Anyone can pick up a camera and snap a quick shot, but not everyone can capture a perspective worth sharing. While this ability can be taught, for some, such as senior Sebastian Eaton-Ellison, it’s innate.
“[Originally,] Sebastian came to me with a request, a portfolio review to see if they could skip Photo 1. After looking at their portfolio, of just their personal photography work, I told them they could skip Photo 1 and just go right into Photo 2. They were really successful, there’s a personal drive there […] that innate creativity and a willingness to just be a sponge, to always be learning more,” Eaton-Ellison’s AP Photography instructor Melissa Clone said.
Eaton-Ellison’s personal drive and passion for knowledge is what initially drew them to the arts.
“There wasn’t a definite moment where I was inspired [to pursue photography], it was something I grew into. I was curious about art, I’ve always been an artistic person, but I can’t draw [or] paint for the life of me. In eighth grade I took an Intro to Photography Class, mostly out of curiosity, but that’s where my love for it developed,” Eaton-Ellison said.
Since that initial spark, Eaton-Ellison has honed their craft through numerous classes and thousands of photos.
“Sebastian is a really creative thinker. [They are] excellent at having creative ideas and being able to execute them and see them to fruition […] being able to use their camera to execute that idea and see it through all the way, not everyone can do that. Some students have this great vision, and they just don’t have the skill set to fully execute that idea, so maybe it gets watered down in the end. Sebastian is really good at seeing these challenging concepts all the way through,” Clone said.
Their impressive artistic execution has garnered recognition from beyond West as well. Aftering submitting their work into the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, they were shocked to learn that their entries had received multiple distinctions.
“The Scholastic Art show is a nationwide art show based on regions […] Michigan has five different regions […] I [won] one gold, two silver, four bronze. The gold [piece] automatically goes to New York for national awards,” Eaton-Ellison said.
Sebastian isn’t just artistically minded, they’re also pursuing a career in the medical field.
“I would love to go into medicine, specifically nursing, anesthesia or psychiatric nursing…[for] anybody under the United Nations. At the same time…I’ve always had an interest in politics and debate, but I’ve been pole vaulted into that direction recently. I’m planning on majoring in nursing and minoring in political science at Grand Valley,” Eaton-Ellison said.
While Eaton-Ellison is planning on pursuing medicine and politics academically, they plan to continue with their art, even if it isn’t a full time profession.
“I would love to continue with photography [as a career] […] but the issue is that it’s not stable, it’s all freelancing. Unless you [become] really successful, you can’t survive off of it, you have to do something else. So, wherever my life takes me, I want photography, and art in general, to at least have a role in that,” Eaton-Ellison said.
