3A - Your entrepreneurship Story
Ever since my elementary-school self could figure out how to use the camera on my mom’s flip phone, I fell in love with creatively expressing myself through photography. Throughout high school, I started honing in on these passions, and took several digital and film photography courses. These courses helped me develop technical skills, challenge and expand my creativity, and digest criticism in a way I had ever tackled before. I fell in love with the dark room, I fell in love with having a camera on me 24/7, I loved showing off my work.
Senior year of high school, I started taking senior portraits for my classmates. Most of the photographers in Cleveland, my hometown, are very expensive, and the photoshoots are awkward. Without stating the obvious, everyone wants to look their best in photos and have nice photos to remember their past, but one on one shoots can be uncomfortable, especially when middle-aged photographers put you in corny, outdated poses. I emphasized I wouldn't do that, and made the shoots fun, relaxed, and natural. I made the pricing cheap and simple, and kept the shoots light and candid. My classmates loved my work, and I had fun shooting them.
After about a month, some of the faculty had heard about it and saw my work, and different departments had reached out to me about shooting various events. Basically overnight, I had started shooting sports games, banquets, assemblies, and plays, alongside my portrait work. The work experience was gold, I had fun on the job and fueling my passion, and I made a little bit of money. Wins all around.
After about a month, some of the faculty had heard about it and saw my work, and different departments had reached out to me about shooting various events. Basically overnight, I had started shooting sports games, banquets, assemblies, and plays, alongside my portrait work. The work experience was gold, I had fun on the job and fueling my passion, and I made a little bit of money. Wins all around.
In UF, I still do some freelance photography work. Clubs will ask me for event photos, I do senior portraits, I’m a photojournalist intern at The Gainesville Sun, I’m a photographer for Strike Magazine, and I’m a photographer/ marketing intern at Bricks Bar. I’m thankful for the opportunities and skills my high school experiences gave me, as they’ve tremendously grow me in my current positions. I hope to use this course to develop the business side of my photography passions, and help me apply my past/ current experiences to a future business idea. I’m excited to see where photography takes me next and how this course guides me.
Hi Andreanna! Nice post, its so cool to read about all the things your photography skills have allowed you to be involved in at UF. It sounds like it was a passion turned into something you realized you could make money doing, I love that for you! I also really like the picture you posted, it is very cute! Look forward to seeing your future posts.
ReplyDeleteAndreanna, this is so incredible, you took something that most people would consider a hobby and turned it into a real career. This is amazing work, and the fact that you networked your way into basically working for all of UF is incredible. This is the type of entrepreneurship that should be celebrated because encompasses all the facts of what it means to be an entrepreneur and to continue wanting to expand. You should link any social media that you have so others can find you here, I would love to see your work.
ReplyDeleteHi Andreanna!
ReplyDeleteWow! You're already an entrepreneur and it's amazing to know you started in high school by doing all of these events and now you're making it your own. With photography you can make it any way you like. I'm sure you will just go up from here and maybe one day open up your own company! I wish you the best of luck!