Hello, my name is Summer McCaffrey. I’m a junior here at Lincoln Park, and I’ll be writing a column based on photography and my experiences doing it.
I started taking photos purely as a hobby in the beginning. Like a lot of people, I used to take pictures on my iPhone. Then my Aunt Jenny loaned me her digital camera. She had come across it, saw that I had an interest in taking pictures, and offered it to me.
I didn’t know how to work it at first; one of the problems was something that we all take for granted when we take photos with our phones. At first, I couldn’t even locate where the pictures were stored! Now, I think I’m taking pretty good pictures.
Once I caught the hang of things, taking photos became more of a habit. I showed some of my friends my work, and they asked me to take their pictures. Now I use my friends to present my work, and in return they receive free pictures. I even took senior photos for one of my friends recently!
I have been practicing photography for about three months now. In this column, I’m going to share some of my favorite pictures I have taken so far on this journey! I hope you’ll enjoy them; I also hope that maybe someone will be inspired to do photography like I was.
So I’m inviting all SIREN readers to send in your photos. Every month, I’ll be picking a few to spotlight here! You can send them to me at [email protected]. Make sure to include a short description of the photo that we can share with readers, as well as your name, grade level, and hometown.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve done and getting helpful feedback–and I’m hoping to help other people enjoy the same experience!
This photo is one of my first ones I ever took. I took this the day I received my camera. As you will see, the quality is lower than some of my other pictures. The background is obviously not ideal. At this point in my process, I didn’t know how to edit any of my photos. If you look to the upper right corner of the picture, you will see that there is a bright spot that makes it harder to see due to the lens flare. (This is my friend Morgan and her horse Tilly at one of her rodeos.)
I was so honored to be able to take this picture, along with a few others, during this marriage proposal. This was for a surprise proposal for two of my really good friends, Joey and Kaylee. This was taken on a vacation trip to Summersville, WV. This picture is really focused in detail on the little things, including Kaylee’s ring. This was such a special moment, so I was nervous, but I’m happy with the outcome.
This is one of my favorite pictures I have taken so far. This is my best friend Drew. As I said before, my friends are my so-called “models” for my work. This was taken at the Lawrence County Fair. I took this picture for one of Drew’s senior pictures. I really like how the picture is more focused on her features rather than the carousel area behind her.
Do you enjoy taking photos? Are you interested in sharing your work with others? Then be sure to check out “Lights, Camera, Action,” a new photography column in The SIREN by Summer McCaffrey!
