Last year, looking into the bleachers of this school’s games, behind the lens of a camera, was Gurnoor Sodhi. If you have ever seen this school’s sports photos on Instagram or in the hallways, then you should be familiar with Sodhi.
Although Sodhi was already interested in cameras, it was sparked during COVID when people took on new hobbies. “I started taking pictures in eighth grade during COVID, which is when I got my first camera. I always found cameras so interesting, from the digicam my parents had when I was younger to the DSLR my friends’ had and this kind of contributed to what made me start taking photos. During online school my freshman year, I learned how to properly use my camera and become more creative, trying to find things to photograph just around my room,” Sodhi said.
Sodhi’s photography was mostly promoted from sports games. She was always front row with her big camera lens. Whether it was a super slam dunk or a splash in the pool, the moment was captured. “I started small during soccer games and eventually took on more during the basketball and spring seasons. From there, with encouragement from the community and athletics staff (coaches and [Athletic Director Al] Lightsey), I have been able to get to where I am in my photography journey and this support continues while I am in college which I am so grateful for as well,” Sodhi said.
Sodhi racked up awards along the way for photography. One of her awards was for a basketball photo printed on the cover of the school’s newsmagazine.”I got two awards: first place in single sports photograph for news and third place in photography portfolio of work for digital media,” Sodhi said.
The award touched her heart more than others because that was the starting point to something even larger. It was more than just hard work; she had finally perfected her craft and was excited to edit the photos she had taken. “I remember being at the game so vividly (it was Wootton vs. Rockville sometime in December) and coming back after so excited to edit and go through the pics. This photo means a lot because I would say it was like the turnaround point in my photography journey throughout high school. At this time, I started reaching out to more photographers, trying to move around and get creative with shots, and my overall photo quality was just much better than ever,” Sodhi said.
People may not know that Sodhi was a writer for the school newspaper. She has brought both her writing and photography skills to her current school, the University of Maryland College Park. “I currently work as a staff photographer for The Diamondback, UMD’s independent, student-run newspaper. Being in this role has helped me so much in college in terms of connecting to like-minded, talented, and creative people on the team and sidelines and helped me experience some wonderful opportunities,” Sodhi said.
