Kareena Dhillon
Online Features Editor
Mira Costa junior Carmen Weiss has created her own website in pursuing photography by sharing different aspects of her life to the public.
Her website, Carmen Weiss Photography, contains portfolios of photographs of both her friends and the places she has visited. The categories on her website include school, travel and the beach. Her photographs are personalized with effects and captions, and each folder in her portfolio is specific to her life and what Weiss enjoys, she said. She also has videos of her adventures. She created the website at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year and has maintained it ever since.
“I love when people come up to me and ask me about photography,” Weiss said. “When people ask me if they can have a photo shoot with me it easily makes my day. I am always looking for new models and new faces. Taking pictures of people is one of my favorite things to shoot.”
She created her website to share and spread her photography, Weiss said. Previously she made a website in sixth grade because she thought it would be a good platform to keep all of her photos in one place. However, it was too hard to maintain and the effort was later abandoned, Weiss said. Her current motivation is fueled by the fact that she is in Advanced Placement Art this year, so it is important to have a place where her work can stay organized, she said.
“I think it’s really inspiring and heartwarming to watch one of my closest friends pursue their passion so strongly and with so much dedication,” junior Emma Mirhashi said. “Especially considering that she’s made photography such a priority in her life.”
Weiss started taking pictures in fifth grade after taking photography classes. Having a website has given Weiss the freedom and originality to design however she wants, Weiss said.
“It’s absolutely vital for students to express themselves through their passions because high school is a period of growth where many students begin to find themselves,” Mirhashi said. “Pursuing our individual interests and aspirations helps give us a sense of identity and individuality.”
Weiss enjoys shooting at the beach so that she can highlight her love for bathing suits, and occasionally she shoots for small swimwear companies. Some of the photographs on her website include her assignments for school and pictures she has taken on vacation.
“It doesn’t feel like work to me because I enjoy it and it’s a great way to express myself,” Weiss said. “I love sharing my work and hearing feedback from people whether it is negative or positive because to me the purpose of art is to spark a reaction or a conversation.”
Weiss used the template Wix Website to personalize her own website. Weiss plans to continue photography and maintaining her website throughout high school. She hopes to go more in depth and possibly later pursue photography as a career, Weiss said.
“I love taking pictures with hidden deeper meanings which is more of my school work,” Weiss said. “Sometimes a picture has more to it than what meets the eye. I love these kind of shots because it really lets me be more creative and send a message.”
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