Tony Zenser: photography/film

April 18, 2023

Sophomore Tony Zenser discovered his passion for photography when he was six. Zenser often looks for small details when capturing a moment. “When finding something to take an image, whatever looks coolest to me, or has a high amount of detail and/or contrast usually catches my attention,” Zenser said. (Tony Zenser)

For sophomore Tony Zenser, photography was a way to spend time with his grandpa. Zenzer’s grandpa gave him a spare camera after COVID-19, which led him to find a passion for film and photography.

“I’m grateful for my grandpa getting me into photography because it’s a hobby that I’ve enjoyed,” Zenser said. “When I’m older, I’ll get to look back on the memories of taking images with my grandpa and have the opportunity to thank him for all I’ve learned.”

Being naturally drawn to photography, Zenser picked up the hobby of doing film photography in high school. Film photography is classified as taking images on clear thin plastic. Digital photography doesn’t follow the same steps as film. Zenser, like any other artist, has a routine when it comes to photography. Zenser says his parents see the value in this hobby he has picked up.

This statue is one of many images that sophomore Tony Zenser has captured at the St. Louis Botanical Garden with his film camera. Through Tony’s love of photography, he credits his parents for helping him. “My parents have always begrudgingly let me take up tons of space with chemicals and an enlarger and upwards of 10 cameras; they value my hobby for photography,” Zenser said. (Tony Zenser)

“The hardest part about photography was just practicing. It’s a lot of trial and error, and it’s not a fast process. I mostly like taking close-up [images of] nature or landscapes. I think those are more interesting than people or buildings or events because people are so common, and it’s more interesting to be able to capture something as complicated and diverse as a landscape,” Zenser said.

Developing and printing everything on his own — excluding colored images — Zenser is proud of what he has learned and accomplished because it is a hard bridge the gap as a beginner photographer. He hopes to continue photography as a hobby down the road.

“Photography is a great way to pass time, and it’s a way to make moments last longer than they would otherwise. I’ve enjoyed photography because it’s a way to slow down; you can control almost everything about a photo, even on film. It’s also nice to do everything yourself, away from a computer. I’m looking forward to eventually doing alternative processes, color printing, and developing,” Zenser said.