want my photos to show how people present themselves without asking people who they are,” Harris said.