After receiving his first point and shoot camera, freshman and photographer Max Ramsay was hooked on the idea of photography. Max Ramsay has been taking pictures for over 8 years and loves it. Max has taken thousands of pictures in his lifetime. Max talked about how much time, work, and money into his pictures and why and how he took a liking to photography.

MJ– What factors made you interested in photography?

MR– For my 10th birthday I got my first nice camera. It was a little point and shoot Canon. I was thrilled! So I went outside and started taking photos of trees and birds and was I was hooked on the idea of taking pictures of nature.

MJ- Where are your favorite places to photograph? and why?

MR-I love to take photos of wetlands and beaches. I enjoy taking pictures of these places because you can get beautiful backgrounds behind the main subject and the lighting is usually good for a photo.

MJ– What are your favorite things to photograph? and why?

MR– I love photographing birds. I enjoy taking pictures of birds because I can get amazing action shots. I also enjoy landscapes because they are very pretty and interesting and you can fit a lot of nature in a landscape.

MJ– When did you first get interested in photography?

MR– The first time I ever asked for a camera was when I was 8. I got a crappy little $40 Target camera for Christmas. I loved and and I would use it all the time.

MJ– Who has influenced you in your hobby?

MR– My grandpa who is extremely into birds and photography. Also my family friend, Kelly Hurst. She has taught me everything I know, she opened up my eyes about photography. She has taken me on trips and supported in my plans to become a future photographer.

MJ– How do you plan to further your hobby?

MR– I plan to make money of of my photography. I also plan on introducing my photography to other people. I plan on selling canvass and my photos.

MJ– What has been your favorite moment in photography?

MR– When I went on a trip to New York to spend a night in the Natural History Museum of North America. I had the chance to take photos of Central Park and all of the buildings. I was down there for seven days. I got most of my pictures on the trip there though, I got to take pictures of many cranes when we passed through Nebraska. I was able to go to B&H and learn a lot from the people who worked there.

MJ– How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?

MR– I read books. I talk to Kelly and my grandpa. I experiment with my camera by testing out the different effects. Some are from common sense. My main sources are the internet and books.

MJ– What are the some things you wish you knew when you started taking photos?

MR– I wish I would have known about the rule of thirds which is a 3 by 3 grid that you use to take better pictures. I also wish I knew some of the general settings, the shutter speed and F. stop. I mainly used the automatic settings.

MJ– What kind of equipment do you use?

MR– I use my Canon and my Nikon to take most of my pictures. I use tripods and a variety of lenses. I only own 2 kinds of lenses. I plan on buying my first DSLR camera and buying 3 separate lenses.

MJ– What motivates you to continue taking pictures?

MR– Every time I get an amazing picture. After I take one I feel like I have one more, and then another, and another. I just love getting that one amazing picture.

MJ– How do you find the time for your photography between school and other activities?

MR– All of my trips are usually on weekends and during school breaks. Sometimes, after my school work, I will get on my bike and ride around looking for good shots.

MJ– How do you get the person, place or thing that is in front of the camera onto the film, just the way you want?

MR– To be honest you don’t, it is all about timing. I usually have to sneak up on my subject, because they are birds, and snap a quick picture. I don’t have much time to get everything in focus. It is difficult, but I just need to be quick.

MJ- What are some difficulties that you encountered when you first started doing photography?

MR– Finding time for it. It was also very frustrating when I couldn’t get a good photo. It is very discouraging. The thing that kept me going was the want to succeed and to impress myself.

MJ– When you are out taking photos, how much have you planned?

MR– I usually have a specific bird that I am looking for. I will set up my camera, based on the lighting outside. I don’t have a plan for taking a certain amount of pictures though.