BIO

My name is Lauren West and I want to capture beauty however I can.

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     My first camera was a red Digital Concepts 3in1 digital camera with a preview screen. Hardly a "real" camera, as a middle schooler, it gave me freedom to log down the memories of my friends and band concerts, and while 6th grade me never thought I'd become a photographer, I still count it as a step in my development. I then got a Kodak Easyshare M320 a few years later. I remember taking photos of my family around my house, of different hairstyles and outfits 8th grade me thought were fashionable, of my friends in the school cafeteria. That camera sat on my bookshelf for around 6 years before I picked up another camera.

     When I entered my (film) Photography 1 class sophomore year of college, I honestly did not appreciate photography as an art form. I made the assumption that taking photos was luck of the shot. But as I started developing my own film, I saw myself grow into a budding photographer who had control over my environment. It was up to me to present the world through my eyes, as no one else can. I got to develop the film and watch the photos rise up out of the photo paper, and suddenly all those cold days walking around downtown and figuring out what things like "aperture" and "iso" and "shutter speed" controlled became worth it. Before the class was over, I researched and purchased my Canon EOS Rebel T6 and taught myself how to use a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) by walking around my campus and practicing compositions and lighting.

     Junior year I joined the creative arts team at my church as a photographer -- I was in charge of capturing and editing photos of baptisms, worship services, events, and the kids activities. I stayed in that position for two years and loved it. This experience better helped me learn to choose important photos in a setting and gave me practice for editing photos in a wide range of lighting with low f-stops.

     Senior year, I took a Photography 2 course to better learn digital photography and how to use the manual settings on my camera. I learned how to bounce light with a reflector, edit photos on Lightroom and Photoshop, and choose photos for a series. This class was very useful in adding technical finesse to my photography.

     As a current art teacher, I'm excited to share my love for art and photography as a medium of expression uninhibited by language, culture, race, religion, or politics, and I hope to grow even more the longer I keep working.