As I mentioned in my introduction, I'm currently working towards a communications degree. This season of life I find myself in has led me to a wide array of both interesting challenges and joys. One of those being this class; another being last semester's adventures in photography.
Before August 2021, I had hardly touched advanced cameras. As a textbook Gen Z young adult, I've never had much of a need to. My dad worked for tech companies developing some of the first cell phones with cameras, so I've really never known a time without a way to quickly snap a photo.
However, our senior members of society always have a way of treasuring certain sacred practices, honing them to a level far more complicated than mere mortals often imagine. In quite the same fashion, my photography professor hit me with a generous helping of humble pie over the months we spent together.
We spent hours shooting for this class. Every once in a while I wanted to rip my hair out from frustration, and when I wasn't feeling that way, I had probably already actually ripped it out hiking to a shoot or brushing out the tangles so graciously bestowed on me by Oklahoma's legendary wind speeds.
But I digress.
This class was insanely fun. I got to laugh with all kinds of people and marvel at all kinds of animals. Whether I was timidly approaching a llama or creeping up on a prairie dog, I had my gear ready and loaded to get the perfect (ish) shot. This picture in particular came just before this bull charged us rather rudely.
What I will treasure the most from my class though, is the memories made with my classmates and friends. One of my projects relied entirely on the creative genius of my roommate - a smart but ambitious girl. Our evening featured a very spontaneous and elaborate plan for getting on our roof... a journey I can only describe as "so college."
Behind some of these shots are memories like those I hope I hold on to for a very long time. Other photos were snapped very quickly between classes and meetings and trips and all the other bustle of a busy day.
It's really that sense of business that gets to me. I scroll through my instagram feed every hour in a sort of removed state. I click past dozens of pictures a minute, almost none leaving a very significant impact on me. I pay maybe seconds of attention to even the most beautiful photos I come across. I consume and consume and consume.
Yet I look back on my pictures with such pride, joy, and satisfaction. I think I'll keep them off social media for a while. Maybe forever. I think I'll pay them the respect that they deserve. I think and I hope they will in some way continue to remind me of the growing pains of learning a new craft, rather than just sitting hidden in a page of dozens of cheap (and not so cheap) shots.
