The world of photography first caught senior Abbi VanValkenburgh’s eye when she had a camera placed in her hand in fifth grade. Now, she is captaining her self-run photography business at just 18 years old. 

VanValkenburgh’s journey of photography began with her neighbor, who lent VanValkenburgh a camera during her Raccoon lake trips. Through taking photos of people tubing, skiing and swimming from a young age, she advanced her skills in photography.

“I don’t exactly understand why I was interested in photography, [but] it called to me. I had always taken pictures at the lake. I remember being so excited that I had my ‘own’ camera I could play with, sitting in my bed binging YouTube videos of how to work my camera [and] slowly [teaching] myself manual settings,” VanValkenburgh said. “I have also always had a creative side, but I was never amazing at one thing, such as drawing [or] painting. However, I got super interested in photography in my freshman year of high school; I took journalism because my older sister was in it at the time, and I loved it.”

Eventually becoming co-editor-in-chief of the yearbook during her senior year, VanValkenburgh started journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, learning about photography on Zoom with her former journalism adviser Debra Klevens. With Klevens, who showed her how to take care of the body and lens of the camera, VanValkenburgh was able to practice professionally handling a camera, along with more priceless lessons.

 “I remember sitting on Zoom with Klevens and being so fascinated by the storytelling component of the photos [she] was showing us,” VanValkenburgh said. “Slowly over time, photography became my creative outlet that I was good at. Through photography, I get to tell a story visually. Photographs allow the viewer to peek into [another]  person’s life for a minute, which I love,” VanValkenbrugh said.

Outside of journalism, taking Photography 1 and 2 allowed VanValkenburgh to further develop her knowledge of how to work a camera. Currently in AP 2D Art and Design, VanValkenburgh takes anywhere from 500 to 2000 photos every shoot. However, she often only comes out with around 60 good shots.

“Photography [also] challenges me every time I shoot. I’m such a perfectionist and photography has helped me overcome that. I know that not every photo I take will be perfect, and I have learned to live with that. Photography continues to push me outside my comfort zone. Good photography is all about patience; it’s waiting for the perfect shot and not rushing it. When you wait, the shot almost just comes to you, [and then] all you have to do is click the shutter button.”

This past year, after hearing that her former teacher would lead the course, VanValkenburgh joined Spark!’s Business Incubator program. In the Spark! program, students are led through several core principles, such as self-discovery and exploration, profession-based learning and responsiveness. 

“Spark! has taught me how to speak to people and pitch myself to others. I started the year out nervous to speak to people my age, but now I can speak confidently to people of all ages. Spark! taught me determination,” VanValkenburgh said. “When I decided to create my business for Spark!, I knew I wanted to combine candid photography — the storytelling aspect that I love —  into senior portraits. I have created a website and an Instagram page for my business. Most of my clients are my friends, but I plan on expanding more once it gets warmer. [Through the business], I learned how to network with people and the importance of making an emotional connection with humans.”

VanValkenburgh plans on furthering her knowledge and photography business outside of school. She dreams of working in the industry as a photojournalist one day, completing everything for her business single-handedly, from the booking process to sending the pictures to setting pricing. 

“Even when I don’t have my camera on me, my brain is always searching for little things I could take pictures of. My sister says I get this look in my eye when I wish I had my camera in my hand so that I could capture the perfect image,” VanValkenburgh said. “I don’t know where I’ll end up in the future; all I know is that I will never stop taking pictures. Whether I pursue sports photography or portrait photography, I’ll be happy because I get to capture people’s stories and emotions.”