By Kit Humbarger
Features Editor
Click! Junior Sadie Jun snaps her way to success with her photography business SYJ Photography. Jun photographs both Costa athletes as well as other sports in the South Bay. So far, she has photographed baseball, basketball, track, football, and volleyball.
Jun first got into photography when she was in elementary school. She’s spent years perfecting her talents to be where she is today. According to Jun, going to her little brother’s sports games influenced her to pursue sports photography.
“My parents bought me a small Canon camera, and I started taking pictures at my brother’s baseball games,” said Jun. “For my middle school graduation, my parents got me a Canon Rebel T7. Since then, I’ve used it to continue to improve my photography skills while deepening my love for it.”
While Jun’s love of photography started as a fun hobby, it quickly developed into a passion and an opportunity for business. According to Jun, she only recently started promoting her photography skills as a paid service.
“Pursuing photography wasn’t a serious thing for me until recently,” said Jun. “People were reaching out to me through my dad for photography gigs, so I decided to make a website to make it easier for people to contact me. I went from just taking pictures of my brother’s baseball and basketball teams to making a business out of photographing other teams and athletes.”
Jun believes that it is important for students to dedicate a lot of their time to discovering their passion and honing their skills. According to Jun, it’s important to believe in yourself and take risks when starting out.
“One piece of advice I would give to students starting a business is to take yourself seriously and really go for it,” said Jun. “I spent a lot of time making my business more professional, and I started to see my business grow a lot after that.”
In the future, Jun hopes to pursue a career in sports photography. She believes her photography business has increased the possibility of a professional career in the field. According to Jun, her dream job would be working for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a photographer.
“My business bloomed out of a hobby that I enjoyed doing,” said Jun. “I really enjoy seeing parents and athletes’ reactions to my photos. It’s a great feeling when you know you got an amazing shot and were able to capture an amazing moment.”
Browse Jun’s photos and contact her for a photo session at @syj_photography25 on Instagram. If you book a session for Mira Costa sports team, the first 15 photos are free.
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