Meet Mason Hoey, a senior political science and public administration major with minors in classical studies and civic leadership, who is set to graduate in December. He is excited to share his collection of photos in the Airport Lounge, Nature brought into focus. 

Mason began his journey in photography about two years ago, starting with his family’s old digital camera (which had many technical difficulties that older cameras have). More recently, Mason was gifted a film camera from a friend and purchased his own digital camera, allowing him to explore both film and digital photography. While he primarily prefers film, this collection was captured digitally. 

Originally, he began with an interest in portraiture before eventually exploring other types of photography. Mason recognizes that his majors are pretty different from his interest in photography; however, he has found ways to overlap them, using his talents to capture protests and to express the importance of capturing authentic experiences. This collection is the result of a recent photography interest: nature.  

Most of the collection was captured using a Fujifilm X-T5. The only exception became one of Mason’s favorite photos from this collection. “Sun Buzzing” was captured in a sunflower field in Rockingham County. After Mason realized that his camera didn’t have enough zoom capability to capture the subject the way he wanted, he noticed a stranger nearby using a Sony a7 IV and asked to borrow it for the photo. The result? A stunning close-up shot of a bee resting on a sunflower with incredible detail and vibrant colors. 

After spending time photographing different animals and plants, Mason gained an appreciation for capturing the small things in nature and bringing them into focus. When asked what he hoped people would take away from viewing his collection, Mason said, “I hope they take away the beauty of nature, really. That if you pay attention to nature, you will always find something beautiful, and you just have to look [at] your surroundings.” 

View the full collection here