Meet Spencer Boucher, a senior at Forge, and self taught photographer and videographer who makes his videos in efforts to present things from a new perspective.

Talon: How did you get into video making and photography?

Spencer Boucher: “I got into video making when I was in 8th grade. My parents had gotten me a GoPro for my birthday and I made short videos of my friends and I skateboarding.”

T: What made you realize that you liked photography?

SB: “I didn’t realize I like photography until my 11th grade year. I never used a DSLR until my friend let me borrow his sister’s. I had no idea what I was doing, but after watching a ton of tutorials online, I started to get hooked.”

T: Why do you like photography?

SB: “I like photography because it lets me get cool perspectives of the world. I especially like doing long exposure photography.”

T: What are some challenges you face when taking pictures?

SB: “Some of the challenges I face are having no idea what settings I have to use for certain pictures. Another [challenge] is not having the right equipment for a particular shoot.”

T: Do you see yourself doing this as a career one day?

SB: “I don’t really see myself taking pictures for a living, but if I was given the opportunity, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

T: What do you hope to achieve one day with your photography?

SB: “I hope to just keep improving and learning [how to take] more advanced and skillful photos. I don’t expect any career, but possibly just some freelance work.”

T: Where did you learn to take pictures?

SB: “I learned to take pictures completely on my own with the help of some YouTube tutorials. Once I saw a cool picture on Instagram, I would try my best to recreate it so I could apply that skill to my own work later on.  The rest was filled with trial and error. I still consider myself to be a beginner and have much to learn.”

T: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to become interested in photography?

SB: “My advice to any new photographer is to just get out there and take some pictures. The easiest way to get better is repetition and a lot of it. You don’t have to have the nicest camera and equipment. Any camera and a bit of creativity can go a long way.”

T: Did you expect several of your videos to become as successful as they become?

SB: “I never expected my videos to get as much attention as they did. I remember, the first ever tweet that I posted was the video of the blackout football game. That one alone had more than 200 retweets and over 35,000 views. That number was just mind boggling to me. I think the reason why the football game videos were so popular was because it was something that everyone was a part of. I made sure I got clips of the Green Wall, football game, cheerleaders, dance team, and band to reach the biggest audience that I could.”

T: What types of videos do you generally create?

“During football season, my videos mainly stuck to the football game highlights. Since then, I have enjoyed making nature and outdoors videos. In the future it is my goal to do even more sports videos for the school as well as branch off to do action sports and adventure videos.”

T: What is your favorite part of taking videos and pictures?

SB: “My favorite part of taking pictures and making videos is just capturing the moment and being able to share it with others. ‘See things from a new perspective’ is basically my vision behind all of my videos.”

T: What is the process of your video making?

SB: “The process of my videos begins with brainstorming what types of shots I want to get. Usually, it consists of around 4 to 5 shots that I know I want to get, then I just make up the other ones as I go. The night before the shoot, I make sure to gather all of my gear together and charge any batteries that I’ll need. That step is super important, because it’s the worst feeling ever when you get to the location and you forgot a battery or SD card at home. When I’m on location, I get a feel for the area and make adjustments for the type of shots I want to get. I’m out anywhere from one to six hours depending on the video. Then I go back home, upload all the footage to a hard drive, and prepare to edit. Next comes probably the hardest part of making the videos. Picking the right song. I have a bunch of liked songs on SoundCloud and I get recommendations from other people for the ones I pick. This is the most important part because the music sets the mood for the entire video. Then comes the editing, which can range anywhere from three hours to a few days depending on what effects I want to add to the video. Finally, I export the file, send it to myself on Dropbox, and post it on all forms of social media.”

Boucher frequently uploads his videos onto his social media as well as his YouTube channel.