Quarantine began in 2020 of Gavin Young’s 10th-grade year. School was canceled, and he had more free time than ever before. He spent a lot of time outside, gaining an appreciation for nature.
Gavin decided that he would dedicate his time to expanding his photography skills, later taking over as a hobby as well.
Gavin spent most of his time outdoors.
“I became attached to simple aspects of nature and the things that surrounded me,” he said. “Nowadays my camera gives me an excuse to go outside and learn something new.”
Capturing a moment in time is an important part of photography for Gavin–not only that, but to capture the beauty of a moment, to share the photos with others, or even to learn about the photos’ subjects.
Ornithology has been something that intrigued Gavin. Studying birds through photography, during his free time. Gavin attempted to capture a photo that would turn out aesthetically pleasing.
“There is excitement in the wait to see if they fly by,” he said. “Or if you can chase them down to take a good photo.”
In an attempt to capture life itself, Gavin photographed a calves’ birth and it’s first steps.
“I wouldn’t be taking pictures of things I didn’t admire or care for,” he said.
The calf in the photo is merely minutes old.
Photography has taken Gavin on adventures and led him to new places for a pleasing photo. Patience in photography is one of Gavin’s strengths.
For this photo, he went out through the woods to sleep out by the pond, to capture frogs and toads in the early morning.
Gavin took advantage of the time that he was given from the quarantine to achieve the right lighting and positioning, developing his knowledge of photography and nature.
Gavin’s dog, August, has been a great piece in his photographs, fitting into nature in a simple way.
The pandemic gave Gavin an opportunity to turn the quarantine into a positive experience.
“Photography is an excuse to have natural experiences outside of the stereotypical teenage life,” he said. “Not just to make art.”
Gavin has had an interest in photographing the stars but it was a struggle to get a photo, taking even twenty minutes to attain the long-exposure photo.
“I had to experiment,” Gavin said, “trying to get the right lighting.” He often enjoys the photos that he can learn from while taking them.
“As I experience simple things in our world,” Gavin said.“There are images where I notice the beauty that I’d like to make last.”
Very nice!