Photographs are worth a thousand words – it’s a phrase that’s often said, but to Casey Wooster, it’s her life mantra.
Wooster, a 20-year-old anthropology and creative photography junior, hopes to one day work in the archives of a museum.
Her grandfather used to be a photographer, she said, and when she started shooting in high school, it was natural for her.
“I’ve always been surrounded by it,” Wooster said.
She is particularly interested in documentary photography, which intertwines her love of producing visuals with her passion for studying society’s history.
“Photography is my way of transferring my thoughts from words to paper,” Wooster said.
As a general art major, Wooster said society is her harshest critic.
She’s reminded constantly that there’s no demand for jobs in her field; that she’d be lucky if she found any work at all.
But despite the statistics, she loves what she studies. She once volunteered at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and now she works in the fine arts dark room. She also works as an art tutor for young elementary students.
“Pursue what you love,” Wooster said. “Don’t feel forced to going into certain things your family wants you to do; your friends want you to do; society wants you to do.
“Do what you want to do.”