Meet this week’s Campus Celebrity, Alex Ledet. Alex is the photo editor of the Kent Stater and has had some amazing photo opportunities. Her Campus sat down and talked to him all about his photography.
Year: I’m a sophomore.
Major: Photojournalism.
Hometown: I was born in New York, New York, but my hometown will always be Union, New Jersey.
Relationship status: Single.
Her Campus: What is your ideal career?
Alex Ledet: Any career where I can use photography to tell stories.
HC: How did you become interested in photography?
AL: I’ve been interested in photography for a long time. I started out with a small point and shoot taking pictures of anything that caught my eye like graffiti or something. I guess it really evolved from being a hobby to wanting to be a photojournalist as soon as I started to take pictures of people and listening to their stories.
HC: What is you favorite picture that you’ve ever taken? Why?
AL: That question is really hard. I guess I have a picture that I took with my best friend once that’s pretty funny and I pretty much always have that on me.
HC: What is the coolest photo opportunity you’ve ever had?
AL: Man, that’s a tough one too. I would say one of the best photo opportunities I had was when I was hiking on the side of the Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador and it erupted. It was a good opportunity, but that’s all it was. I never got a good picture and someone else who was there had his or her photo run in National Geographic.
HC: How long have you been involved with the Kent Stater?
AL: Almost a year and a half. I started taking pictures for the Stater in the fall of my freshman year.
HC: What’s your favorite part about being photo editor for the Stater?
AL: I like getting to work with all my photographers. I’ve definitely learned more from them this semester than they have from me.
HC: If you could travel anywhere in the world to take photos, where would it be and why?
AL: I’ve traveled all over the place, but I’ve taken my favorite photos here in the States. There’s a great Norman Rockwell quote where he talks about going to Paris to seek “stimulation,” but he realizes in his time abroad that he has everything he needs back in the U.S.. My favorite line of the quote is “I know now that all I need in my work is at hand. Whether I make the best use of it depends entirely upon my ability to see, to feel, and to understand.” So to answer your question, I love traveling, and I just want to be able to take the best pictures wherever I go.
HC: What is your favorite thing to take pictures of?
AL: I try to take pictures of people and things in a way where I can use my photos to tell a story.
HC: Do you have any other passions besides photography?
AL: I like to read and eat good food, man. Keep it simple.
You can follow Alex on Instagram: @alexledet