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I remember as a kid I used to always hate being in front of the camera. I used to always wonder why my parents forced me to. Personally, I did not think I was the best-looking kid growing up, so I felt embarrassed being in photos. 

One thing I remember my mom saying is, “these photos are for memories.” That made me realize that having something to look back on as life passes is amazing to me. The joy of seeing pictures from the past, or seeing my own baby photos, just gives me a visual of how things used to be. 

Now, as life progresses, I have fallen in love with being the guy who is behind the camera taking those photos. There is a different type of feeling when capturing memories for other people or of nature. I knew that one day I wanted to take photography seriously.  

The art of photography is unique to me because there are many styles and different ways to be creative with it. It is all personal preference.  

Since I grew up as an athlete, photography was always present. Every sport that I played, there was always somebody who came and took pictures for the entire team. As I got older, I found it pleasing looking back at these photos. That is what I think about when wanting to be in sports photography. I want to be that person taking those pictures for these athletes. 

Not only is sports photography something I enjoy doing, I also want to get into portraits of other people, or even special events such as weddings and banquets. When I am snapping pictures for other people, it brings joy to me seeing their reaction to the photos. It makes me feel good knowing I capture memories for them in their lives. My really good mentor, who was also my basketball coach in high school pushed me to practice my abilities at his team banquet. 

At this time, I did not have the experience of taking photos at an event yet and I was a little nervous. My problem was getting out of my comfort zone to walk up to people and snap photos of the moments. My mentor kept encouraging me to do my job, and it turns out I had a great time with it. Everyone was excited to have their photo taken for them, which gave me confidence to keep going.  

Having confidence during a photoshoot is key when working with clients. Making the client feel welcomed prevents them from being overwhelmed if they are not comfortable with taking pictures. The worst thing is when the client feels like the photographer does not know what they are doing. It is also important to conversate with the subject so they can feel comfortable talking and interacting with the photographer. 

I know my journey of wanting to be a photographer is different from others. I love seeing the excitement on people’s faces when they are getting their pictures done. That was not the same for me growing up as a kid until I was one day inspired to take pictures. 

“I started as a kid, stopped… then started again when I was in my twenties…and then digital photography came along…and for me it was miraculous,” Dr. Paul Brooke said, a professor at Grand View University, who also does photography. “Then I just started taking more shots, then slowly over time I got more lenses and now it is something that I could not live without doing.” Over time, Brooke gradually grew to love photography. 

I was excited to talk to Brooke about his journey because I saw some similarities in my growth compared to how he became good at what he did, but we have some differences as well.  

“I like the surprise of nature photography, because, one, you can’t control it…you don’t know what these animals are going to do or how they are going to act,” Brooke said. 

When I asked Kenzie Brown what photography means to her she replied, “To capture the moments.” Brown is a student at GVU who also has dreams of becoming a photographer. I agree that photography is about capturing the moments, and that is why Brooke loves capturing wildlife. It is fascinating having those moments and knowing that he has full control over taking the pictures.  

Some of the challenges I face on my journey of becoming a photographer include getting out of my comfort zone to start a business and taking my photography seriously. I know that someday I want to be a full-time photographer, but I do not know where to start to gain clients and start making income from it.  

“If you figure it out, there’s a way…you just got to find the right thing that fits for you,” Brooke said. “It’s a lot of work but gives [you] a lot of freedom…you get to travel a lot.” Though it is a lot of work, a photography career can be rewarding. Even so, the career is changing. 

“I’m worried about A.I., I’m worried about people cheating. I worry about this in nature photography because you can see where people have manipulated the image so much that it doesn’t look real.” This is a problem for Brooke as a photographer and a professor. Edited photographs lack the raw and unfiltered nature of the original shot. Photographs can also be manipulated before they are ever shot, especially in nature photography. 

“A lot of people do unethical things, like they’ll feed a fox something to get it to stay, or they’ll cut branches, or they’ll chase after animals, or they’ll harass them,” Brooke said. 

My overall take away from all this is finding a passion for photography is the key to success. I found my passion when I saw the excitement on people’s faces when they were getting a picture taken of them. Brooke found his passion in taking photos of wildlife and nature. It is all about capturing the moment and having something to look back on in the future.   

Brooke advises beginners to stay with the craft. “If you just get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot, and practice different techniques…you’ll get even better.”