By Emily Chen
“Once you take a picture, you can hold it, see it, and remember what it felt like to be in that moment.” - Cole Krahn
These are the inspiring words of a passionate and dedicated grade 10 photographer named Cole Krahn. This powerful form of expression speaks uniquely for every artist. To Cole, photography is a language of connection, memory, presence, and experience. “There [is] always another way to take a picture, always a different time and a different place.” Cole believes that art represents the things you love to do, favorite parts of your life, and memorable impressions. Through his work, he is greatly inspired by landscape and wildlife: the rare fascination and beauty of nature itself. He says that “you can never get the same picture twice, you can take it at the same time, but you will never get the same angle and look again.” This truthfully speaks to Cole’s photography, as he engages in capturing photos with the most intricate and cartoon-like features; as if the picture had been drawn and created over weeks.
“Once you take a picture, you can hold it, see it, and remember what it felt like to be in that moment.” - Cole Krahn
These are the inspiring words of a passionate and dedicated grade 10 photographer named Cole Krahn. This powerful form of expression speaks uniquely for every artist. To Cole, photography is a language of connection, memory, presence, and experience. “There [is] always another way to take a picture, always a different time and a different place.” Cole believes that art represents the things you love to do, favorite parts of your life, and memorable impressions. Through his work, he is greatly inspired by landscape and wildlife: the rare fascination and beauty of nature itself. He says that “you can never get the same picture twice, you can take it at the same time, but you will never get the same angle and look again.” This truthfully speaks to Cole’s photography, as he engages in capturing photos with the most intricate and cartoon-like features; as if the picture had been drawn and created over weeks.
When asked: “why then photography?” Cole replied: “I love photography… I can’t get enough of it. I’ve always loved art and taking photos. Starting in elementary school, I wasn’t great at drawing, but photography is about the angles and lighting. With one snap, you could get a perfect picture, and can work hard to create that moment.”
In school, Cole’s favorite subjects are Social Studies and English, in his free time he enjoys gaming and spending time outside. Cole plays Hockey and Field Hockey, and also loves writing and learning about history. Photography has given Cole a new perspective. “Over the years, I lost interest in many things, looking for something new; photography provided me with something different. Taking photos started out [being] difficult, although I kept trying and made goals. Even now, to me, photography is something where I always have room to improve.”
Two significant figures who have inspired Cole to continue this path are his cousin and uncle. Cole’s uncle is also a photographer.
“My uncle is someone who has helped me through a lot of things, and is always there for me when I need him,” says Cole. His cousin is also an influencing artist; she has her paintings showcased at the Washington museum. The natural world inspires her work. Cole says that he admires their courage and persistence in achieving great things.
As a young photographer, Cole’s shot process captures the silent and diversified world around us, through nature’s environment from his travels around the world. It’s the tranquility and scenic properties that powerfully shines through in his photography. Cole says that “[he doesn’t] really like editing; it feels like cheating when you enhance a picture, that could be already amazing.” Cole looks for perfect lighting, and angle in a photo, detail makes it unique in a truthful moment. To Cole, photography means creativity, fun, and memorable. In Cole’s words “you can achieve a masterpiece without editing.”
Photography is a universal language that speaks to the heart, and Cole will continue doing what he loves. He will uniquely capture the truth in our truly unbelievable nature.