All throughout my childhood, I had a long awkward film camera that survived everything. I learned how to work it, and started taking my own snapshots at a young age. I’ve always thought a photograph was the perfect way to ensure I’d always have a memory, and that it made it easy to share that memory with another person. When my family took trips to the mountains of Colorado, I loved the nature that surrounded me. I took simple photos of the looming peaks, not knowing they would be the first of many.
My freshman year of high school I reluctantly signed up for photography as an elective because my sister had taken it and hated it. I was quite frankly scared that it would be even half as awful as she claimed it to be. As the teacher introduced himself, I began to think the class wouldn’t go well. His name was Mr. Eby, and he was a middle school football coach who was only there for the term, because the other teachers were unavailable. This seemed like a bad sign.
Mr. Eby ended up being a very easy going teacher, and yet my eyes were opened to this new art form. I had taken an introduction to 2D art class previously that school year and although I enjoyed it, this was a whole new adventure. The rule of thirds seemed to change my world. The simple concept that you rarely, if ever placed your subject exactly in the center of a photo changed the way I look at pictures. It’s interesting now to think how exciting it was to learn those basic rules.
I remember my first time rolling film, it was so stressful. It took patience to withstand the whole developing process, at the end of which one would discover whether or not they had correctly rolled their film. I even recall first entering the darkroom. Everyone groaned at the smell of the chemicals that hung in the air. By the end of the term I was used to the smell, and began to miss it after the term was over. I still love the smell of the chemicals on my hands after a printing session in the darkroom.
From that course on, photography has been a passion of mine. The more I embraced it, the more real it became; this is what I wanted to do. My brother knew of my interest in photography, and helped me get a job through a friend of his. It was a small, but well known photography studio here in Bloomington that I’ve been with since 2005.
I heard about MCAD from a fellow photo student at my community college. He planned to take design there in fall of 2007. I had only known about it, but when it came time to look at schools, I decided to research it on a whim. After receiving more information on the school, I was hooked. I became more and more interested in what the school had to offer with every mailing. I thought Minneapolis would be a great place to study the art of photography. Not only do I love the city, I liked that I wouldn’t have to be far from home, yet I could still have an adventure in a big city! Although it’s a small school, I know I’ll have smaller classes equaling more one on one time with instructors. Overall, the info given me about MCAD drew me in and convinced me to seriously consider the school.
I would hope to be out exploring the world in five years. I want to see what there is out there and show the world my perspective on what I see. Ideally, I would be working as a photojournalist; showing what’s happening in the world without words or deception. I would also like to be a freelance photographer, getting a taste of everything.
In ten years, I would like to be in one place, possibly working for a newspaper or magazine in either an urban or suburban city. My dream would be to sell my artwork in a gallery as well. A part of me hopes to be settled down, using my degree for my own entertainment; not necessarily to make a living, but to truly pursue my passion,- for me.
