Students Find Business Opportunities in Their Passion: Photography

A ny old fool can snap a photo. But for two Ouachitonians, photography is much more than pointing and shooting – it’s about passion and connecting with the subjects of their chosen art.

“I think I’ve always loved photography,” said junior Biology major from Manila, Jessica Fleeman, “not because it’s an art, but because it can transport you to another place. I’m obsessed with culture, people, relationships and emotions. With photography, you can experience all of those things by just looking at one photograph.”

Fellow Ouachitonian photographer, senior Christian Studies major from Benton, Austin Walker, has a similar outlook on the world of photography.

“Photography is something that has always intrigued me,” Walker said. “When I was in junior high, I would take pictures with my dad’s camera. It wasn’t the best [and] I didn’t learn anything about exposure or the ‘technical’ aspects of photography … but I feel like it helped me develop an eye for composition.”

Both Fleeman and Walker have a wide variety of clients, but they’re staying busy during the summer months shooting several weddings each.

“By the end of the summer, I will have shot six weddings,” Fleeman said, “which I feel like is a ton because I just started shooting weddings.”

“This ‘wedding season’ I have eight weddings booked,” Walker said. “Some include bridal sessions; I think all include engagement pictures. So if you count each wedding as three sessions (engagements, bridals and the wedding) … [it gets] kind of crazy.”

Despite the “craziness” of it all, both students feel their work means something to the people they’re capturing memories for and that’s where their passion for photography comes from.

“[Another wedding photographer] told me to think of [shooting weddings] this way: At the end of the day, the couple leaves. The food is eaten. The flowers are in the trash. The speakers are put up. But the pictures, those captured moments. [The couple is] just getting started. [The pictures] will be around for years.”

“Being a photographer is one of the best jobs out there,” Fleeman said. “[W]hat most don’t realize is that [photography’s] more than just taking a good picture. It’s about making a true connection with your clients. If you’ve seen Avatar, you will know what I’m talking about. The Na’vi call it Tsaheylu or ‘the bond.’ That’s what a photographer does when they take pictures. They truly see the subjects they are shooting … and they make ‘the bond.’ The bond is what I love about my job.”