One second. One moment. One memory. One single event can change your life. Capturing that moment through photography is a challenge. Sometimes the lighting is not quite right, the lens goes out of focus, or you just aren’t quick enough. When you do capture that one important moment, the rewards are priceless. When people look at a photograph a thousand things flood into their minds. The ever so used expression, "a picture is worth a thousand words,” is entirely true. For example, if someone were to look at the Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic picture of an American sailor kissing a woman in Times Square after World War II ended, his or her mind would likely flood with emotions of joy and excitement. This image became an icon of the end of bloodshed and misery and the beginning of much happier and peaceful time. Pictures do not just convey emotion but allow people to be transported to one exact moment in time and imagine what the subjects were feeling, seeing, and hearing. This is what photography is all about.

 

From an early age, I was always interested in photography. Flipping through newspapers and magazines, I would always look at the pictures, awestruck by how a camera could capture such emotion and beauty. Then I started taking pictures of my own. I took pictures of sunsets and natural landscapes, striving to take pictures that could be viewed as great and moving. People would tell me that my pictures looked professional and “postcard worthy.” After my sophomore year, I decided to join my school’s publications class, which created the school newspaper and yearbook. One day a photographer was sick and was unable to take pictures at a varsity volleyball game. I volunteered to take pictures, and, being used to taking pictures of still landscapes, I had no idea how to take action shots during a sporting event. The trepidation was short lived, as the expensive, high quality camera felt like it was meant to be in my hands. Snapping picture after picture felt like second nature to me, and during that game, I discovered one of my true passions: action photography. A local newspaper printed articles featuring my pictures. Seeing that photo credit was so validating, as I knew that my pictures would be printed for thousands of people to see. I started taking pictures at almost every home game, trying to capture those fleeting moments. Whether it is the volleyball team roaring after a victory or a basketball player’s determined facial expression right before a free throw, these pictures will convey emotion and feeling to viewers for years to come.

 

Due to my knack for photography, I was chosen to go to the Breslin Center in East Lansing to take pictures of our varsity girls basketball team, who had made states that 2015 season. I was thrilled. Just weeks before I had taken my first action shots, and now I had the opportunity to sit on the floor of a national stadium, surrounded by fellow journalists. Ever since, photography, specifically action photography, has helped me realize just how one moment can make all the difference. 

 

After high school, I plan to pursue a career in medicine. The sciences have always interested me, and I want to be able to help people heal and get back to their own passions. Even though my high school journalism career is coming to a close, I will not let my passion for photography fade away. I hope to be able to volunteer as a student photographer at whichever college I end up choosing. After a long day at work as a medical professional, I will be able to use my photography as a creative outlet. The calming feeling that overcomes me whenever I take pictures will never fade away. I want to be able to keep capturing the fleeting moments that make us laugh, cry, and scream out in triumph. Sometimes the stresses of everyday life can allow us to forget to slow down and enjoy life. We forget to actually stop for a second and process what is happening, and we don't realize how those split-second moments affect our lives. Life can go by quickly. One second you are a scared freshman wondering what lunch table you’re going to sit at, and the next you are a high school graduate, walking out of high school with a diploma and fading memories. One single photograph can help bring back these fading memories. That is what photography is all about: making people feel something.