Woodside Artist Profile: Kitty Calonje, Photographer

Kitty Calonje, a junior at Woodside High School, is a first year photography student and has already developed her own unique style by photographing the many concerts she attends. She believes photography supports the creative person she already is, as seen by the patches of different patterned fabrics on her pants to the hand-stitched writing on her jackets.

Kitty’s aesthetic is that photos should be kept in their natural state, meaning that editing is out of the question. To her, by keeping photos in their natural state the experience is not changed if viewed in life. She was attracted to capturing people while they are performing. “I like photographing people dancing and singing. Basically, I like taking photos of people expressing themselves in an artistic matter.” Brent Walsh, singer of the up-and-coming San Fransisco Bay Area band, I the Mighty, is a major influence for Kitty. His vivid lyrics inspire her to go out into the world to photograph her own interpretation of the lyrics. Being close friends also allows Kitty to relate on multiple levels with the band members and the music they create.

Kitty attends many concerts, her favorites being Paramore and I the Mighty, and by taking Photography 101 she hopes to gain higher skills in order to photograph better quality photos of Hayley Williams, singer of Paramore and Kitty’s idol. Kitty agrees with many others that photography is a way of capturing memories and she intends to do just that. She thinks of photography as a “pure form of how something is portrayed.”

Kitty definitely sees photography in her future. She has her heart set on the magazine Alternative Press, which focuses on a wide variety of genres in music and includes a focus on unknown, local bands. By combining two of her favorite aspects of her life, Kitty has deepened her connection between herself and the performances by capturing the exact moment when she feels her experience has risen to the next level of fantastic.