In the world where newer, advanced phones emerge every year, and the selfie culture continues to  spread, shooting photos with an actual camera is only becoming rarer. Not many people would be willing to invest in a camera, let alone learn the proper techniques to use one. Since freshman year, however, senior Michael Lin has been increasingly dedicated to his interest and passion in photography, exploring creative shooting methods with light and composition.

“[I have been] interested in photography pretty much all my life. In the beginning of freshman year, I started using a film camera, and I got interested through that. It advanced my learning a lot; it accelerated my path towards where I am now,” Lin said.  “[There have] been a few major influences in my life. Last year, there was a kid named David Cho; he was really good at photography, and he inspired me along with another photographer, Alan Choo.”

With dedication and determination, Lin expands his photography skills by practicing a variety of photo styles, two of which are portraits and landscapes. He tends to bring his camera everywhere to capture all of the interesting moments he sees. He also takes advantage of his advanced photo-taking skills and tries to help his friends in any way he can.

“I am perfectly content when I go out shooting photos, because it allows me to focus in on my inner thoughts more clearly – I can distance myself from the environment around me and use that instead as an extension of my mind through my photographs,” Lin said. “I regularly go on certain hikes or plan out shoots to take pictures, but most of the time, I just bring a camera anywhere I go. If there’s any interesting moments, then I am almost always ready to try and capture them.”

Lin offers his talents to students on campus as founder of Junior Photography Exploration Group (JPEG), a club focused on photography. He made one big step toward his dream of photography with the successful launch of the club.  He hopes to increase everyone’s passion for photography throughout the community.

“In the club, I try to dedicate [myself] to teaching and hope people learn more about cameras, learn how to use them, how to manipulate light and how to do different things with photography. We try to share our work and help people understand through putting out their personal experiences with photography,” Lin said.

Lin’s view of his future is clear as he said he desires to continue photography as his hobby. He is sure of his love and passion for photography and hopes to create projects that can inspire people in the future. He is always looking forward to any career opportunities within photography that will help contribute his talents to the world.