Fancy photography? Bailey Aro's a name you should know

Bailey Aro, a 22-year-old Duluth native and recent College of St. Scholastica graduate, sees the world a little bit different than the average person. She sees the world though the lens of her camera.

Aro graduated from Scholastica in May with a degree in photography management.

Never heard of such a major? You wouldn't be the first.

"It was a self-designed major with lots of art photography classes, but also core management classes like organizational behavior, accounting and marketing," Aro said. "It [dealt with] the real nitty-gritty about starting a business."

Aro started as an English major at St. Olaf before transferring to Scholastica and falling in love with photography.

"I didn't grow up with a photographer in my family or anything," she said. "I have a writing background, and photography ties into the storytelling aspect. Maybe I can combine the two talents in the future.

"I have always admired photographers; I never thought I'd be one."

Last month, Aro had her first photography exhibit at Pizza Luce here in Duluth.

Aro called her exhibit "Breaking into Blossom." The collection consisted of 36 large-scale close-up flower photographs, which were matted and hung on the restaurant's walls.

Getting set up for the exhibit was harder than people may realize, especially since Aro spent the beginning of her summer working at a camp in Lake Nebagamon.

"This exhibit was a lot of blood, sweat and tears," she said. "Financially, it was also a huge investment."

She said one of the most challenging aspects of preparing for such a public exhibit is actually choosing which photographs to use.

"You have to choose what goes well together and how they're going to be arranged," she said. "It's very detail-intensive. And I get a kick out of stuff like that; I work better under pressure."

Aro kicked off her exhibit at the beginning of August with an opening, which included an auction of one of her portraits. The portrait went for $525, and all the money raised from that went to the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs.

Aro possesses a wide array of photography experiences, from weddings, promotional advertising, nature and even portraits of people. She prides herself more on candid shots than a typical staged portrait.

While working with people, Aro has noticed that one of the hardest things to do is to make people feel comfortable.

"My style is candid and natural, and I love natural light and also shooting architecture," she said. "That's just who I am."

Starting in September, Aro is going to be taking her camera with her on an international journey that will last for more than four months.

Aro and her boyfriend will spend time with his family in England before making a trek around Asia. They plan on visiting Nepal, India, Cambodia and more.

Most of the travel will be done on foot, so they have been preparing by walking every day. But foot travel will also give Aro time to take lots of photographs.

Aro is used to being out of our country, as she spent a semester in Ireland while in college -- but this will definitely be the farthest she's been away from home.

"We're seizing the moment. We've both graduated and now is the time to travel," Aro said. "We don't have any obligations. It not only educates you but makes you a more well-rounded person."

And Aro will be taking it all in, with a camera in her hand.

NEWS TO USE
Photos from last month's Pizza Lucé exhibit of Bailey Aro's works can be purchased by contacting her at 348-4960 or visiting www.baileyarophotography.com . She said that prices are negotiable as she wants everyone who wants the art to be able to take it home with them.

Image courtesy of the artist