Students at Frederick Community College discuss photography as an art, what it means, and the influx of photographers in recent years.
Leah Paire, Duncan Slade, and Carlos Holguin are students ranging from ages 17 to 19 years old at Frederick Community college. The three of them are passionate about photography and took the time to talk about their art.
“I like photography because it helps me express myself in ways other outlets can’t,” said Paire. “so like, I suck at drawing and I suck at painting, and I suck at anything like physical art, but photography is different.”
Carlos and Duncan expressed similar sentiments about having a difficult time with traditional art form but being able to express themselves through photography.
“What drew me to it is that even though I love drawing, it takes forever,” said Holguin. “I love capturing a picture. Like, though I hate drawing faces, I love taking pictures of faces. I just love art in general, and photography is a much more accessible way to do it.”
All three students recounted stories of the first time they shot artistically and remembered falling in love with the process early on.
“When I went on my first photo shoot,” Paire said. “I took a couple shots, and immediately I realized how awesome it is to take something in my mind and turn it into something physical that other people can look at too.”
The drive for the “perfect” shot was felt by each photographer interviewed, as well as the joy of achieving it.
“I have this mental image in my like, “Oh, I have to get this, we have to get it done,” said Holguin. “It’s one thing picturing in your head, like, I have this really cool photo idea, like, this person in this area with this lighting doing that thing, but when you actually pull it up on the computer and see it in full size, it’s like ‘Oh wow, that actually worked.” It’s just really satisfying seeing the finished product, it’s just kind of fun seeing people enjoy things that I took pictures of.”
According to a study provided by statista.com, the number of photographers in the United States of America amounted to 40.84 million in Spring of 2017. While it is hard to determine how these people define the term “photographer”, Slade had some thoughts of the qualifications.
“Photography is something that everybody does, but not everybody is a photographer,” he said. “I think the difference between somebody who just takes pictures and a photographer is that a photographer looks at their works and thinks of it as art, not just thinking it’s just a cool photo.”
Their dedication to their craft and passion for their art is what sets this group apart.
“If I could tell people anything about photography,” Paire said. “it would be that it takes a lot of time and a lot of thought and a lot more than just snapping a good photo. It’s about getting every possible angle and taking a risk, and not being afraid to work with new models, and not being scared of what other people are going to think of your photo. It’s about really expressing yourself.”
