The Impact Photography Has Had on Me

This coming spring marks one year of my photography journey on Instagram. What started out as quick photoshoots with friends has transformed into a diverse portfolio of work that spans from theater performances to graduation photos. I have made so many friends throughout this journey and learned a variety of skills that have transformed my perspective on the art form. As I continued to learn and post my photos on Instagram, I started to realize that my photography didn’t just impact me — it impacted the subjects of my photos as well.

This past fall, I had the opportunity to take photos of Ohio Northern’s women soccer team compete (and win!) the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship. While it was an amazing game to capture, the part that stood out to me the most was when ONU’s team celebrated their victory and let their overjoyed emotions take over, especially for the seniors. The happiness radiating from the team was contagious, for even I was overwhelmed with joy for the team despite knowing none of the players and hardly even understanding the sport. 

As you can imagine, I whipped my camera out as soon as the game clock buzzed and started clicking away. I photographed as much as I could, not wanting to miss a single moment of the team’s celebration. Between the emotional hugs, the trophy ceremony, and parents giving gifts, I was able to capture a wide variety of shots that told the story of the soccer team on that jubilant day. I didn’t fully realize the importance of photographing those moments until after I had posted them on Instagram.

That evening, I posted about thirty photos from the game. This was something I always did after photographing an event, so I hardly gave it a second thought. Within a few hours, I had comments from the team and their families thanking me for the photos and appreciating my work. I was surprised by their gratefulness, for I never truly understood what those photos meant to the community. To me, I simply posted photos that I thought looked cool. The team, however, had one of the most special moments of their college career documented. That happy memory can now be remembered forever.

To me? Photography means more than getting behind a camera and snapping a picture. Through my past experiences, I have found that photography is about capturing important moments and allowing those moments to live throughout history. 

See you next time, 

Evie