Keepsakes are items, files, letters, or photos that capture the essence of the moment in which they were created. For me, photography has always been one of my most treasured forms of keepsakes.
Photos tell a story, and that’s why looking through photo albums has always been one of my favorite pastimes. No matter how much time passes, the memories never fade. From a young age, I’ve been passionate about preserving memories and ensuring they tell a story. I guess that’s why I’ve saved everything from my elementary school photos to the first newspaper that featured my photography on the front page.
The perfect way to kick off Digital Shift Happens is by highlighting photography and the incredible role it’s played in my life.
Photography was my first creative outlet. I remember “borrowing” my sister’s camera to take pictures of anything I could find.. sometimes it was of my mom’s plants and other times it was holiday portraits of my dogs or random objects around the house like watches. That curiosity sparked a growing passion for capturing moments and storytelling!
My first DSLR camera was a Nikon D3100! I would take it with me everywhere even on vacation and school. My first form of content creation was photography. Since I was already capturing photos of happenings around the school, I decided to launch my school’s social media accounts. I would publish live updates from sporting events on Twitter and would upload photo albums on Facebook for our parents, students, and community to see. My camera became a bridge to inform, connect, and preserve special memories.
In college, my photography journey reached new heights. As a a contributor, and later staff photographer, for The Daily Targum (one of the oldest newspapers in the country), I gained experiences I never imagined. And as I perfected my craft, I met inspiring people and explored places I never thought I’d see. Some of my favorite memories are meeting Marc Ecko, Eric LeGrand, Gyptian, Wendy Williams, and snapping photos at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center (practice facility for the New York Giants) and SHI Stadium (formerly High Point Solutions Stadium at Rutgers University).
Most importantly, I received credentials I never took for granted. Being part of the “media” meant having a ticket to virtually anything I wanted to cover.
Beyond media coverage, photography earned me enough confidence and immense honor to capture special milestones like graduations, baby showers, weddings, and more. It’s how I built connections and friendships. After all, who doesn’t love a great photo?
Over the years, I’ve experimented with everything from DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to GoPros, video cameras, external mics, lighting, and even green screens (before fancy virtual backgrounds). Today, my iPhone or my husband’s Android is all I need to capture stunning photos.
Photography was truly where my creative journey began. It gave me the courage to explore new creative outlets like video, graphic design, and web design which all eventually led me to launch my own portfolio website in 2015 which you are on right now.
While not frequent, I still enjoy intentionally picking up the camera to capture some nature photography or milestone portraits for my family. Photography will always hold a special place in my heart as the foundation of my creative journey. They will always be among my favorite keepsakes. Through every phase of my life, photos have captured my journey and growth, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.
