It's time for the latest BPW Student Spotlight, where we highlight a different member of our talented community to learn more about how our students turn their passion for photography into freelance work, fulfilling hobbies, or even full-time careers.

A native of Iran who has been in the US since 2015, Davood Dashti’s passion for photography is relatively recent. He became interested in pictures in 2012 when he bought an iPhone 4 and started using Instagram for the first time.

“I began capturing everything I saw around me and sharing the pictures with my Instagram friends,” says Davood. “They praised my photos and encouraged me to continue, and so after a couple of months, I purchased a Canon 60D camera. I could say that since then, a new era in my life began.”

A Natural Talent

Despite the newness of his favorite hobby, Davood’s natural talent is evident in his photography, which shows a beautiful grasp of color and composition. While he takes cues from professional photographers’ social media feeds, most of the time he just tries to portray what he sees before him.

“Photography is something very close to my heart. When I feel the beauty inside as I’m looking at something and I can capture it exactly as it is, that result is the best photo for me. I just enjoy freezing time through photography.”

Looking Toward a Career

Currently a student in UMass Lowell ‘s International Business program, Davood would love to pursue becoming a professional photographer in the near future, which he knows is possible because of the skills he has built on his own over the last six years and through classes at the Boston Photography Workshops.

“I have always heard: ‘The United States is the land of opportunities.’ In Iran, I didn’t have access to photography classes or even good teachers who could show me the camera settings and techniques. I learned almost everything by myself in the beginning, and when I found the BPW in summer 2017, I made up my mind to attend.

“I started with Portraiture, which taught me a lot about how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are linked together. The Food Photography 1 class changed my perspective on photography greatly; working with natural light, reflectors, studio light, flash, etc. highlighted a whole new aspect of shooting for me.”

After his graduation from UMass Lowell, Davood hopes to move to Vancouver, British Columbia, to live with his sister and pursue his master’s degree, but he’ll also keep an eye on his other dream: to travel the US as a professional photographer.

“I believe in myself and I know that I have the potential. The future that I imagine for myself isn’t behind a desk, but being active, maybe working in a studio and having every day and every week be a little different. Thinking about that prospect makes me so happy.”