Senior Project is a great way to make new connections and to learn about what you’re interested in with hands on experience. Anyone who might think that they’ll just get this experience in college, think again. In my time so far in senior project with KM Photography in Franklin I’ve discovered a lot about being a photographer, and what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera. I’ve also learned about the process a person goes through with figuring out if what you want to do is really the right choice for you.
One of the tasks I completed during my first week of senior project was to interview my site adviser, Karen Moriarty. Not only did I learn a lot about her, but I learned a lot about running a business. I discovered that Karen’s passion for photography started with a high school class, which went into a college major, then a business she worked for, and finally into her own portrait photography business. We discussed a lot about running a business, and also how photography can go from an interest to a passion. With running a business, you really have to love what you do, keep up with the times, and try to have a fun/new approach to the profession you’re working in. Meanwhile, with deciding what is an interest or what is a passion, Karen talked about how taking portraits of people, especially seniors in high school, is a way to capture memories, or a milestone in someone’s life (such as senior portraits, newborn portraits, or family reunions to name a few!). With her choice of portrait photography as a career for those reasons really showed me how much she loved doing it. The interview and this project so far, really made me think about my own interest in photography, and helped me decide which aspects of it that I liked/disliked, and how I could make this into a successful career one day. I really thought about what differentiates an interest from a passion. I came to the conclusion that an interest is something that grabs your attention for a short time, but a passion captures your attention for a life time.
As well as the interview, I also did a photo shoot with Karen during my first week on senior project. Not only did it show me what it’s like to be on the opposite end of the camera, but it showed me how a photographer makes the person she’s photographing comfortable, while still being professional. At first, it was weird for me being the subject instead of the photographer; I wasn’t used to having my picture taken so much. But soon enough that was forgotten, and I was at ease with it. I didn’t realize that a portrait photographer had to do so much to get such good portraits. Karen changed the lighting, the backgrounds, and the props, while also talking to me and showing me the pictures she was taking of me so I could get a ‘sneak peek’. Until now, I hadn’t realized being the subject of a photo shoot could be so much fun, and how much I could learn about being a photographer while just being on the other end of the camera.
Overall, I would highly recommend senior project to any incoming senior at Franklin High School. Not only have I learned a lot, but I’ve come to conclusions about how much I really like photography, and how I could see myself doing it as a career in the future. KM Photography really showed me what a professional portrait photography business should look like, and taught me a lot about what to expect when I get out into the “real world” outside of high school.
If you are interested in Senior Project, please contact:
Ms. Yankee: 508-528-5600 ext. 3167 or [email protected]
Ms. O’Neill: [email protected]