Moiz Kothawala is a 16 year old high school student from the Dawoodi Bohra community of New Jersey.
When I first picked up a camera, I had no idea what I was doing. I was 13, walking through Chanticleer Garden in Philadelphia, trying to capture every flower in sight. The shots were messy, blurry, sometimes overexposed—but I loved the feeling. I didn’t care about perfection.
I just didn’t want to lose that sense of wonder.
Framing the Beginning
Looking back, those photos would have never been considered technically ‘good’. I certainly didn’t have any fancy gear. But they were my first real attempts at creating digital work. Simple, interesting moments I stumbled upon while traveling or exploring — small snapshots of the world that sparked my curiosity.
Developing into a Photographer
As my interest grew, I started researching ways to improve my shots. I dabbled in composition—the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing. A few months in, photography started to become more than a hobby but a true passion. I bought my first camera, the Canon Rebel T7. Feeling the weight of it in my hands was one of the best moments of my life — it gave me a newfound sense of control over every part of an image.
Around the same time, I discovered editing. Experimenting with Lightroom felt like unlocking a superpower. I could refine light, color, and detail I couldn’t control while shooting. Photos I would’ve deleted turned into keepers with a few creative adjustments.
From Gardens to Stories
In downtown Chicago, crowds streamed past on the streets above, but along the lower riverwalk I found a single chair and table by the water — unoccupied and completely overlooked. I took the shot because it held a little pocket of calm inside the city’s rush. The sunset wasn’t dramatic, but the light on the boardwalk felt honest and human. Sometimes the smallest scenes carry the biggest meaning.
Real Moments in an AI World
On the sidelines of my community’s Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, I watched players dive, sweat, and laugh through each play. I tried to chase that raw emotion — stretched mid-flight catches, gritty hanging defense blocks, those blink-and-you-miss-it scores.
This photo, with a player’s hand pressed right against the frisbee mid-flight, came during one of the tensest moments of the tournament. A rare moment, where instinct, timing, and a bit of luck all came together through my lens.
People say AI will replace skills like photography. AI can generate cool graphics and even photorealistic images—but it can’t stand on the sideline, feel the pulse of a game, or catch the truth of a moment. Photography isn’t just output; it’s a record of emotion, milestones, and shared joy. That human connection is what makes it real.
Finding Freedom in the Frame
At Indiana Dunes National Park, I watched a flock of seagulls working the shoreline. I kept shooting, trying to catch one mid-flight. After a dozen attempts, I finally froze a gull gliding just above the waves, wings stretched wide against the water. Later, from a nearby hill, I took a quiet photo of a lifeguard platform looking out over Lake Michigan—simple, still, and spectacular.
My Next Step
I think about light a lot—how it can turn an ordinary scene into something unforgettable. That’s the next step for me, learning how to use it to tell stories through my photos. One day, I hope I’ll be shooting for larger publications, capturing moments that matter. But honestly, my biggest dream is to travel, camera in hand, and catch those powerful flashes of life — people, places, emotions — that make you stop, feel, and maybe think about the world a little differently.
