How My Passion Came To Be

From playing with a Pokémon 35mm film camera to disposable cameras to getting my first digital camera to my current Canon.

When I got into high school my friends and I would each take one of our schools Canons and would go into the hallway or throughout the school and take pictures of each other or things we found in the building during graphic design. Most, if not all, of my photos were nature, wildlife, pets, and a nice sprinkle of still life; since I was just starting to understand and hone what I enjoyed the most. I was using a Kodak point-and-shoot by now and I would continue to use that same camera until college.

Once I graduated high school in 2013 I started to heavily attend concerts (both big and small acts). It started off with One Direction in Hershey and they would be the main group I’d see for the next three years (2013-2016); however, I would also attend a 5 Seconds of Summer show in 2015 and a lesser known group (7 Minutes in Heaven) when they’d come to town for two years (2014-2015).

Between 2017-2018 I continued attending concerts but now they were for Harry Styles and Niall Horan; yes One Direction members, yes I was a giant fan from 2011 until 2018. Attending all these concerts really ignited my love and passion for concert photography, I adored the atmosphere and energy of both fans and the performers.

My love for portraiture (both human and four legged) came naturally, from just taking photos of those close to me. It made me feel happy knowing I was creating a forever memory, even if it was a blurry photo. I’ll get in a nostalgic mood sometimes and look through photos from high school with people I’m not even friends with anymore and smile or laugh because of how embarrassing it is. I especially understand the importance of these portraits when that loved one passes away, it’s a way to bring joy to family. I catch myself looking through old photos of my grandfather, who passed in 2020, and two of our family pets, who passed in 2014 and 2020, a lot.