Megan Kinsley

Ansel Adams once said, "You don't take a photograph, you make it."

Despite the fact that I have made some pretty terrible photographs in my time, I somehow managed to make enough good (verging on almost great) pictures to move up the ranks at The Spectrum to senior photo editor.

I joined The Spectrum my freshmen year at UB with every intention of becoming a journalist. Somehow (I am still trying to figure out where I strayed) I decided to make the spontaneous decision of joining the Photography Desk. Considering the only thing I knew about cameras was that if I pushed the right button a picture would appear, it was a big gamble.

A couple of weeks into the semester, a lot of practice, and a little good luck, I realized that I loved photography. I also realized I was good at it.

Two years later, here I am. A junior communication major hoping to finish college in three years. New camera. New title. Same struggle over whether I should manually adjust the settings on my camera or cheat and use the automatic settings. It is just so tempting some days.

You have probably seen me around campus. That random girl photographing yet another club event in the Student Union, or sitting on the edge of the basketball court trying not to get stepped on when the ball goes out of play. If you have not seen me then I have done a good job of blending into the crowd.

With a camera in hand, and possibly another one in my pocket or backpack, I have worked hard to learn photography and earn my position. Hopefully I don't blow it.

Email: megan.kinsley@ubspectrum.com