serenity snapshot

There is a certain beauty in the capability of capturing a raw representation of life in a single snapshot taken in real time. The camera materializes this phenomena into a reality. However, not many are aware of the vulnerability that a camera protects for the cameraman behind the photos. The real beauty of photography lies in its ability to allow the cameraman to communicate their perspective of the world in a non-verbal way. At least, that’s what senior Jenna Mi thinks. This was the reason Mi decided to pursue her hobby of photography and hone her talents into a photography business run communally within UPA.

Mi’s interest in photography first sparked when she observed the developing labs used to scan film at her sister’s photography class. Mi quickly took interest in the DSLR camera her sister brought home and considers that moment the start to her photography journey.

“As a kid, I was always interested in art, and in elementary school I was really into watercolor,” Mi said. “But then after a while, that wasn’t really my jam anymore, so I started looking for other creative outlets, and that was photography.”

Mi transitioned to photography at ten years old with an outdated film camera. Initially, her parents were hesitant to buy her an expensive professional camera, as they believed most ten year olds are not fully aware of their passions and interests. Eventually, they were willing to consider buying her a camera if she was able to demonstrate actual interest.

“Most of me showing my interest to my parents was watching YouTube videos to learn photography on big DSLR cameras by learning exposure, shutter speed, ISO, etc,” Mi said. “My parents also had me research camera models to find the best and most affordable model.”

In 2017, when Mi was 13 years old, her parents bought her the Nikon D-7500 DSLR camera with 18-55 lens and 70-300 lens, which is the camera Mi currently uses, along with her Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone camera and Fujica STX-1N film camera.

“My dad was definitely, when I started, someone that was a lot more helpful and supportive, taking me to places and judging my photos,” Mi said.

Mi never pursued her interest in photography further by enrolling in professionally led courses or summer courses but rather learned from online articles, blogs and YouTube channels.

“There is a YouTube channel called

“Photography is a medium. You catch things in the way you want, the way you see things in the moment.” —Jenna

Mango Street, and they have a very unique style that I really liked,” Mi said. “And so I watched a lot of their videos and they also had a lot of tutorials. I was really interested in how they explain things and also their photos, colors, compositions and overall vibe was very interesting to me. That’s what got me interested in creating my own style of photography.”

Mi describes her style of photography as casual, yet still looking to find and grow her own individuality in her craft. Her exploration was halted due to the pandemic, impacting Mi’s ability to conduct freelance photography as often as before.

“I took a break, and that definitely impacted my flow of taking photos because from 2017 to 2020, I was consistently going out on the weekends and on vacation with friends,” Mi said. “After COVID, I’ve been trying to get it back up, but it’s hard because I’m kind of going through an artist block right now. It’s hard to want to take photos, but it’s definitely something I can see myself doing for a long time.”

Mi prefers to take photos outdoors as opposed to portrait photography.

She likes the open spaces in nature settings that allow her to capture different angles and experiment with different lightings.

“I am a very socially awkward and unassertive person, so talking to people and posing them isn’t really my cup of tea, which is why I prefer photos of inanimate objects and landscapes,” Mi said. “Even if I have ideas and inspirations for photos and poses, it gets a little awkward sometimes, which is kind of a setback when it comes to portrait photos.”

Mi founded her joint photography business with senior Tyler Yuen shortly after she heard of seniors showing interest in her film camera photography. Both had been photography buddies prior and were two of the only seniors to demonstrate interest in photography.

“Tyler is definitely the more outgoing and adventurous photographer, so it’s nice to work with someone of his social caliber,” Mi said.

Mi had previously offered to take photos of students at UPA’s prom three years ago, free of charge, because the concept of photographing others was still a new venture for her. Mi plans to charge her rates based on rolls of film camera used—$80 per roll for cheap -er film stock and $90 for the pricier film stock—as they can be expensive to purchase in bulk, ranging from $12-15. This cost excludes the cost of scanning, which can be anywhere from $10-30.

Mi currently plans to keep her photography business local to the UPA community, as she is more comfortable with photographing students she is already familiar with. Of the photos she captures while photographing students, she prefers to photograph in both mediums of film camera and digital.

Senior Jenna Mi’s journey from freelance photography to starting her own business

ARTICLE & DESIGN BY RIA PANDEY • PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNA MI

“It definitely takes a lot more experience [to shoot on a film camera], and you can’t use trial and error for film,” Mi said. “You shoot it, and that’s it, that’s your only shot. You can’t go back and look at it, and the only time you can edit it is once you get it developed and scanned.”

Despite the more elaborate process film demands, Mi uses her late Yeye’s film camera from the 80’s, which she fixed up last January, to capture daily shots of life lately.

“I have been reaching more for film these days because when it comes to taking casual photos like your daily walks, film is definitely something that adds a lot of character into photos,” Mi said. “With digital, I use it more when I am going out to travel or to photograph bigger places.”

Mi advises people who want to explore photography to not be afraid to experiment with different styles.

“When I first started, I was very against editing,” Mi said. “I was like, ‘You want the most raw photo you can get.’ But the thing with digital photography especially is that you can affect the lighting of photos, shutter speed and all that. The photo you get isn’t necessarily like what you see and through editing, you can get that, but also create something different. So I would say don’t be afraid to experiment with that.”

Mi does not plan on expanding her business after graduating but is open to see how her hobby develops and continues depending on the groups and friends she affiliates with in college, which might in turn dictate whether she decides to expand her business venture.

“Photography is a medium. You catch things in the way you want, the way you see things in the moment,” Mi said. “It’s a different form of expression.” Jenna Mi took this photo in Porteau Cove, Canada.