By Selin Ozgur
With a love for the arts running in her family, Maya Nicholson first discovered the whimsical nature of photography from her sister, who is a photographer herself. Early on her sister bought her first professional camera, and then another which was handed down to Maya. It was from this point onwards that Maya became infatuated with the power and beauty that photography holds.
She states that, “I have learned and discovered a lot from my sister’s own knowledge around taking good photos, and also from Photo 11, here at Collingwood.” For this reason, one of Maya’s inspirations would definitely have to be her own sister, yet Tyler Shields, who is known as “Hollywood's favourite photographer”, is her main source of creative awe and envy. If you take a look at some of Shield’s prominent artwork online, you will notice that the majority of his work revolves around making a statement and are portrait pieces.
With a love for the arts running in her family, Maya Nicholson first discovered the whimsical nature of photography from her sister, who is a photographer herself. Early on her sister bought her first professional camera, and then another which was handed down to Maya. It was from this point onwards that Maya became infatuated with the power and beauty that photography holds.
She states that, “I have learned and discovered a lot from my sister’s own knowledge around taking good photos, and also from Photo 11, here at Collingwood.” For this reason, one of Maya’s inspirations would definitely have to be her own sister, yet Tyler Shields, who is known as “Hollywood's favourite photographer”, is her main source of creative awe and envy. If you take a look at some of Shield’s prominent artwork online, you will notice that the majority of his work revolves around making a statement and are portrait pieces.
Maya also noted Italian photographer Marta Bevacqua as an amazing artist, who also works on human pieces. Therefore, when asked about her favorite form of photography, Maya said that human portraits would definitely have to be her favorite, as it allows her to capture human nature and the dimensions that it holds.
For her, the process of photography definitely has a strong meaning, yet the finished product is the moment that she loves the most. In the end seeing her images printed are like a reassuring stamp of approval! Besides taking photos, Maya also has a great love for writing, she specifically likes slam poems which allows her to take on a new means of self expression. This is why next year for her first year of university she has decided to major in Biopsychology, as well as creative writing, as she hopes to continue her venture into the world of photography one graceful step at a time.
