Jay McCabe

The difference is not always skill. Success as a pro shooter takes talent, but, as Rosanne Pennella says, "there are many excellent photographers who cannot make a name for themselves because they cannot figure out how to market themselves and project mastery of their careers."

Eleven years ago Rosanne was an attorney whose first love was not the law.

From the photos that Ben sent us prior to his graduation from Appalachian State with a degree in commercial photography, we were not surprised to learn that he grew up wanting to be a film director. “It was a big dream from the time I was a little kid,” he says. But when he got into photography, he found the still image had its own esthetic attractions, and practical advantages. “I can get my models to places I wouldn’t be able to get a film crew to,” Ben says, “and I’m able to create images that are visually more appealing than anything I can do on film right now.”

Kris Lyon
Days Creek Charter School

Correspondence
Kris, who is 16, has been taking pictures for seven years. His interest in photography coincides with a photography club for 4-H that he suggested to his mother, and which she started. He's largely self-taught, though he has taken online courses and one of his teachers is currently...

Manatee Community College
Bradenton, Florida