Freshman advertising major Adrienne Cooper is making a name for herself in the very short time she’s been here at Carolina. She’s been nicknamed, “The girl with the camera” by many fellow students, as she is always out taking shots of life here at USC and in the Columbia area. I got to sit down with Adrienne, and find out a little more about how she got started with photography and what it is like to view life at Carolina through her lens.
“I got started with photography as a high school freshman when I joined the yearbook staff,” says Adrienne, “I had access to many DSLR cameras and would check them out on the weekends to take pictures of friends and family.” Adrienne knew that she wanted to take her hobby of photography to the next step when an advertising agent booked her for a shoot at the end of her sophomore year.
One of Adrienne’s most memorable moments as a photographer was interning with Valerie Schooling Photography during her junior year of high school. Adrienne says, “Through that experience, I really got to learn the business of photography. It also gave me an opportunity to really explore my photography style.” She has now shot 4 weddings, along with numerous other events, and has even more appointments in her book. All of these accomplishments, and she’s only 18!
Here at USC, Adrienne has covered many different student life activities, from games days at Williams Brice Stadium to different events that student organizations need coverage for. Adrienne also likes to appreciate the campus in itself. When asked what it’s like to see Carolina through her camera, she says, “It’s nice because the campus is so historic and the student population is so diverse. It’s also surrounded by our state’s capital and beautiful parks, so I have a lot to work with here.”
Aside from her photography activities, Adrienne is involved with Patterson Hall’s hall government and the Multicultural Outreach Student Team. In the near future she wants to get involved with Garnet & Black magazine as a photographer. With just her first year down, Adrienne Cooper has a lot more to see through her lens at Carolina.
Take a look at some of Adrienne Cooper’s work:
www.adriennecooperphotography.com
Instagram: adriennecooperphotography