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Senior Olivia Jones turns her artistic hobby into more than just an outlet
How long have you been a photographer?
“It has been ten months.”
What struck your interest in photography?
“When I joined yearbook staff last year I fell in love with taking pictures.”
What are your favorite kinds of shoots and why?
“My favorite is portraits because you can be creative and it’s just fun to shoot with people and I think portraits do a really good job of making people look beautiful.”
What do you love most about taking pictures?
“I like capturing emotion and I just like seeing the end result.”
How do you make money through photography?
“I make money by advertising myself on social media and having affordable prices.”
Has photography ever helped you overcome anything significant in your life?
“It’s helped me when I’m going through a hard time maybe at home or at school...photoshoots are something for me to look forward to and be a creative outlet for me.”
What have been some things that have made you who you are today?
“Dealing with the death of my grandma was hard...I’d say the loss of my grandma made me understand how to move on in life and it’s helped me learn how to appreciate the people that I have now.”
How have you grown as a person through your passion?
“It’s really helped me with my communication skills and it’s starting to already teach me principals of handling a business. It’s also made me grow so much creatively. I look back on the pictures I took when I first got my camera and I’ve just come so far. It’s creatively opened my mind.”
Why do you think pictures are important?
“I think pictures are important because they capture so much emotion and memory and they are something you can have with your forever and they have a way of taking you back to where you were when you took it or how you were feeling when you took it and they are just awesome to look back on.”
Has anyone inspired you in your photography journey?
“I’d say mostly like YouTubers. There’s this girl named Jessica Whitaker, she’s also a Christian and she’s just kind of been a mentor to be. I don’t know her personally but just watching her videos and just following a bunch of other professional photographers has really helped me build confidence and they are just good at giving advice so I’d say a lot of people online have really helped me.”
Have you ever come across any obstacles with taking pictures?
“I think the biggest obstacle I’ve faced is sometimes, if your lighting will get funky or if you go to a certain location and it’s not turning up how you want it to, you have to figure out how to make it work. Those are probably my biggest obstacles with taking pictures.”
What are some of the hardest pictures to take?
“Sports photography is hard because getting your settings right is super hard, especially in gyms and dark fields. Lighting is one thing and then making sure your shutter speed is [right] so you can get it in focus. Those are really hard, action photography for sure.”
Do you plan to continue with photography later on?
“Yes, I definitely want it to be like a second job. I definitely see myself shooting weddings and baby portraits and family portraits so I definitely want to carry it.”
What kind of role do you see photography playing in your life in five years?
“I see myself having a booming business and just a lot of people knowing who I am because I just started now but I’m going to be a young adult, I’ll have more equipment.”
What would you tell students who have a passion outside of school about pursuing their passions in high school?
“I would say if it’s a true passion just find ways you can incorporate it into your schedule and also, [with] whatever you want to pursue, whatever you start with is fine, you don’t need expensive equipment…”