Student Spotlight: Alex Slomin ’22 Discovers His Passion for Photography

Alex Slomin '22 has found his passion in life: photographing wildlife and nature. And when you see his work, you will be inspired.

Alex began his journey a few years ago when he picked up a camera for the very first time after a trip on safari to Kruger National Park in South Africa with his family. The safari guide was a photographer. He had always been fascinated by wildlife and their habitats, but had never really done anything to pursue his interest. Once he discovered photography, he knew immediately what he wanted to capture: wildlife and the beauty of nature.

Since then, Alex takes every opportunity to use his skills and his artistic eye to create stunning photographs. Family members can attest to the fact that vacations are often scheduled to exotic destinations where Alex can find material for his photographs that will be unusual and interesting. His goal is to “show people how beautiful the natural world is and why we need to save it” – a worthy goal indeed.

His process is relatively simple when considering what to photograph. Some days, it just happens spontaneously and other days, Alex rises early in the morning to capture his subjects before the interruptions of the day ensue. But no matter what, he has a keen eye for capturing every subject in the beauty of their natural habitat.

He notices details that make for interesting stories. For instance, when he captured the lion, he noticed the scars on the animal’s face and realized that the lion had most likely gone through many battles; this was a photograph that would tell a story.

Alex has attended SRDS since his freshman year of high school and says his favorite thing about school is the access he has to interact with teachers that care about him on both an academic and a personal level. He appreciates the abundance of educational guidance by teachers who want to see him succeed. He also likes the modern approach to learning and the opportunities that he has outside the classroom at SRDS to explore other interests.