Within our community, there are many talented people who will someday leave a legacy on our school.
Sophomores Emme McGuire and Camp Thomas have taken their love for capturing life’s moments and transformed their hobby into an entrepreneurship that reflects both of their artistic abilities.
“My photography business basically started out as a way to share my photos I took at dances because everyone liked them — then I wanted to do more sports photos, so I tried to, and it wasn’t that good,” McGuire said. “I gradually started to get people in my DMs asking for me to create photo shoots.”
As McGuire continues to grow her passion, she believes she will stick out from the crowd due to her vintage persona.
“I use an older camera, so they give off more of a different look; I recently just got a mini film camera that I plan to use in a few shoots,” she said. “The vintage look and the cheap prices are what make me stand out because I do not want to make my prices so high that people won’t book me, especially while I’m a beginner.”
Starting a new service takes up hours of hard work and dedication. As McGuire cares deeply about her photography passion, she also cares for her academic responsibilities.
“School is my top priority because I want to go into a job that requires a lot of school, so I better try hard at what I have now,” she said. “Photography somewhat gets in the way because it takes up two and a half hours of my day that I could be studying or doing homework. The editing takes hours, too, because I want to try to encapsulate the good scenery without making it too dull.”
While McGuire has captured countless portraits that tell unique personal stories, Thomas takes his passion a step further by providing aspiring photographers with tools they need to create their own work through camera rentals.
“I have random extra cameras that I don’t use every day, so I put them up to rent because people are always asking me what camera they should get, but then they don’t want to spend a lot of money,” he said. “They can just rent my cameras by the day, and it is way cheaper.”
Inspired by the atmosphere and energy of the concerts Thomas has attended, he decided to further his passion into a thriving career.
“Once I started bringing cameras to concerts, my photography content was just different — it had a better vibe,” Thomas said. “I figured a lot of people would want to have their own cameras to capture their moments.”
While there are many different factors in choosing a photographer, advice and experience also play a crucial role in capturing the perfect image.
“Before you even start a business, start raising your money [for] a good camera and make a lot of connections with people in your community,” McGuire said. “Be prepared because it’s like any other thing. You’re going to get better — just get out there and practice.”
