My STEP signature project was a week-long trip to Oregon that focused on landscape photography. We learned basic photography tips and tricks and got to travel all throughout Oregon. On the trip, we utilized different camera techniques, lenses, and even software to edit photos.
While completing my STEP signature project I began to realize how much I loved photography. I am in a very science-based major and field of work in my everyday life. This project was a drastic change of pace from the STEM world. I’ve learned how to use photography as a creative outlet in order to let that part of my personality shine. I now can use all the skills I learned on this trip to really master the craft I had a basic understanding of in order to better myself as an artist.
This trip also opened up my eyes to a new part of the country I have never seen before. Besides learning so much about photography I got to see a place I never thought I would be able to travel to. We were so fortunate on this trip to see so many different places in Oregon and Washington. Throughout the course of the trip, we traveled over 1,200 miles across the two states. I have gained a new appreciation for the beauty of the states and how much they have to offer me.
Some interactions that led to this transformational experience would be the fact that this trip was a staff lead event. To begin, this made the whole STEP process a lot smoother. I was able to ask questions about how to utilize the STEP dashboard and what post-project reporting would look like. Overall it put my mind at ease as this trip involved lots of traveling, equipment, and planning to make it run as smoothly as it did.
Also since this project was staff lead we were lucky enough to have a professional photographer as one of our mentors on the trip. Going into this trip I only knew the very basics of photography. Now after only a week, I have a greater understanding of how to use a camera. I learned what settings to use in daylight versus night, I learned how to manually focus a camera, and even how to utilize the entire landscape in front of me in a photo.
Finally, the last key aspect that made this trip so life-changing was the friends I made along the way. I was able to make connections to people I would have never met at Ohio State otherwise. We were all able to help each other when one was unsure of to frame a photo or what settings they were using to get such a good image. Also, at the end of the trip, we all got together as a group to share the photos we took. We were able to see something we might have not seen on the trip through their lens rather than our own. It created a really great sense of community on the trip and made it much more enjoyable.
This transformation is significant to me because it was a great stress reliever in my life. As a rising fourth year, many ask me “What are you going to do next?”. It’s a question that panics me as I am not sure what the next step is for me. It could be grad school, it could be a job, truthfully I do not know. However, when I was on this trip this was not a question that crossed my mind once. Instead, I was able to have fun and grow as an artist in a stress-free environment that helped me find a new passion of mine that will stick with me forever.