As someone who has been taking photography for five years, I’ve always been interested in capturing the beauty of the world and sharing it with others, and I often ask myself why I take photography. What am I getting out of it?
I’ve discovered there are a few reasons I do it. It’s a wonderful feeling being able to capture the world from new, unseen angles. When I find a new way to take a photo, I want to share it with everyone because it feels so great. I also like doing it for memories. It’s always nice being able to look back on that hiking trip or that family vacation, and these photos are mento of the past. The main reason I became a photographer is just because it’s fun.
Many students around Oyster River High School (ORHS) have taken up photography, igniting a passion that might just stick around forever. Hettie Haudenschield, one of the photography teachers at ORHS, agrees. “When a [student] really goes all in, you know that it’s going to be there for life. That is one thing that they can enjoy for the rest of their life, no matter how old they get, if they’re rich or poor. Whatever happens in their life, if they connect with an art form, it’s theirs forever.”
Maya
Maya Grainger (‘24) has been a photographer for seven years. In that time, she has learned the ins and outs of cameras, and has taken pictures of everything from waterfalls to senior sports. Grainger’s passion sparked during a camp many years ago. “We got those disposable cameras. So, we went and walked around the town just taking pictures of stop signs or stuff like that.”
After this summer camp, Grainger started taking pictures more and more. “I taught myself with resources online, figuring out the manual settings from online infographics, and just experimenting.”
Since her first camera, she’s gotten good at controlling different settings for different styles of photos. “I’m definitely focused more on nature photography because I like traveling and being able to capture places because then I can look back on it and it’s like I’m there again.”
Although she prefers nature, she’s tried many genres. “I really like waterfalls, lighthouses, and mountains. Those are probably my top [subjects], but I’ve also dabbled in sports photography and portraits.”
Grainger recently started an Instagram where she posts senior portraits, sports, and nature photography. You can find her at @maya.g.photography.
Lily
Lily Fitzgerald (‘24), a photographer who specializes in sports, started photography around three years ago. Her interest first started when she began taking artistic pictures on her phone. After taking the photography class at ORHS, she started thinking about investing in a digital camera.
At that time, she was also inspired by photographers at sports games, and wanted to try her hand at sports photography. “I think what made me want to invest in [a camera] was that I wanted to start taking photos, and be more involved in the sports, so I was like, ‘in order to do that obviously I have to get my own camera.’”
Before falling in love with action photos, she liked to capture the natural world. “I started off with nature photography. I would just sit outside my house and take pictures of the birds or even my pets, but it’s definitely formed into sports since I took pictures for the lacrosse team last year.”
Fitzgerald has been considering how she can incorporate her love of photography into her future. “I do want to have photography in my future, but I don’t really know how. I’m taking a forensics class right now, and there’s always a photographer for the investigations; that really spiked my interest.”
You can find her photography on Instagram at @flicks.lil, where she posts sports, and occasionally portraits.
Gabi
Gabi Selig (‘25) has been taking pictures for most of her life. Both her dad and grandfather were always into photography, and she inherited her interest from them. At a young age she had access to some of her dad’s equipment and was able to develop her skills from there. “I’ve always been surrounded by it.”
While taking a photography class at UNH, Selig realized one of the reasons she loves taking pictures. “When you go to take a picture, you could just take a picture of something, but you could take it from so many different angles and perspectives, and you can get a totally new picture by just adjusting where you are.”
Selig has experimented with many different angles and styles and likes to try out new things. In the past she’s taken photos of food, nature, and people, and recently she’s been getting into taking pictures for sports teams and events. Her favorite subject to get pictures of is dogs.
There are many reasons to be interested in photography, and Selig likes it because of the mindset it gets her in. “I take pictures because it helps me get out of my head. […] I can be in the moment and I feel more connected to people.
You can find Selig’s sports photos on Instagram at @gabis_pics_.
Ana
Ana Figueiredo (‘25) has taken some photography in the past, but only started getting into it around a year ago, after taking the photography class at ORHS. “I used to take pictures here and there, but never [consistently] like I do now.
This year, she’s become passionate about taking pictures for our school’s sports teams. At first, she was skeptical of whether her photos would be appreciated by the teams, but the positive affirmations she’s received have excited her to keep taking sports photos. “Especially after I posted some pictures online, I’ve had some people come up to me asking if I can go to some of their games to take pictures. […] I’m so happy that people actually like it.”
Aside from sports, Figueiredo likes to take close up shots of things to be able to see all the little details. “I love taking close ups of eyes. I used to take a bunch of those when I was in the photography [class] last year. I love getting the pupils. It’s so cool.”
She’s learned a lot from taking sports pictures, and the biggest thing she’s figured out is that confidence is key. “Sometimes you’re scared people are going to judge you on the side of the gym taking pictures, but in reality, literally nobody cares that you’re there and the people playing the game will be so grateful for you taking pictures.”
In the future, Figueiredo hopes to maintain her hobby as a creative outlet. “I can definitely see myself doing it, not as a serious thing, but as a fun hobby.”
You can find her sports pictures on Instagram at @inactionwithana.
Advice from the Photographers
“Just keep taking pictures. I mean that’s all you can really do. That’s how you grow, you just keep taking pictures and showing up.” -Fitzgerald
“Just start doing it for fun. Don’t even post it until you’ve figured it out and you can experiment without having people see what those photos look like because everyone’s first photos don’t look as good because you don’t understand the concepts of lighting and composition.” -Grainger
“Put yourself out there and don’t care about what people say.” -Figueiredo
“If you’re interested, go for it. You don’t have anything to lose.” -Selig
“You can have the worst equipment, but if you have a good eye, you can take a picture anywhere.” -Haudenschield
– Micah Bessette
Mouth of the River 
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