Name: Jonathan Merlino
Class: 2018
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Ashburn, VA
Activities: DoubleTake A Cappella, Kappa Delta Rho, Rocket Magazine, Student Marketing Association, Jump Literary Magazine, Tribe Ambassador
Favorite Tradition at the College: Not to sound cliché, but convocation. Everyone has been gone for so long and at the beginning of the year you’re trying to catch up with everyone and it can be really hard. But EVERYONE goes to convocation and so you can meet up with all your friends and have free food, music, and good vibes.
What’s your favorite thing about being a Tribe Ambassador?
Seeing prospective students come in– it reminds me of the questions I used to ask when I was touring the College. Worries and concerns, help people, give them advice Basically just showing them the ways of the College.
You’ve made your name on campus doing photography for at lot of organizations. How did you get started taking photos?
I’ve always been interested in cameras and that aspect of technology. Senior year of high school, one of my friends asked me to take her senior photos. I had no experience—I had never taken photos of someone before and I had no idea what was going to happen. So we went out to a barn at a sunset. It was a perfect accident, everything turned out amazing. After that all of her friends wanted me to do their pictures. I just sort of went with it and the rest is history. It’s weird looking back on it, because it doesn’t feel like there’s been that much of a change. But then I see all the work I’ve done, the website I’ve made and it’s astonishing.
When I came to a college, I was struggling to find my place. Photography helped lead me to Rocket Magazine, the fashion art and editorial magazine on campus. I shoot a lot of group photos for a cappella groups, as well as lots of senior photos. It doesn’t feel like a job because I love it.
What advice would you give to someone interested in photography who doesn’t know where to start?
You don’t need to have nice equipment. It’s not about having the nicest lense or body camera. Photography is not in the eye of the beholder, it’s in the eye of the photographer. So even if you have like an iPhone or a digital camera, go for it. You’ll develop an eye for it: the angles, the lighting. Don’t feel too intimidated. Start small and work your way up!
If you could start one new tradition at the College, what would it be?
One day where everyone goes to Wawa and hangs out. Not that we already don’t do that now, but like a day event. Not midnight.