Written by Victoria Mabe
I am a first-year photography student, from Folly Beach, S.C., so being here in the city is a lot different from waking up and having the ocean as your backyard. I have four other siblings and chronic middle-child syndrome, so going to an art school that is driven by the competitive struggle of making yourself seen is quite on-brand for me. Within my family, I am the stand-up comedian and resident entertainer, orchestrating sketches and bits with my siblings, or simply providing comedic relief at the dinner table. However, outside of my home, I find myself more comfortable hiding behind the camera rather than jumping to be the one in front of it.
I started getting into photography around the time Instagram came out which was around 2011 or ’12 for me. My first photos were grainy, over-saturated, twelve-year-old attempts at recreating my idea of hipster art, and they were all taken with meticulous love on my crappy iPod touch. From there I gradually worked my way up to getting my own Canon camera, and around my freshman year of high school is when I really explored the idea of photography as more than a hobby.
To me, photography was a way to turn my own life and the things around me into little movie stills. I always found myself looking at small moments, little instances, where I would sit in my freshman English class and a light beam would come through the window, soft and quiet like the lull that follows a slow class after lunch, and I could count the particles floating through the light, and I would think “wow if I was in a coming of age movie this would definitely be a good scene.” I don’t know if everyone does that, but that’s how I view most of life. Scene by scene. So, for me, I liked being able to look back at a photo and feel like it was so perfectly nostalgic it told a story that felt like it was written by some A24 producer and Lorde was singing the soundtrack. I think the best compliment I’ve ever received on one of my photos was one from a high school football game, and someone said to me: “that looks like it could be a John Hughes movie still.” That’s like the ultimate compliment.
I think my process starts with finding something mundane and then making it feel important. When I shoot concerts, I love shooting the live performance, but my biggest goal is to get backstage and capture the small moments you don’t normally see behind the scenes, or the small moments shared between fans.
I find myself inspired every day by Instagram, or advertisements, basically anything that can have a photo with it. Just existing at SCAD I think has helped my photography because I’m constantly inspired by people around me, photographers or not. Walking from FORTY to the Hub and just constantly seeing interesting people, interesting outfits, and projects in progress, I try to take note of the small things and remind myself everyone here is working on harnessing their craft. That inspires me to work even harder and to push myself out of my comfort zone.
Photo by Victoria Mabe. 
Photo by Victoria Mabe.
I think the best piece of advice I’ve ever heard about photography is if you look back at your old work and kind of cringe a little, that’s great. That means you’re learning and improving and working towards making your work better. If you constantly look back at your old work and obsess over how amazing it was, you’re probably staying creatively stagnant.
My goals for the future are to get as much experience as I can in the music industry, photographing festivals and larger events and artists, and eventually work for a magazine like Rolling Stone to write about music. If I am in the field doing what I love, I’ll be happy.