At North Central, a few dedicated individuals live their life behind the lens of a camera, capturing the highlights of other people’s achievements. They spend hours at events shooting photos and later editing them to satisfy others, often without anyone noticing their story or how they fell in love with their life through a lens.
Alex Anderson is a current sophomore who aspires to play soccer at the Division 1 level. Off the field, he stays busy taking pictures, preserving nature and others’ accomplishments forever.
“I became interested in photography after my dad went on a safari in Africa,” Anderson said.
While photographers have inspiration from many places, Anderson’s main source of inspiration is his father, who originally got him interested in photography.
“My biggest inspiration is my dad because he works extremely hard and is always helping me improve whatever I do,” Anderson said.
Not only does his father inspire him, but so do other photographers. Social media is a gold mine for photographers; not only do they gain recognition, but they can also adopt styles similar to other photographers.
“For my photos, I gain inspiration from photographers on Instagram and my yearbook colleagues Isa George and Eli Priest,” Anderson said.
All photographers have their own style. With their style comes different views on what makes a photo look good. In Anderson’s case, his main focus is on highlighting the moment the picture is taken.
“I believe that highlighting the mood of a photo makes it great but it also needs to be of quality, depending on how you take the photo,” Anderson said. “I like to highlight the mood with beautiful skies or black and white contrast.”
While pursuing a photography career isn’t for everyone, Anderson hopes for one. His plans include playing soccer in college and becoming a sports scientist, and he hopes that he is able to continue photography through and after college.
“I can see myself pursuing an amateur career in photography as a side business, like my Instagram,” Anderson said. “My goals currently are to build a brand, which is currently called _chevalier.prodzz on Instagram, and to have fun taking pictures of my friends and anyone interested in my work. I honestly think I would only really start to pursue a side career in photography when I graduate from college, though, because I plan on playing D1 soccer and becoming a sports scientist.”
With all the different types of photography, photographers have a wide range of what to focus on. Many photographers choose one or two areas to focus on.
“My favorite styles of photography are wildlife and sports,” Anderson said.
To the public, photographers seem to have it easy. A quick press of a button and that’s it, but behind the lens, photographers face challenges, both taking the picture and editing it.
“One of the biggest things that non-photographers think about photography is that it’s just about clicking a button. As a photographer, you have to constantly change the settings of your camera for the occasion, and maybe even more depending on the weather. Editing is also a prominent factor in separating good photos from great ones,” Anderson said.
Everyone, no matter what they are doing, has something motivating them. For Anderson, it is seeing how people react to the result of his work.
“What motivates me when taking photos is the subject’s reaction. I love seeing the people I take pictures of smile when I send them their pictures and enjoy making them look like heroes,” Anderson said.
Every photographer is unique; no picture would be the same if two different people took it. Styles of editing differ, the camera differs, the camera setting differs, everything is different and every photographer is unique.
“What makes me unique is my style of editing. I love highlighting the sky in any way I can and love to make colors pop,” Anderson said. “I usually refrain from black and white photos, but if I truly think the photo needs a more stern look, I’ll desaturate it.”
Anderson is also a member of the NCHS Photography club, and they have been working to create a community where people can connect through photography.
