For the past five years, senior Erin Krespan has transformed photography from just a mere hobby into a soon-to-be college major. “It’s crazy to think that I’ve grown as an artist enough to want to pursue it for the rest of my life,” she says, smiling.

Erin’s journey with photography started with a curiosity in the medium of digital photos. She started to explore different techniques (landscape, macro and portraits, primarily) and subjects (nature, people and action) to gain a feel for what it’s like behind the lens. From there, Erin found her niche in portrait photography. She has expanded to shooting engagements, weddings, senior announcements, parties and families. This work is made possible through her use of a Nikon D5000 for the majority of her digital work.

She also experimented with film photography in contrast to her starting digital work, and she is currently working on a project using an Instax 210 Polaroid camera. “My Instax takes pictures rapidly and provides a more authentic look as opposed to digital photos,” says Erin. “It’s also more fun using the Instax because it processes so quickly; you can see it sooner than pictures you have to upload.”

During the fall of 2013, Erin created her website, erinkrespanphoto.com. Here, she provides samples of her work, as well as her contact information for anyone seeking to book a shoot. Since creating the site, she has received an abundance of inquiries. She looks forward to the weddings she has scheduled in Upper Marlboro, MD and Miami, FL for the 2014 season.

Additionally, Erin is awaiting her hopeful acceptance to Virginia Commonwealth University for the fall semester. Upon acceptance, she will be studying Photography & Film at VCU, learning the world of digital and film photography, as well as broadcasting. “Richmond is a culturally diverse place; I feel that there are so many places to take pictures, and the city is filled with people who share my artistic ambition. Together, I feel I can learn more about the medium and how to better my work as an artist.” With this vision in mind, Erin hopes that, after college, she will continue her business and gain more clients in which to share her love for capturing life’s beautiful and ephemeral moments.