Student Photographers

Capturing memories

Student photographers share work on social media

Emma Tomlinson tomliemm000@hsestudents.org

At sporting events, there has been an uptick of photographers. ese photographers are not adults, but they are students with a passion for photography. “I rst got into photography from seeing other photographers at sporting events,” sophomore McKinley Boland said. “I always saw other photographers at these events and became instantly intrigued with it and decided it was something I wanted to pursue.” Students capture images of athletes as well as the Tiger Cage student section at di erent events. “I didn’t enjoy sports photography at rst,” senior Bella Soto said. “I normally just shot portraits of people, but I think sporting events show a range of di erent emotions from people. I don’t have to ask people to act happy or act angry—they already look like that. I also think it’s really cool to capture all of those emotions.” Photos captured at sporting events, especially football, have circulated around social media. Student photographers are posting their work on Instagram pages, which makes the photos more accessible to other students. “I think it’s playing a huge role,” Soto said. “I think it helps me share my images, but also helps promote me as a photographer.” Soto believes more people know about her photography due to Instagram and Twitter. e head coach of the varsity boys basketball team reached out to Soto about her photography a er seeing her work on social media. She believes that, without social media, that would not have been possible. “One thing that makes my work unique is that I don’t do much retouch, if any at all,” Soto said. “I love how lm looks and if the turnaround on getting lm developed was quicker, I’d probably use lm constantly.” Traditional lm cameras can take days or weeks to get developed. e turnaround time is too slow for Soto, so she tries to replicate the lm look through editing. She creates her own presets using grain to achieve the desired vintage e ect. “I have a set of my own presets that I usually use and then adapt them to the speci c pictures,” Boland said. A Lightroom preset is a con guration of settings designed to achieve a certain look or style of photo. ey allow photographers to spend less time editing each individual photo and give their work a more cohesive look. ere are some presets that are available for purchase, but many photographers like to create their own for a unique style. “I’m all self-taught,” senior Luke Watson said. “I learned editing from YouTube and other

Scan this QR code for links to the photography portfolios and social media of Bella Soto, Luke Watson and McKinley Boland.

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1. Senior Zach Cox wears a banana costume to lead the banana cheer during a home football game against North Central on Friday, Aug. 20. 2. Senior Luke Watson captures a photo of his dog stopping for a break during a hike in the woods. Photo used with permission of Luke Watson.

1. Sophomore Caulin Brown prepares to run to second base. 2. Sophomores Adysen and Lexis McDaniel pose during a portrait photo session. Photos used with permisson of McKinley Boland.

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people that do photography.” Watson’s passion for photography began when he was young. He attributes his love for photography to his cousin. “We would always go and take hikes in the woods and take pictures of all the animals there,” Watson said. “He was really good at it, and his photography always pushed me to do better.” 1

Soto does not just see photography as a hobby, rather a tool because she wishes to pursue lm production and direction. “I think taking pictures helps me familiarize myself with the camera, lens and all the di erent aspects of editing,” Soto said. “I think it’s a helpful supplement to lm, and it’s also something that I enjoy.” Photography can be an expensive hobby, but sometimes photographers have opportunities to make money. Soto paid $600 for her camera, plus additional expenses such as lenses and other gear. She says that she has yet to break even. “Most of the time [I do not charge], at least lately,” Soto said. “If someone personally asks me to do a shoot for them, then I usually make money but other than that, no.” Each photographer has an individual style that makes their work unique. It allows students a creative outlet and for some, a possible future career. “My photos are a captured point in time from my perspective in the world, which makes photography unique,” Watson said. Below: Students hold up four ngers to symbolize an HSE fourth down at the Mudsock football game on Friday, Sept. 10. Photo used with permission of Bella Soto.