When people think of Hope Shortridge, they think of someone with a strong desire to give back to the school community. Over the last year, her presence within East and on social media has grown significantly. From photography, to sports, music, and helping others, she sure stays busy.

Shortridge is a sophomore at Lincoln East, and like many students, she lacks free time. Shortridge engages in many activities in and out of school. She participates in the orchestra, plays softball, and throws shot put during the track season. All while writing for the school newspaper, The Oracle. Shortridge also has a desire to give back, volunteering at her church and photographing sports and action photography free of charge.

Shortridge purchased her camera in 6th grade from a local camera store, Rockbrook Camera, and has been taking photos ever since. She shares her skills within the East community, capturing school sports events such as baseball, softball, football, basketball, wrestling, swimming, and more.

“A lot of my practice came from taking pictures at my brother’s sporting events,” Shortridge said. “I did that for several years and gave the boys pictures that they could use for their Instagrams.”

As Shortridge’s love for photography grew, her presence on social media grew as well. Her Instagram photography account, @shortridgephotography has reached over 400 followers, and her website (https://www.shortridgephotography.com)​​ launched in September 2021, providing athletes, students, and fans the ability to view thousands of her photos.

Shortridge has even expanded to videography, making hype videos after shooting sporting events. By placing a GoPro on top of her camera, she is able to take photos and videos at the same time. “It’s exciting, but it’s also kind of scary because it’s uncharted waters for me,” Shortridge said.

But the process to cover an event is anything but simple, taking an average of 15 hours from start to finish. After attending an event, Shortridge’s first step is to go through the GoPro footage, deleting bad videos and transferring quality videos to her phone. This takes about an hour, but it’s only the start. Shortridge then downloads anywhere from 300 to over 500 pictures, uploading them to her website for athletes and fans to view. She finally makes a hype video from the GoPro footage which can be found on her Instagram.

Hours of hard work taking pictures, making hype videos, and managing a website is all worth it when Shortridge sees how her work influences other people and makes them happy. Seeing improvement in her skills also motivates Shortridge, as she has not only seen growth over the past four years, but in the past semester. After purchasing a new lens, learning how to deal with lighting, and gaining experience in new sports, Shortridge has taken her photography to another level.

“If I would’ve looked at myself when I got accepted into the Oracle last May and saw that this is where I would be right now, I’d be like ‘funny joke,’” Shortridge said. “Before, I always thought I was going to be a teacher, but this year has made me realize that (photography) could actually be a career, which is exciting but also scary.”

Shortridge also encourages anyone who is interested in photography to give it a shot. “If it is something that you are passionate about, I just say keep working and be open minded to other peoples tips and suggestions,” Shortridge said. “Know that you are not going to be a pro the second you buy a camera or the second you take a photography class… but it’s something you can always get better at.”

Shortridge thanks her family, friends, athletic directors, and newspaper teacher Mrs. Geldmeier for their help as she “really couldn’t have done it without the support.” She’s especially thankful for Mrs. Geldmeier who was responsible for “instilling confidence in me,” providing her the opportunity to take pictures for the Oracles articles.

“I’m excited to see where this path takes me and I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Shortridge said.

Thank you Hope for sharing your talents with the East community and spreading positivity through your giving spirit and kindness!