Is it said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but for junior Trinity Norwood, they are worth even more than that. She has a passion for not only the act of photography, but the meaning behind the images she captures.

Her love for photography began while taking a Journalism 1 class her freshman year. During the second semester of the class, Norwood and the other students were asked to create a photo essay which would tell a story through the photos taken. She and her partner decided to a do a photo essay titled “Helping Hands.”

“We took pictures of people’s hands, along with their faces, and then we interviewed them on what job they had, what was their first job and what was the worst thing that happened to them,” Norwood said. “When you hear someone’s life story like that, it really touches your heart, especially when it’s people you know. When you look at their hands, you can kind of see what they have been through, and that’s what I love about pictures. You can tell a whole story through just a millisecond of life, and it can last for hundreds of years.”

Since then, Norwood has done all she can to practice and become better at taking pictures. She is part of the yearbook staff and also serves as the photo editor of the newspaper staff. She constantly has a camera in her hand and said she uses her family and friends as models all the time.

“I often take my best friend to my backyard and start a photo shoot,” Norwood said. “There is no right or wrong way to do it, as long as you’re having the time of your life with the people you love. There is no need for a perfect picture when you have great friends in them.”

Norwood’s dream is to one day become a photographer for National Geographic Wild, which is a television program that focuses on wildlife. This dream and her love for photography were inspired by her journalism teacher, Lindsey Fruge, who has taught her to be passionate about journalism and photography.

“I know I can always count on Trinity to work hard and do a good job,” Fruge said. “She is constantly asking me what she can do to improve her photography skills and she is always the first staff member who volunteers to take pictures at school events. Her strong work ethic and optimistic attitude will help her go far in her journalistic endeavors and in life.”

Along her journey in photography, Norwood said she has learned that her pictures do not always have to be perfect.

“Who is to tell you what is perfect or not?” she said. “As long as you’re happy with your product, go with it. I love that in one single picture you can see someone’s life story if you look close enough.”

Some of Norwood’s work can be found on the Bear Facts website and also on her Instagram page (@simply.southern.photography).