Photo Finish: Junior Shailee Ben-David Is On Her Way To Becoming A Professional Photographer

Photos Courtesy of SHAILEE BEN-DAVID

BY SABRINA VICTOR

“Ambitious, persistent, and passionate” are all words used to describe CCHS Junior Shailee Ben-David by her mother, Limor Ben-David. Becoming a world-renowned photographer is what Ben-David aims for and, no doubt about it, that is what she is going to do.

Growing up with a photographer mom, Ben-David found a love of photography at an early age. It all began when she picked up a vintage Canon at the age of 3 and demanded to be shown how to work it.  From then on, Ben-David always wanted to be around the camera and be the one who took the pictures.

“I was just so intrigued by the fact that everything I saw I could just take a picture of, and always be able to hold on to it,” Ben-David said.

Interest grew into complete adoration as Ben-David quickly became fascinated with anything that had to do with photographs. Instead of picking up a book to read, Ben-David would often skim through her mother’s fashion magazines or photography books and be inspired from the pictures in the works before her.

“When I was little I didn’t enjoy books unless they were picture books,” Ben-David said. “I always looked at fashion photography and I wouldn’t read anything unless there was a picture to capture my attention. I would always judge a book by its cover.”

Not only was she captivated by the ability to capture an image on film, but she also enjoyed being able to paint one as well. Being well rounded in the fine arts, Ben-David showed potential as a painter when she tried to recreate some of Claude Monet’s famous works at a young age. Being able to paint well enabled Ben-David to develop hand control, a crucial skill for any photographer.

Besides commendable hand control, a good eye for fashion and nature were just a few of the many skills Ben-David possessed. The early detection of her talent played a huge factor in her parents decision to fully support her ambitions as a photographer.

“Over the years, photography was a common hobby for her and recently, I saw her love for photography further develop,” Limor Ben-David said. “She always has a lot to express artistically and there is no doubt she will do so with our support”.

Therefore it was no surprise when Ben-David asked her parents’ permission for the opportunity to attend the NYU Tisch School of Arts. She even took it upon herself to write a personal essay on photography, gather her transcripts, and organize three of her best pictures to send in, even though she believed she had no chance of being accepted into the prestigious program. Little did she know, her hard work and determination paid off in the form of an acceptance letter.

“When I found out I got accepted into the program, I was completely shocked,” Ben-David said. “I was definitely lucky to be one of the 16 people admitted into the program out of the 700 who applied.”

Immediately after getting accepted, Ben-David’s parents made a deal with her and set a couple of terms she had to abide by in order to go to NYU. Ben-David had to maintain good grades and behavior and her parents also required her to continue to work at Second Cup so she could be responsible for her spending money in New York. She managed to pull through on the deal and was prepared to face a chance of a lifetime learning experience.

Once she landed in New York City, Ben-David found herself facing one of the most stressful, but rewarding, four weeks of her life. Students were given several assignments with topics such as “your personal vision of NY” and from 9 am to 5 pm they had to run all over New York City and work on the projects independently. Ben-David even faced real life obstacles during her final project when she had no models, no studio time, and absolutely no idea what to do.

“The program was absolutely amazing,” Ben-David said. “I went in doubtful about what I wanted to do with my life. But when I got out, I realized that after all the stress, homework, and emotional breakdowns, this is what I wanted to do. If I can handle it for an intense 4 weeks, I think I would be able to handle it in any situation.”

Not many students discover what they want to do with their life so early, but Ben-David walked away from the Tisch program with the determination to become a photographer and brought back with her tools that would advance her dream. She learned new methods and techniques from an elite team of professors and classmates from around the world.

“I learned that if I stick to my own opinions or do whatever I feel like then my pictures will never improve,” Ben-David said. “But taking other people’s advice and applying it will help me develop skills as a photographer.”

All the hard work and dedication paid off, because at the end of the program, Ben-David was one of the top 3 students in her class. As one of the top 3, she was awarded 6 full credits for the program, was given her own NYU account, and was set in her major of photography and fine arts.

“NYU matured her and she learned a lot,” Best friend Dana Shani said. “It definitely put her in the right direction of where she wants to go and what she wants to do with her life.”

As a photographer, Ben-David came back with a whole other mindset and point of view. Her fields of expertise, portraiture and fashion photography, developed tremendously and you can see a lot more edginess in her photos. This development of her talent definitely came through when she did a photo shoot at Villa Vizcaya.

“When she photographed me, I was very impressed,” Shani said. “Although I hate being in front of cameras, she broke the awkwardness and made me feel pretty comfortable. She was professional, very knowledgeable on all the lighting, and I could definitely see this was something she was passionate about.”

Passion is definitely the motivating force that helped Ben-David get into CTV and become Vice-President of the photography club. CTV goes hand in hand with the photography side of her and she is able to excel on the News and Entertainment side.

“I am very proud of Shailee because I have always seen the big picture,” Limor Ben-David said. “Between CTV and photography, I will always push her to aim higher and higher for as long as I can. I will do anything that can help her get closer to her dream because the bigger your dream, the bigger you get.”

That is why when Ben-David introduced the idea of creating a professional studio in her house; her parents were completely for it. The Ben-Davids plan on painting a room black and setting up a projector, screen, background, and studio lights. They believe the opportunity will definitely benefit and push her further into the right direction.

“In 10 years, I see Shailee with a huge studio and hopefully I will be able to work with her,” Limor Ben-David said. “I see her working in fashion photography since that is where her best talent is in. There is no doubt in my mind she can achieve her dreams because she has always been a go-getter. She is very energetic, strong willed, and knows what she wants and will stand for what she wants.”

With high hopes for the future from her family, Ben-David can also see herself in the same place. She plans on attending NYU, Parsons, Pratt or FIT. Wherever life takes her, Ben-David has high ambitions of working as a fashion photographer in Milan or even being able to work for Anna Wintour.

But for now, with the support of her friends and everyone around her, Ben-David is still in the learning process and hopes she can strengthen her skills even more, which will surely help her achieve her ambitions as a photographer.