My experience as a Photography and Videography intern at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was one I will never forget. The BSO is a non-profit organization that organizes orchestra concerts primarily in Baltimore. I found out about this opportunity through MICA’s photography department. More specifically, the former chair recommended I apply and connected me with the MICA Photo alumni who is the Art Director at the BSO.
My time as an intern at BSO was centered around working closely with the art director as my supervisor and her colleagues within the marketing and communications departments. As an intern, I was able to learn about the passion and commitment that goes into managing the art direction of a large organization. This showed me how important it is to market as an entrepreneur as marketing is crucial in getting an audience to engage with created works.Some of the projects I worked on included producing content that was used for the BSO’s social media. This included things like filming BTS videos of musicians unboxing a marimba, taking photographs of the orchestra rehearsing, and administrative tasks like organizing archival photo files. With these projects, my supervisor was able to show me how to utilize Adobe softwares, technical photo skills to edit photos, edit videos, and create storyboards.
I am most proud of how much I was able to push myself to try new things. Trying new skills often scares me but knowing I had the support of my supervisor and others in the department allowed me to trust trying new things. With this experience, I learned the importance of connecting with individuals and how it takes a team to achieve goals.
It has been a life-changing experience that has given me more clarity on what my life can look like post-graduation. I now have more insight into being a freelance photographer and filmmaker working with organizations. This experience has reminded me that my imagination can become reality and that with determination and patience I will thrive in my career.
