Gallery • 9 Photos

Photo by photo used with permission of AJ Barrett

Starting with a point-and-shoot camera he got for his eighth grade graduation, AJ Barrett, senior, has a passion for photography that has never gone out of focus. Usually taking landscape photos or going downtown to take pictures of architecture, Barrett strives to be unique, always looking for the perfect shot.

“I just love going to those spots in nature that other people haven’t been before, or finding those angles or perspectives that other people haven’t seen,” Barrett said. “Just the passion for sharing ideas and sharing stuff that I have created with others and seeing a good response really keeps me going.”

Barrett always sees the big picture, capturing the scene in much more creative ways than most people do. Instead of taking pictures in the gardens at the Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette, Barrett uses a drone to get an aerial shot of the massive temple jutting out of the ground. Instead of shooting at eye level, he tries for another perspective.

“I like to go down on the ground to get the perspective of a small animal,” Barrett said. “It makes the buildings look more towering, lets you see the cars, and brings in more contrast.”

According to Barrett, although lying in the middle of a sidewalk in downtown Chicago can be awkward, it never deters him from a good photo.

“It doesn’t help when my friends are on the sidewalk laughing or taking pictures of me taking photos, or when cars are driving past, but it’s who I am,” Barrett said “I enjoy what I do, so that really overpowers any feelings of awkwardness.”

Besides Illinois, Barrett also took his photography skills across the globe to Israel with the Barrington and Deerfield Youth Choirs.

“My favorite photo from my GoPro is on the Sea of Galilee on a historic boat,” Barrett said. “It’s of me and my group, and I got to go up to the front [of the boat] and stand over the ledge, almost fell off, and took a giant selfie.”

Despite his love for photography, Barrett is not planning to pursue it as a career.

“Lot’s of photographers will tell you it took them years before they quit their job and starting it as a living, but start off taking photos around the school, maybe getting noticed by a local newspaper or news station,” Barrett said. “Regardless if I take it as a job, it will always be a hobby or side job.”