Going into my senior spring, I was excited to explore a fun elective, and when my friend mentioned taking photography, I knew I had to join. I had always been interested in photography since my mom constantly took photos of every life event, big and small, so that we would have endless memories to look back on. I admired her dedication, and I knew I’d love to do the same for my family and friends. Intro to Digital Photography seemed like the perfect place to learn the basics of shooting and editing images to their full potential.
Now, nearing the end of the semester, I can happily say that I’m already incorporating the skills I developed into my everyday life. The first couple of assignments helped me get my footing with working my camera and knowing which settings suited each environment. As we grew more confident, though, we played around with techniques like light painting and compositing that once seemed too complicated. Though I experienced challenges, I always pushed through them and hung my prints with satisfaction.
Speaking of prints, learning to properly use the printers in the photography and media labs proved to be one of the most rewarding parts of the course. Looking at my images on a computer screen does not compare to seeing them printed out on high quality paper with high quality ink. I’ve printed images that I plan to hang in my room post-grad, and I know they’ll inspire me to continue capturing memories in the future!