Blaine student finds creative outlet in photography

By Tara Nelson

In many ways, Mitch Moquin is like any other high school senior.
Sporting a moppy haircut, bright green polo shirt and trendy jeans, Moquin deals with the typical activities of submitting college applications, finding letters of reference and planning for the future.
But at the age of 17, Moquin is a musician and also an accomplished photographer who has a firm grasp on basic concepts such as composition, depth of field and light balance.

During his free time, he said he pours through books of photography, and wanders in search of subjects for his next photographic odyssey.
His friend Sarah Jerns, who he says introduced him to photography, describes his photographs as capturing moments that allow a break form the stressors of life and reflect on moments that are often overlooked or forgotten.

“Mitchell's photography is growing with his personality right now,” she said. “He is recognizing that life changes when you enter your last year of high school and he shows that through his photography.”
Moquin’s photographs are available for viewing by visiting his web site at www.myspace.com/mitchmoquindesign. He is currently working as a photo assistant to Bellingham photographer Rachel Bayne of Bayne Photography.

How did you get interested in photography?
My friend Sarah Jerns got me into photography around September, 2006. Later that month, we lost contact and I kind of put taking it up to the side, but it didn’t take long for me to take interest in it again.
When I went to Japan with the high school wind ensemble in February I was set on coming back with my first camera. I was in a new environment and that allowed me to really open up to seeing new things and really immersing myself into the medium.

What subjects inspire you?
Really, everything inspires me to take pictures. I like to see the aesthetic value in everything. Whether it is derelict or majestic, I think everything is worthy of being captured through a lens. However most of the time I like to shoot things that most people’s eyes overlook. Mostly I like to shed new light on things that people don’t pay notice to.
Your photographs have a sort-of abstract quality.

Can you explain?
My friend Sarah works for a wedding photographer in Bellingham and he had a little insight on this thought of the abstraction.

Just like a lot of the music we listen to today, I think our generation is exposed to a different way of seeing things than previous generations, which is a real contrast from things people have ever seen before. I try to keep my perspective new whenever I shoot, and I think anyone can appreciate that because a lot of the shots I get are original. I think I’ve attained my own discernable style and I’m proud of that. I want to show people how I view things in the abstraction that I present them.

Before I shoot I typically have a shot in my head and and a lot of these thoughts I get from images I have seen before and I like to put my own spin on them while still maintaining the integrity of a photograph that people would want to put on their wall. While still giving people something to think about when they look at my shots.