I took a basic a photography class my senior year of high school, and I took pictures here and there, but it wasn’t until this past year that I really found my passion for photography. It started when I joined my school’s newspaper as a photographer (knowing that I didn’t want to write), and instantly fell in love.

My photo editor taught me how to shoot in manual, and this allowed me to have more liberty with how I take my photos. There’s something so satisfactory about capturing the moment when a speaker gets really into their shot, or a dancer nails their jump, or an actor is completely in their element. I know how much hard work they are putting into their acts, and I know that they appreciate someone acknowledging that by shooting it, and turning their work of art into a different work of art.

I find it so fascinating when I’ll cover the same event as another photographer, and you wouldn’t find two shots that look even remotely similar. My way of looking at things is so different from my peers, and I love comparing them and seeing how many different pictures you can get out of the same event just by adjusting a few things.

Elliott Erwitt said, “Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with what you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

A lot of people think that living life behind the camera makes you miss out on the moment, but for me, it’s the complete opposite. If I don’t have my camera with me, I’m thinking about how great of a shot something could be, how I could compose something, where I would be standing to get the lighting. I love being able to capture the moment exactly how I see it in my mind, and being able to show it to other people and hope that they enjoy it too.

Even when I’m just hanging out with my friends, I like to have my camera so I can show my friends how beautiful they are even when they’re not trying, because that’s just how I see them. Candids are the best because it shows real smiles, laughter, and natural beauty. Even if these pictures don’t end up as anything but a Facebook profile picture, it still puts a smile on my face.

I feel so lucky to have found this passion, and over this past year, it has only grown in size. I can’t wait to continue to learn and grow as photographer, and enjoy every step of the process. Even just looking back at my pictures from October to now, I can tell how much I’ve improved and I’m excited to improve even more.

Even more exciting than improving my skills, I get to continue doing the thing I love as often as I please. I hope that my passion for the art never dies, and I can bring many people happiness with my pictures that bring me so much happiness.