I first got into photography and videography in high school, before getting interested in graphic design. I’ve always had a love for cinema and communicating in a visual medium. My work in high school was mostly journalistic, being focused on news production. But it provided a solid basis for me to learn how to operate a camera and edit video.
Towards the end of high school, I became more interested in photography specifically. I took my first photo class, and was very intrigued by the ability to have something more iconic, that makes more of a statement, with a single photo. It was also interesting to me that a photo does not take time to consume, unlike a video. I was always drawn towards the more creative side of photography/videography, and interested in what could be made with full control, rather than simply what I came across covering a certain event. This allowed me more freedom than I had before, and made me wonder about what more could be done.
I studied photography in college, and got to work in a studio setting with strobes for the first time. It introduced me to other areas of photography, whereas before I was focused on mainly landscapes and portraiture, it got me involved in product and food photography, and working with studio strobes and light modifiers allowed much more creativity, while also making it more difficult in a way, having to determine where to place lights and what modifiers and settings to use on both them and the camera in order to best display and represent the product, as well as refining my skills in post-production as far as compositing. I realized what results could be produced through proper use of Photoshop.
This is part of what lead me into graphic design, since as part of the program I had to study various aspects of design. I realized that I also enjoyed this, and enjoyed the freedom that working in a digital space provided. I enjoyed learning the various Adobe programs, seeing what each one was good at, and determining which would be best for a certain application. I also had to learn to draw by hand, in order to better represent things through illustrations, and that turned out to be something I was better at than I thought I was capable of, and has helped to make my representations of things more accurate, as well as things such as representing perspective.
Photography is still my passion, and I especially enjoy creative photography and working with strobes and controlled lighting. I’m also enjoying learning about graphic design. The amount of creativity offered by starting with a blank slate and being able to layer my work with photos and illustrations is a big jump for me, and I’m enjoying combining the two and learning new things that are capable in these programs. I’m currently attending Sullivan University and will graduate soon, hopefully working in advertising, using my skills to their full potential.