Hobbies and interests can come from anywhere and anything. When senior Maddie Tober captured her first photo, she knew that she’d found hers.

“I love having the opportunity to take people’s pictures and capture their beautiful memories and moments and turn them into photos,” Tober said.

As her eyes focus on the lense of her black Canon camera, her hands shift and her feet sidestep to find the right angle, capturing the perfect photo.

“I like photography because a picture says a lot,” Tober said. “It can make memories last longer, and moments able to be replayed. Especially with senior portraits, it’s exciting to help and have a small part in having people more excited for a big step in their lives.”

Although she received help when getting started, much of her learning was trial and error.

“I met with a photographer in Plano as my mentor for some extra tips, and then shot and edited senior pictures,” Tober said. “I have also taken family portraits and I have learned so much more about photography and the excitements and difficulties that come with it. I use Lightroom, Photoshop, and Aperture to edit all of my photos.”

Creating original photos is a difficulty she faces when planning the photo shoot.

“I mostly let the people that I’m taking photos of choose where and how they want their pictures taken,” Tober said. “I get inspiration from websites like Pinterest. I also plan their photos around their interests, so if they like cheer, then they can wear their uniforms and we can take the pictures by something cheer-related.”

When faced with the task of figuring out what to do as her senior project, Tober had no problem deciding to incorporate photography. Senior Jaclyn Willis was one student who took advantage of Tober’s skills.

“I am very thankful for my beautifully-taken senior pictures,” Willis said. “They were fun to take and they came out really well.”

Many students dread taking their senior pictures because of all the planning, but Tober does her best to make the experience as easy as possible.

“I prefer to have a classmate take my photos because it is awkward and I can’t be myself with someone I don’t know,” senior Hannah Warrick said.

Although she loves taking pictures, Tober does not want to pursue photography as her primary career.

“When I get older I think it would be really fun to do it on the side, like maybe on the weekends,” Tober said. “I really enjoy it and think it would be super fun as a hobby in my future.”