By Tanya Terry
Walk-N-Shine is a one-day event held completely to honor the high school graduates and recognize them for their achievements by offering professional quality photography sessions at no cost to them. Alvin Jermaine Brown Jr. and the co-founder of Walk-N-Shine, Jennifer James, have strived to teach other photographers the value of giving back to those who come after them.
“Whether they were high honors students or struggled to be able to make it to walk across stage, all while facing peer pressure, teen pregnancy, suicidal thoughts, family issues, academic challenges, even from being denied from experiencing the honor due to the COVID-19 shutdown, just to name a few, this event was created to be solely dedicated to them,” Brown said.
Walk-N-Shine enters its third year this year. Graduates will be able to register in early spring 2022.
Brown shared that two older gentlemen saw what he and James were doing for one of the graduates and asked if they wanted to do some photo shoots in their classic Cadillacs on the bricks of downtown Flint.
“In that, moment, Walk-N-Shine represented what it stood for… the community being a village and honoring our young people,” Brown expressed. “And if you can impact a small few, you can touch the hearts of many who genuinely want to become involved in some way.”
This year, through their efforts, Brown and James will honor their college professor, Bob Rentschler, the photography coordinator of Mott Community College’s photography program.
Make up work will be provided for young women, as well.
Although Brown said they have quite a few returning photographers who have been involved with Walk-N-Shine since its inception, any photographers interested in donating their services can contact walknshine2020@gmail.com.
Recently, Brown shared with the Courier his passion for both photography and giving back to the community.
“For those who know me personally, my interest to get into this field is so strong, I even gave up playing video games faithfully for me to focus on this pursuit. And it was that one night in 2012 working a closing night at Cedar Point that sparked the ultimate beginning of the journey, and pretty much where I can say my life really began. I started off as a self-taught photographer, reading manuals and books, watching tutorial videos and learning my own camera, which I still have the first one to this day.”
Through his business, Eye Snap Studios, Brown is heavily involved in event photography.
“I have also mastered portrait photography, photojournalism and wedding photography, which all were ironically done on the field before I took up classes for them. And within being on the field and learning all of this, I have been led to ultimately teach photography to those who do seek out someone willing to pass down the knowledge and the skills behind it all.”
Brown will soon be offering classes for new, veteran and hobbyist photographers.
According to Brown, a new photographer is one who has recently gained an interest in photography. Typically, within one or two years, a person at this stage is completely fresh and is open to learn what goes into photography. There’s a high chance that a camera was purchased during this phase.
“Since someone is coming in new, they will learn the basic controls of the camera. Every camera is different and depending on the brand, the setup will be different, but all cameras have some basic functions that only requires familiarity and getting used to. A person’s camera is an extension of himself or herself. The new photographers will also learn about lighting and composition, and the basics of editing in Photoshop and Classic Lightroom, just to name a few. And this will also open the door for new photographers who wish to pursue a business in this field to learn what it takes to go into one.”
According to Brown, a veteran photographer is one who has already stepped in the field of photography, yet may have stepped away from it.
“Years of being active vary, and those who have lost touch will have the opportunity to learn and refresh their knowledge. Someone who is a veteran photographer will learn what new photographers are learning, as some may know how to operate their cameras, but just needs a reminder and possibly a greater understanding of what may have been clear before. Whether the veteran photographer had previously run his or her own business or just wants to do so as a hobby, the doors are open for one to reconnect with the passion.”
A hobbyist photographer is one who only seeks out to pursue photography as an extracurricular activity, according to Brown’s definition.
“Since one in this category is only doing so for fun, we can play with more of the creative aspect of photography, like learning light painting photography, creative portrait photography, landscape photography, etc.”
Brown’s classes are already at full capacity for March. However, he said this will be an ongoing project and updates on future registration will be made available after the month of March. The information will be located in the following:
Website: myeyesnapstudios.weebly.com
Facebook: Eye Snap Studio
Instagram: @eyesnapstudios
