When the Camera Focuses

By Cierra Johnson Staff Writer

Being able to capture every exciting moment in a person’s life is a beautiful thing. But trying to become somebody in a world full of competition and unexpected transitions, can take your dream and throw it out the window. Joshua J. Gee, a Housatonic photography student who didn’t allow that to happen to him. In 2019, I met Joshua through the HCC non-credited Pass Program, a program created for students who have fallen into academic probation and helps them get back on their feet.

“My head was on the wrong focus. At the time I had a girl that wasn’t in my best interest but I was love struck and I couldn’t get my head out of the clouds. At that time too, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and on top of all that, I went through a state of depression as well,” he said.

After dealing with all this in his personal life and finding himself on the verge of losing his financial aid, he came across an opportunity to do a photoshoot that changed his whole world around.

“At my church, it was a holy convocation night and the photographer that was supposed to take photos couldn’t do it because he had to play the bass. When I asked if I could take the pictures for them, they let me. When they put that camera in my hands, I felt power, I felt control, I felt like we belonged together,” he said.

Starting off as a Computer Science major, he took it upon himself to put his focus toward photography and took his first ever photography class. At that point, everything in his life was coming together. He changed his major to photography. His grandparents were able to save enough money to buy him his first camera, and he was able to start his journey, practicing on friends, family, and slowly increasing his clientele. At the end of it all, he even managed to get out of academic probation. All was well until 2020, the year of Coronavirus, the pandemic that had the world on lockdown. This aspiring photographer hit yet another crossroad, but this time, he didn’t let it bring him down.

“I couldn’t really do the things I wanted to do as a photographer. Couldn’t go anywhere, didn’t have a lot of photoshoots… I always knew that I wanted to be one of the top photographers. My own doubt sometimes made me feel like I couldn’t do it because I’d compare myself to photographers who have done this for years. I always loved photography, but I never thought I could make a career out of it. Dry spells came, but I never gave up… I would mostly just practice on statues and buildings because there was no one around,” he said.

“[I was] still going to school, but it felt like I was at a standstill. I did get to meet some great photographers around that time. They gave me a lot of knowledge about how to do things…. My work shows that I’m more than capable of doing what needs to be done and it’s more than just a job, it’s second nature. I started to understand that I have to go at my own pace and look where that got me. All thanks be to God.”

Navigating through Covid, Josh was able to turn an unexpected crisis and create his own light to continue his journey. Even though it delayed his graduation progress and provided him with little to no opportunities in photography, he never gave up. He was able to find a way to continue practicing his skills to become the best photographer he can be. Today, two years into the pandemic, Josh’s photography career is beginning to take off. With him being able to build his name through social media, starting up multiple photography pages with countless opportunities coming his way, He have never been in a better place than right now and it’s all thanks to not giving up.

“The reason why I became a photographer is because I love taking photos that capture the moment. I’ve recently gotten into sports so taking sports shots is one of my favorites. After having a talk with the security guard here at school who goes by the name of Q, who owns a lot of businesses and has a lot of connections, he was able to pull some strings for me and put me under his magazine to work for the arena here and the NFL next year,” Gee says.

“If it wasn’t for my grandparents encouraging me to follow my passion and buying my first camera, I wouldn’t even know where I’d be. Sometimes you gotta understand that when life is not going your way or your timetable changes, don’t give up because something big is about to change for you. You might not know it yet but if you stop, you might never know. Sometimes what you’re going through is good for you. It’ll mold you to become something greater than you thought. One day, you’ll look back at yourself and see how far you came and it’ll only make you want to go further,” he concludes.