An intense focus is glazed across his face as he squats to the floor with his Nikon 5100 camera, attempting to get the perfect angle for the perfect shot. No lessons, no experience, only a 17-year-old boy, a camera, and his growing knowledge of photography.
Found at almost every sporting event and practice, Jesus Serrano, or @chuyscandids on Instagram, started his independent photography career in August. In only three months, he gained a following of approximately 800 followers through his photography.
Since he was a child, he frequently asked for a camera for Christmas, but Serrano never ended up pursuing his passion throughout his childhood. It was not until this year that he picked up his mother’s old Nikon 5100 camera and photographed a lacrosse game and a soccer game, realizing he wanted to further pursue photography.
“I think he has done a lot for [the] Raider Nation leaders and a lot for the different sports,” Raider Nation leader Connor Gerst said.
Serrano dedicates the majority of his after-school hours to showing up at sporting events and practices, juggling both schoolwork and photography. He helps capture the diversity of each sport, incorporating them into one large community. Not only does he capture athletes, but he also involves the crowd by capturing both their candid and posed moments.
Serrano shows up to all levels of girls volleyball, dance team, cheer, girls tennis, football, and boys soccer, giving each level the chance to be seen. Despite his love for photographing a variety of sports, his favorite sport to photograph is volleyball.
“I get some good shots because their whole team is very energetic,” Serrano said. “It gets me riled up and I’m not even in the game.”
Serrano’s appearance at volleyball games not only creates a positive effect on himself and the school, but the volleyball team itself.
“He makes practices better because we lock in and focus because we know there is a camera on us,” sophomore Ariana Ford said. “It is also fun to see the outcome on Instagram.”
The loop of positivity flows through every sport, making practices and events even more exciting. This allows the athletes, Serrano, the student body, and the staff to further engage in the HHS community.
Serrano’s current project that he is proud of, along with photographing sporting events, is the “Huntley Times”, which he created on Instagram. It is a work in progress, but it typically features a candid shot of one or two athletes in a sporting event, captioned “Huntley Times” in large print, resembling that of a magazine.
“He’s been doing a really good job and I’m excited to see him grow as a photographer,” Gerst said.
The Huntley High School community should keep a lookout for the various growing projects Serrano has to offer. With his passion and creativity, and the potential he holds in both himself and his camera, there is no doubt Serrano will continue to form a bond in Huntley’s community.
