KEEPING UP WITH KENZ
Photo Credit: Stone Freeman
For now, White is still a journalism major but is not sure how much longer that will last.
As she found out that journalism might not be her ideal field of study, she discovered how much she enjoyed photography.
During her freshman year in Kingston, White took a black and white photography class that really grew on her. “It was something I had never done before,” White says. “It was the best class I have ever taken.”
After taking the course and already having the prior interest in photography, White realized that maybe she could peruse something that had her taking photos all the time.
Something similar to working and taking pictures for a magazine would be cool, White says, but she is not quite sure yet. White would like to travel some, too. So a career taking pictures and seeing the world is one suited for her.
“I could definitely see myself living in Costa Rica,” White said. “Working there, spending time on the beach, and taking pictures. That would be awesome.” Costa Rica is not the goal for White, but anywhere she can explore, and take pictures of nature would work just fine.
It does not come as a huge surprise that she is so interested in photography as it runs in the family. She says her great grandfather was a professional photographer.
As for right now she is still a sophomore in Kingston, Rhode Island, and not exactly sure what she wants to do in the future. She still has photography as her “go-to” hobby. You can often find her with her camera around her neck ready to snap a picture.
A member of URI’s photography club, White always finds creative places and shots to take pictures. She also edits all of her own photos. After a good shot she always makes time to get behind her computer to add filters and edit them to bring out the full beauty of the photos.
White posts her photos online, too. She has also created two Instagram accounts. One Instagram dedicated to her personal photos for friends and family to like and see. The other for her professional photos she has taken herself and edited.
Today, photography is just a hobby for Shannon White but hopefully one day it can turn into a career.
Life Behind the Camera: Shannon White
By Stone Freeman
Shannon White is a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island. White grew up in Elk River, Minnesota, an average town about 34 miles outside of Minneapolis and 1,385 miles away from Kingston, Rhode Island.
Born in New Jersey, White moved with her family to Minnesota when she was just one-year-old. While most of her extended family still lives and works in New Jersey she has always been a frequent visitor to the East coast.
The youngest of three sisters, White was looking to leave her home state of Minnesota after graduating high school. “One of my sisters (Colleen) went to Boston College,” White said. “Meagan, my other sister, decided to stay home after high school. I had seen both ways: staying home and leaving, I decided to leave for college, too.”
Photography has always been something White has truthfully cared about. “I was always the one with the camera taking the photos,” White says. During her time at Elk River High School, she really found out how much she loved photography.
White took three photography classes in high school, the most that her school offered. Coming in as a journalism major at URI, she took a few classes her freshman year that made her realize journalism might not be the career path she thought it was. White was hoping to merge her love with photography with journalism and eventually start a career.
