Michelle Wan, an avid photographer, tennis fan and piano player, is a sophomore business administration major with an additional major in statistics. She is also thinking about pursuing a minor in computational finance. While Michelle is very involved on campus (as personnel manager and part of the advertising staff for The Tartan, director of finance for Alpha Phi and upper-class RA at Shirley, amongst other things), she also dedicates a lot of time to her love of photography.
Self Portrait
What is truly unique about Michelle’s interest in photography is that she has never had training or taken classes for photography (a fact that anyone looking at her images would find hard to believe). While Michelle was always interested in art (she was the art editor for The Tartan last year), she started photography as a sophomore in high school. “My parents had a camera that I started using during high school…it was self-teaching myself” How did she teach herself? “I started off by doing the 365 project…and although I did not finish, it was good for practice. Then I got experience shooting for a boutique, events on campus and a wedding” For those who are not as familiar with photography, the 365 project is taking a photo every day for a year, to see and record your improvement over a year.
Part of the reason Michelle likes photography is because it “lets you capture the scene how you see it…you can manipulate the photo according to light to express more…” Michelle trails off, trying to find a way to explain why photography is so special. “You see the world differently as a photographer versus a spectator… for example (when I shot for) DS, I was looking for specific moves and photographic moments (to capture), while the spectators were looking at the performance as a whole.”
Who does Michelle see as inspirational photographers? Of course there are more than one! “ I really like Rosie Hardy, she is a British photographer and does a lot of conceptual stuff…she creates a fantasy world in photos.” After assuring me that she will show me some pictures to show me what she means she moves on to Alex Stoddard. “ I followed him as he did his 365 project and he just got so much better from it that I wanted to do it on my own”. Lastly, Michelle mentions Jonas Peterson. “He is my favorite wedding photographer”. When asked why, Michelle simply states “ his photos are so good…when you see them you can tell it is a different level and you can tell he knows what he is doing.” Another aspect that Michelle finds amazing about these photographers is that they are able to make a living out of photography, which she find “cool and inspiring”.
L’arc de triomphe, Paris
So which of her pictures is Michelle’s favorite? “ I do different styles: people, portrait and landscape. I took one from the top of L’arc de triomphe, that overlooks Paris, and I waited hours for the sunset.” As Michelle opens her laptop to show me the picture (shown below), she adds “I really like shooting concerts and I did carnival last year and the fall concert this year. I also shot when Nirvana Color opened for Tokyo Hotel.” Michelle has also shot for some of President Suresh’s ceremonies and the Lunar Gala.
So what was her favorite assignment? “The wedding” is the immediate reply. “ It was really challenging because I shot with my parents’ old camera from the mid-2000s and it was the first time I was shooting a wedding. I learned about the battery, the lighting and shooting with only one lens…all of it was challenging” Looking at the pictures, it is hard to say that Michelle was not an experienced photographer.
What would be one assignment that she would love to have? “A fashion assignment… not a fashion show but fashion photography for some cool label.” After securing an invitation to the shoot when it does happen, I ask Michelle what her future with photography will be and whether it will always stay a hobby? “There is nothing wrong with keeping a hobby a hobby, but incorporating it in a job would be cool too…I have been able to incorporate it in my life, work, vacations, etc.” Does she think it is something she sticks to in the future? “Ever since I started, I experimented with different kinds of photography and I keep coming back to it so I definitely thing I will stick with it.”
Wedding Photography
While photography is definitely in Michelle’s future, she is trying to get different work experience in the business world. She has already worked at a startup and is working in a more corporate environment this summer, trying to get experience in different fields to finally choose between consulting, finance and startups.
To check out more of Michelle’s photography go to her FB page: