Discovering the Hidden Beauty: Summer Camp + Beyond!

Erin Baron is a 20 year old, creative and insightful Shutterbug. Hailing from Hackensack, NJ, Erin first enrolled in the Shutterbugs program when she was 17 and was one of our first students from outside of Los Angeles to attend our Summer Camp in Lake Arrowhead, CA this year! This collection highlights the phenomenal work Erin created during the Pablove Shutterbugs 5-Week program, as well as her Alumni Summer Camp experience.
Erin is currently studying fine arts in college and when she’s not in class, she works part-time for a local jeweler. Anyone who has had the chance to get to know Erin, or even look at her photographs, has learned that she has a keen eye for discovering the hidden beauty that surrounds her and is also a woman of many artistic trades! When asked about her future plans, Erin sees several creative options: an art teacher, owning her own art or photography studio, being a tattoo artist (she’s designed the majority of her own 8 tattoos!) or as a back-up—a flight attendant, which would allow her to travel the world while photographing it!

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“Fly Away”

This first featured photograph captures the essence of taking flight. Taken at Six Flags, Erin noticed that this ride “looked really cool” but had no idea what it was. She describes it as resembling a “big star” until it was in motion. The angle at which the image is taken is her favorite part of the photograph.

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A Valentine’s Day Treat from One Tough Cookie

In honor of the Month of Love, we’re all about sharing the photos we <3, with you! And what better way to get struck by cupid’s arrow than with Artist of the Month 12 year-old Gracie from Freehold, NJ. Grace, aka “Cookie” is an avid photographer and likes that her camera is small and portable, which makes it easy to take it with her wherever she goes!

Grace’s motto is, “You have no choice but to be strong, but you can choose to be happy and positive!” Pair that with photos that are sweet, thoughtful, and easy-on-the-eyes – it’s hard not to fall in love. The images in her collection share a “slice of life” immediacy that comes with always being camera-ready for the next great shot. Take a second to contemplate her images in this collection, because there’s almost always more to them than can be seen at first glance. You just might become smitten yourself!

Grace, 13 years old, Colt Sunrise

Colt Sunrise” by Grace, 12 years old

We’re glad Grace had her camera with her just in time to capture the sunrise in this cool, atmospheric landscape shot. She photographed the mist rising over the baseball field from the car taken while dropping her brother off at school. Grace says, “I liked how it looked like a painting, how the land and trees are mixed in with the fog and sun.” She titled the photo “Colt Sunrise” because her brother’s school mascot is the Colt. This image is painterly, pastoral and perfect. Bravo!

Grace, 12 years old, Untitled

Untitled” by Grace

Paint splatter? An other-worldly phenomenon? This image is delightfully deceptive – these celestial green bands appear both flat and three dimensional at the same time. What’s her secret? Grace photographed this image in her backyard at night, while her father shone a green laser on the grass. Using a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of light, she expertly layers texture, line and color to create an artful and intriguing composition. Take a closer look and you can even see the blades of grass on the ground!

Grace, 12 years old, Untitled

Untitled” by Grace

This bold red image contrasts nicely to green composition above – it is a different kind of study in color and light. Grace captures the bright warmth of a row of candles in a church. For her, “the candles represent a different person and each person saying a prayer.” Her photograph is soft, subtle, and calm- yet the message speaks louder than words.

Grace, 12 years old, Untitled

Untitled” by Grace

This next photo tricks the eye with its interplay of shapes, color and pattern. Plus, it’s an example of Grace’s favorite color (pink!) and favorite lesson in perspective – worm’s eye view. This grand image was created by simply getting down on her knees to snap the shot from under the table at a restaurant. Grace adds, “I like the patterns in it. If you look at it once you wouldn’t see all the details, but you look at it again there’s a little something hidden.” Nice work, Grace!

“Photography helped get my mind off of everything that was happening. It was a good distraction, to have something else to focus on other than my cancer treatment. I like photography because you can tell a story through it. You can turn one picture into a billion different things. And I like doing it! It’s relaxing and stress relieving.” – Grace, Pablove Shutterbugs student

Grace is 12 years old (going on 30, says Mom) and lives in Freehold, NJ. People who know her well call her “Cookie”- a nickname she’s had since birth because her parents knew she’d need to be a tough cookie to put up with her boisterous older brother. Grace has lived up to the nickname ever since, and is returning to the seventh grade this semester. Go Cookie!