When I was in second grade, I discovered my parents’ 600 Film Polaroid camera. Somehow, there was still film inside of the camera and the camera worked! I spent that night taking pictures of my family and puppy. The next day, I convinced my parents to let me take it to class and took pictures of my friends. I instantly fell in love with capturing memories; I had no idea at the time but that day changed my life. Every time the film rolled out of the bottom of the camera, a treasure appeared before my eyes. I instantly fell in love with this product I only captured just moments before.
From then on, I would always ask my parents if I could borrow their digital camera during family vacations. I loved taking pictures of everything in sight. When I saw the pictures, I was overwhelmed with happiness from the moments I was able to capture. I love looking at photo albums and reminiscing about the memories behind the photographs.
In high school, I took some photography courses furthering my curiosity for this art form. I learned about editing and the wonders of Photoshop. The courses I took mainly focused on how to use Photoshop. I learned what a great tool it is but I felt like I was not learning much about actually taking pictures. I struggled a lot with photography, especially editing. I was in desperate need of practice. I tried my best to practice as often as I could but I kept putting photography aside and neglected my passion for some time. When I was looking at universities my junior year of high school, I was extremely interested in art schools because of photography. I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to do something more with photography. However, I also had a passion and dream to study business. I eventually decided to attend a university where I had the opportunity to study both fields.
As I prepared for my registration for my first year of college, I decided to wait on studying photography. But, God had a different plan for me. Through my Living Learning Community, a required course, I took a class on the problems with photography. The course studied the way photography can influence the injustices people face daily. In this class, we had some projects in the photography darkroom. All of a sudden, I fell in love with film photography and printing. This lead to my decision to pursue a photography minor. My love for Business and Marketing helped me want to turn my passion into a business. I created Angelica Carrete Photography in 2016 as a way to do more with my hobby.I challenge myself to grow as a creative everyday and try my best to stay motivated through the struggles that come with being a college student. I created this blog as an outlet for my thoughts on the many different aspects of photography and to further challenge my creativity. I am so excited for this journey!
