One thing you might not know is on top of programming and writing, I have one other thing I love doing and that's taking wonderful photos! The following Photo is probably the highest quality photo I have, and that's because I was using a school-owned camera. At home, I use the Sony Nex 5 and Sony A350 cameras. Despite their age, these cameras can still take wonderful photos that really capture the moment.

But why is ANY of this important? Well, Photography and videography is my go-to way to get myself outside and moving around. Here's another photo I took while at my school's photography class.  Just a side note, you absolutely don't need to take any classes to get into photography, it's just I choose to take it.

Each photo is part of your story, and when you grow up these may be the only memories left. Memories fade, and photos will never fade. Whether you have an iPhone or a 2012 camera, anything works. Taking photos is not always about the resolution, it's also about telling a story. Even the average phone nowadays is enough to take wonderful photos. Another idea for you is to make a scrapbook at the end of the year! This is an amazing way to keep these memories stored in a pretty way!

Another awesome visual is movement! You can do these in many ways, through Photoshop or through a stop-motion film. Take a look below for some inspiration!

You can see that my Photoshop skills here aren't that good either, but I had a lot of fun that day and it gave me quite some exercise too. This technique in this photo is called sequence photography. But it's just one of several types of photography that involved movement.

Also, if you want movement, why not move into videos? These can be short tours of your backyard or investigations into specific stuff in your yard. You could even record nature videos. Photography and videography both are great ways to encourage yourself and embrace your curiosity. When you engage in these, you are motivated to chase a story and find something that really resonates with you.

Everything is better with friends. So if you have some friends, get together and start making videos and taking photos. These will eventually be the ways your story is told. Next time you get invited somewhere, bring your camera with you. Maybe, if you get good enough, you can start investing in better resources and actually expand your photos.

Another cool thing I like is light photography. These use light paintings to display art and other stuff. This type of stuff is really easy to make as long as you make some tweaks to your shutter speed and other stuff. (It's also a great way to get likes on Instagram 👀). Try using different colored lights and other stuff during your photos to send a message. You can also combine multiple light photos to create one big word.

Do you notice how so many of these photos have been taken in so many different scenes? This is why photography is so powerful because it brings you to different places and can bring people together. Look at the photo below and you will see the effect photos have.

It's a child working in a factory, one of Lewis Hine's most famous photos to date. This photo was a significant factor in the abolition of child labor in the US. In the following 10 years, there was a 50% decrease in child labor. If you were to see this photo how would you feel? A dangerous factory, with heavy machinery everywhere, could you imagine yourself working there from the age of 11?

While we aren't asking you to go do some social journalism, the idea is that you can take a photo that really brightens someone's day and portrays a feeling. I mean look at the feature image of this article, doesn't that make you feel happy? There are so many techniques and photos you can take, and they all will send a message. Whether it's good or bad, keep the photo there as a memory.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to photography and how it can benefit you. We hope you have found a wonderful new hobby to get started on. If you have a cool photo to show, then post it on Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube with #TriteensPhoto.

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