Ameteur photographer, freshman Jordan Leonard, is also an ameteur photographer who has yet to take an actual photography class here at Mission Vista High School. At fourteen years old, however, she still holds countless hours in her craft under her belt.
“I really started [photography] in middle school,” explains Leonard. “Before that, I was just taking pictures of my friends; they all thought mine were good.”
At at glance, just simply taking a picture seems simple and easily accessible. Photography goes past the simple “snap” in order to expose something about the world around it. Jordan talked extensively of the painstaking process that she does. The process goes as far as the camera itself.
“My favorite one to use right now is the Canon T6i. It has two different lenses depending on what kind of picture I want to take. Lighting and weather are always two huge factors, so I always check my area of interest before I start taking pictures. Sometimes it takes hours.”
Leonard is still unsure on how far she could or want to take photography. However, her family has already taken notice of her interests, encouraging her to store her images.
“After really good photos, I export them onto the digital collage I have. My prized possession was a sunrise I took in Cabo. I woke up early, but the end result was worth the hassle. For now, they're [my photos] are all just sitting there. I'll find a use for them.”
No surprises will come if Leonard's work becomes noticed on a larger scale. What we do know is that it started small, and grew into more than just saying “cheese”.
Christopher Williams