Looking through the lens

The camera flashes as he takes the picture that unexpectedly changed his perspective and struck him by surprise. With one click, he discovered a whole new world that he had never seen before.

Junior Bhavya Jaiswal gained an interest in photography after his friend took him to a car meet to get some cool shots. He said he never would have imagined falling in love with photography and starting a business. That’s when he decided to purchase his first ever camera and start his hobby of photography. 

“[My friend] showed me photos that I could take, and I thought it was cool how you can play around with all the features, colors and lighting,” Jaiswal said. “[I thought] photography seemed like a nice extracurricular hobby to develop.” 

Before creating his business, Jaiswal practiced his photography by taking photoshoots for friends. He began to receive positive feedback on his photos and was encouraged to turn his hobby into a business. Jaiswal also created a website, LensTalk, where his clients can view his portfolio and schedule photoshoots. He said his business allows him to pursue his passion, as well as educate those interested in photography. 

“It’s really easy to get into the field and start learning; all you need is an interest,” Jaiswal said. “[In] the future, I envision the business becoming this organization where students and local photographers can communicate, network and collaborate. I want LensTalk to be this welcoming business open to everybody.” 

Jaiswal’s humanities teacher, Trey Hooper, said he thinks it’s great seeing one of his students’ artwork, as it makes him happy to see them engaged in some form of art. 

“It’s really cool when students are taking an initiative and creating their own businesses [as teenagers],” Hooper said. “When you get started on a business at such a young age, you’ll make mistakes and [face] a learning curve, but when you get those mistakes out of the way, you’ll go up from there.” 

Last week, Jaiswal did a photo shoot of a Mercedes for one of his clients, Kevin Zfaer, at a parking garage in The Colony. 

“He seemed confident in what he was doing,” Zfaer said. “He gives you comfort that he’s going to [do his job well], and I can’t wait to see the photos.”

Though Jaiswal wants to keep his photography as a hobby on the side for now, he said he wants to expand and continue his business after graduating college.

“I want [photography to be] something that makes me unique and gives me a new aspect of myself that I enjoy,” Jaiswal said. “As of now, I want to try my best to promote [LensTalk] as much as I can. [I want to] expand [LensTalk] — it’s very small, but soon we will be adding workshops for prospective students and guest speakers to come in.”