Photography takes moments and captures them forever. Central senior Tomi Bounphisai has been doing just that for his high school career.

Bounphisai first found an interest in photography when he was in middle school, but began taking it seriously during high school.

“I ended up joining RAIN, the school’s dance team, and I began shooting photos for them. There was a spark that hit and I was like, you know what, I love to do this.” Bounphisai said. “It not only helped me be more passionate about it, but it narrowed down what kind of photography I like to do.”

Bounphisai hopes to capture other artist’s visions in his photography.

“My specialty right now is portrait photography- specifically dancing and singing,” Bounphisai said. “I guess what inspires me is the people that hire me. I just enjoy watching their vision come alive.”

Bounphisai shares his photos on social media and different art shows in the community.

“I’ve been doing some art shows that the school provides like the senior art show,” Bounphisai said. “I am also going to be in an Asian youth art show soon. I usually post my pictures on my photography Instagram- @tomi_bounphisai-  or I print them out and map them.”

When it comes to his photography, Bounphisai begins with inspiration from other photos and figuring out how to use his own materials to recreate his own version of the image.

“I usually stumble upon something on Instagram or Pinterest, and from that initial idea, I’ll start researching places to shoot or materials I can use,” Bounphisai said. “After the planning, I go out, shoot for two to three hours, and then spend hours looking at it and editing it until I think it’s perfect.”

Bounphisai has turned his hobby into a way of making money to support himself.

“I just did a prom shoot for over one hundred dollars and then I have some people paying for transportation to shoot a dance event in Chicago. Somebody else is hiring me for a portrait photoshoot after school ends,” Bounphisai said.

Senior Belle Reber recently hired Bounphisai for a photoshoot.

“[Bounphisai] is super passionate about his work,” Reber said. “He does a really good job encapsulating people’s personalities with their art.”

In the future, Bounphisai hopes to pursue a career in photography and make a living doing what he loves.

“I just hope photography makes me money in the future,” Bounphisai said. “I hope I can make a living off of that because honestly, out of all the forms of art, I think photography is one of the most reliable as a career because of all the different options and opportunities.”