Throughout my life I have strived to always achieve my very best, but one thing that I have been driven to excel at is photography. My passion for photography began with the influence of a close friend, Alicia Wines. Photography was not just about a camera for me. It was about the beauty I could capture in one moment and hold on to for a lifetime. It also allowed complete freedom from the world. Behind my camera it didn’t matter what was happening just as long as I could capture the moment.
Yet, photography doesn’t come as easy as most would like to think. I put hours of practice into what I loved. I went to school games, plays, and even took personal portraits. My practice didn’t stop there I began working for my yearbook and school newspaper taking every opportunity to snap photos. My journalism teacher, Mrs. Goodwin allowed me to express my creativity. My photos began to make their way around and I soon began taking senior portraits. The long hours of practice and traveling to various locations allowed me to begin using different elements in my pictures. I could have artsy or classic pictures or I could change from color to black and white, I could even give different angles to the event or person I was photographing. Every little thing I learned pushed me to pursue this amazing hobby even more.
Ultimately, photography had taken over a little part of my life. I never realized how much I could truly enjoy something, but photography was not just a something it was much, much more than that. I began to share this passion with my family and even more of my friends they continued to support my love for taken photos. I soon began getting e-mails for me to take portraits of families and children or attend events so that I could photograph them. All the hard work I had put into this was finally showing. I began taking even more pride in my photographs and my acquired skills. I began scrapbooking every chance I got and began showing my scrapbooks to whomever would look. I felt so amazed at all the hard work I had put into this beautiful art.
My four years of high school I pursued learning more about this craft and I took away from this much more than I was expecting to learn. By the end of my senior year I had felt like I had grown not only as a person, but as an artist. I continue to work with photography as much as I possibly can. One day I hope I can work in other elements of photography and learn more about my beloved hobby. I believe by continuing with my photography and having the support I had I was successful in every way. I learned an appreciation for art as well as for myself. Photography gave me so many opportunities in my four short years of school. I gained confidence and was able to open up and talk to everyone who approached me because I was so proud of my photographs. Now that I have experienced this passion I know I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.