I truly believe that there is a deep importance in expressing yourself through an artform. I have a passion for photography starting in middle school and continuing to this day. I use photography to not only express myself and my personality, but I also use it as a business venture to profit off of my art. I have been using the art of photography to express myself and my interests through my subjects. Like most people, I love animals probably more than people and I have found that I can demonstrate their true beauty through photography. I started taking photos of my dogs at home and they turned out to be very photogenic and the pictures turned out really well. Then I started taking my camera with me on nature walks, trips to the zoo, and on vacation to capture anything I saw that was intriguing. My favorite thing to photograph, by far, are butterflies. They are elegant, colorful, and peaceful. I have gotten some of my best pictures capturing stills of butterflies resting on flowers. Having found an interest in animals and nature I found ways to use my love for photography for philanthropy. I started volunteering with a pet rescue and using my photography skills to take adoption photos for the rescue animals. I additionally found an entrepreneurial route to use my photography skills. During Prom season 2023 I decided to charge $50 for prom pictures. I started asking friends from school and I ended up booking two groups for pictures. While posed portraits are not my favorite I figured I was willing to take a chance on this entrepreneurial opportunity. It turned out to be a profitable success. I learned a lot from this experience that I will apply next time as far as the payment plan and better communication. Photography is important to me because it isn’t just a form of expression. It has taught me to be kind to nature and people alike, and it showed me to never take anything for granted. Take the opportunity to capture memories and reminisce on happy times when given the chance. That is why photography is important to me. I want to continue making a difference in my own life and in my community and I want to share the beauty of the simple things in life. But on a smaller scale, photography is a format that I use to express myself, my feelings, and my thoughts.