Snapshots Essay, Research Paper

SNAPSHOTS

?I had no idea that you were such a great photographer.?

?Thanks, I am really not.?

I frequently heard that I was a good photographer, but it never really sunk in. I constantly wondered if I could ever be another Ansle Adams or Luis De Luca.

While choosing classes for my sophomore year, I debated whether I wanted to take a simple wildlife development course or a course that would stimulate me intellectually. Little did I know that my decision would dramatically change my future.

Taking photojournalism was definitely a life changing experience. While trying to work with a teacher who never looked me in the face and always lost my work, I began to learn the basics of photography such as f-stops and shutter speeds. From my first assignment, I discovered that I had a passion for photography. I found an outlet for my soul to experience the beauties of the world.

Time has been getting in the way of my photography, I just don?t have enough time to do the things that really interest me. In the rare time that I do find, I take my camera and discover where the world is trying to express itself. The camera is a tool for me to achieve a state of peace after a chaotic day. In the colors of the land, I discover in relation to myself how people grow and learn to work through their problems. As the world turns another life changes. With a death comes renewal, a birth.

Most people that I encounter, I feel, don?t look deep enough into the ?big picture? of life. Through the lens of my camera, I have captured events that alter the lives of many. I have witnessed the happiness of a team that has won the top prizes, and I have experienced the tears of countless others who have failed. Looking through the lens, I become part of a complex machine that is made to freeze vivid images into the minds of others.

As I look back on my experiences as a photographer, I understand that my camera and the events that I have seen through it have taught my many lessons. Through the portrait aspect of photography, I view myself as a Picasso and people?s faces as my paint. I try to blend my subjects? natural attractiveness with their surroundings to produce a work of art. When the piece is complete, I realize that I will sign my name on my work. Photography, for me, is exactly like football. In every down I play I am filmed from every imaginable angle. After each game I realize that I have committed my name to be associated with every lackadaisical play or error-field series. The work that I produce will reflect on my talents as a photographer.

My life as a photographer as been nothing but positive. There are no aspects of the job that I don?t enjoy. Being a photographer gives me a way to ventilate stress while grabbing a view of life and my future. I can learn from the photos I take and the people in them. I am better prepared for my life through photographing the triumphs, mishaps and mistakes I have captured throughout my career as a photographer.