Her brother stood at the edge of the high cliff with his makeshift, branch staff facing the chilled Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine. The sun was setting and amazing purple light was radiating around him. Aeryn saw the moment, the perfect opportunity. She raised the small object in her hand, pointed, and clicked.

The image that Aeryn Kiewicz, 12, shot of her brother with her 14 Megapixel Instant Print Polaroid camera that day hiking in Maine continues to be her favorite of her large photo collection.

“To capture the radiating purple light in such a beautiful picture while doing what I love was truly amazing,” Kiewicz said.

Kiewicz has always been taking pictures for as long as she can remember. Photography has become a profound hobby of hers, and she can often be seen with a camera in hand.

Kiewicz has never had any formal training in photography but has quite the collection of cameras built up over time including a vintage Russian one that she acquired from an Air Force cadet. She has been taking pictures for as long as she can remember.

“I love to keep memories and scrapbooks to look back on later,” Kiewicz said. She likes to, “preserve the memory.”

Because of her desire to record every moment, Kiewicz is disappointed by the fact that her mother gets upset when her picture is taken. She just wants to capture her mom for the memories.

Kiewicz’s only regret is that she missed out on taking Lewis-Palmer’s photography class during high school. However, she still plans to continue to snapshot her life through her pursuit in college and outside of school for the rest of her life.