Student’s interest in photography looks at life through a creative lens

Holden Anderson, a Windham High School
student, is a promising photographer with
a keen eye for capturing detail in his work.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Matt Pascarella

The summer before his freshman year of high school, Holden Anderson took a trip with his family to London bringing a camera he had received for his birthday. It was then then and there that Anderson really began to take photography seriously. Before that, a lot of his photographs were iPhone-based pictures of sunsets and places he visited. After receiving the camera, he found himself really starting to appreciate what the world has to offer. London’s architecture opened his creative eye and allowed him to start to look at the world through a non-iPhone lens. And that interest and love of photography has stayed with him to present day.

Anderson got interested in photography through outside activities. He and his friends have always liked to participate in activities like going on bike rides or visiting cool places in Windham. He really enjoys photographing landscapes, usually, the beach or surrounding ocean, as well as his friends. “Photographing and showcasing what we do is a way for us to remember it, but also for other people to see it,” explained Anderson. Capturing photos of his friends and himself, along with documenting what he sees on an everyday basis is his favorite thing about photography.

Anderson knew photography was something he wanted to pursue. He had been an avid YouTube content creator and noticed that a lot of content creators used drones to produce a sense of professionalism in their videos. He finally got one and says it’s one of the best materials he owns. Several years ago, he began taking aerial photos of real estate. He’s been showcasing his drone photos and videos on his Instagram account @HAproduced. He’s working hard to turn his account into a business where he can provide real estate photography for those trying to sell their homes.

He recently took several photos at a Black Lives Matter rally in Portland.

“Windham can sometimes be a shuttered place compared to the rest of the world. Therefore, when I heard about the Black Lives Matter protest going on in Portland not only did I support the cause, but I also wanted to experience people in my own community fighting to better the community they live in.”

Throughout this turbulent year of 2020, Anderson realized he was living in a ‘future history text book’ (a quote from his friend Nick Yeaton) and wanted to one day be able to tell his kids that he was at the rally and witnessed a part of that history.

Anderson says the photographs show Mainers, regardless of ethic origin, coming together, in a time, when that’s made difficult by the Coronavirus, to fight for a cause they believe in. He added that this rally was “probably the most meaningful piece of photography I will photograph in a while.”

What he finds most challenging about photographing is finding the right angles that are perfect to shoot photos. “Also, seeing a great landscape with your real eyes, but when you take the photo, your camera doesn’t always capture the beauty that you see.”

Aside from photography Anderson plays lacrosse. Before the Coronavirus hit, he and his friends took video at a Bowdoin College lacrosse game. He loved how the final edit turned out. For his upcoming senior year, he wants to utilize making videos for athletes at his school and others in the state. When he returns to school in the fall, he plans to start a videography and photography club and to make sure all Windham sports are filmed and photographed.

Once he graduates, he plans to center his education around either communications or political science. Over the next 10 years, Anderson wants to find a way to integrate his photography and videography into his work; whether it’s part of a business he runs or a hobby he can go to relax. He plans to keep photographing things what make him happy and take more sports photos as well

photos on road trips with friends.

He’s currently talking to a couple of real estate companies in Southern Maine, but the virus has made it difficult. He’s done lots of free sample pictures for family and friends. He’s used these pictures as a basis for what he will provide for future clients. “Hopefully, when we begin to return to some normalcy, I can try to expand my business and talk to more customers.” 

Anderson says he is part of a very creative generation and “any way creativity can be expressed can serve as a landmark for what that generation is really about.”

“To see my ideas come out into a visual representation that I can share with my friends, I feel a sense of satisfaction, said Anderson. “Documenting what is going on in my life...is not only a great way for me to commemorate and appreciate life in the moment, but also gives me a platform to look back on in my later years and be able to reminisce about the years that I have been told will be the best years of my life. Personally, I feel that I have always had creative thoughts, without a way to express them, and now through photography and videography, I feel that not only can I express them, but possibly turn them into my own business and company.” <