The person that has had a positive impact on my education by Taniya

The person that has had a positive impact on my education by Taniya - March 2023 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my life, I have been shy. I didn't really ask for help when I needed it. and I lacked confidence. I've worked hard to overcome these hurdles. Many people have helped me along the way. It's so hard to choose one person who has had a positive impact on my education but if I had to choose one, the person currently is Nicole Dowland. She’s the lab coordinator in my photography program at Madison Area Technical College. Although she’s a lab coordinator, she helps students with personal branding, their website, business ideas, and shares constructive criticism of my photography. Since this is my last semester at Madison College, it is really important to have someone like Nicole to help guide me into the real world of photography.

As a young college student who’s never had experience in commercial photography, Nicole is someone I trust for advice and input on my work. Along the way, I’ve learned how to brand myself in order to stand out from other photographers. For example, Nicole has taught me how to make my website user-friendly and make sure that the final product image helps prospective clients and employers reach their target market.

But I think most importantly, I've learned more about myself by becoming a photographer. Sometimes in my head, I feel like I’m not good enough, but working with Nicole has made me realize my talent. She frequently compliments my attention to detail. Another example is, she's noticed how well I style the products, the lighting I choose, and how I come up with the compositions of the final product. In addition to my attention to detail, I've learned from Nicole to come prepared with a plan ahead of time to showcase my ideas. I utilize mood boards and sketches as a reference to help me guide my ideas for lighting, compositions, and styling my setup. I've learned this is a unique style since most photographers don’t use mood boards to showcase their photography ideas. All of these factors will help me through the rest of my college career and my career as a professional photographer. Nicole has not only helped build my career but has also built my confidence as a future photographer.