$100.

That’s all senior Luke Lawrence spent to kickstart his passion with a hand-me-down camera from his older brother.

Lawrence was 12 when received the Nikon Coolpix L340, starting his photography journey.

Later, he joined the Art of Video Production class as a freshman at Sunny Hills. Lawrence said he’s been in love with photography, developing a strong passion ever since he took the first pictures for the school at a soccer game.

Among his peers, he said he is known as a go-to photographer at the school — especially for sports like football, basketball, soccer and baseball. He takes pictures all year-round and is often seen on the sidelines, capturing everything from scoring points to a team cheer.

“Taking pictures is just so fun,” Lawrence said. “It’s so easy to go out, take pictures of people for fun and see them enjoying them.”

Ever since then, he has been in video production, where he photographs and video records a wide range of events, primarily focusing on sports.

Video production teacher Daniel Flores said he is determined with a positive attitude and strong work ethic, and had numerous opportunities to document events at California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton Community College, SoFi Stadium, Angels Stadium and other community events.

“I look forward to his continued success in everything that he chooses to do,” Flores said.

Though he is not the official designated photographer for the boys and girls soccer teams, he has become a fixture at many of their games after taking pictures of the players.

Soccer player senior Vladimir Sotelo said Lawrence took many charismatic pictures of him in action.

“My first impression was that they were going straight to Instagram,” said Sotelo, who met Lawrence at a league game against La Habra High School on Jan. 6, 2023. “His editing of the pictures was what made them amazing.”

The two, whose friendship lasted two years, bonded over a photographer-player relationship.

“[He’s] always willing to help you and gives tips on what settings or techniques to use for photography,” the soccer player said. “Our relationship is super good, especially when we made a long run into CIF, and he was our photographer throughout that playoff run.”

Since his sophomore year, Lawrence said he has made it a priority to attend every home and away game for games like football and basketball, often traveling further. However, for sports such as soccer and baseball, he typically goes to home games or nearby matches he can drive to.

“I enjoy driving back and forth for away games,” he said. “I usually just listen to music while driving, and after a game, I’ll usually get something to eat.”

Football player junior Tyler Kim said he enjoys having his pictures taken by Lawrence because of the high-quality end product.

“The photo quality is very professional, and to have that kind of thing for free is a big advantage,” Kim said.

While he’s not in the game himself, Lawrence said the excitement on the sidelines is just as real.

“I always feel super stoked, being able to be so close to the action,” he said. “It’s always super fun to see, and you feel like you’re in the game and part of the team.”

The best part of photography is not just the final product — but also sharing it, the senior said.

“The most rewarding part is seeing people’s reactions, and then them posting the pictures,” the photographer said.

Every time he posts something, Lawrence said he feels stoked because a lot of time and effort go into the process.

“You have to edit all the photos, find the order that you want, tag people and then post,” he said. “I usually put my phone away for like an hour after I post so that I don’t just keep checking it.”

Still, that payoff comes with its challenges.

“I usually edit them late at night, and I’m always tired and just want to get them done,” the senior said.

Lawrence said photography has helped him develop in multiple aspects and learn a lot from his experience, from fixing small things, such as the horizon line, to discovering what the best equipment to buy is.

“My biggest learning lesson is probably taking pictures of other photographers,” Lawrence said. “This has made me some huge connections and you never know where one of those connections could lead to.”

The photographer said one of the toughest parts of sports photography is keeping up with the fast-paced action, as he feels it’s difficult to catch players in focus and not miss the shot.

Lawrence said photography has become a major part of his high school identity.

“It’s basically what I do with most of my time,” said the senior, who plans to continue photography after high school. “It’s something where I can go, be free and not have to worry about anything while I’m doing it.”