Davis focuses on his future in photography

Carly Prows | The Chronicle

When he is not tackling opponents on the field, Mason High School (MHS) senior Caden Davis finds pleasure in the art of photography. 

Many football players fall victim to the “jock” stereotype with no time for other hobbies, however, Caden Davis found a passion outside of football. As an elite athlete, Davis has not only triumphed in his sport but is also pursuing photography, which has earned him a growing business and popularity on social media.

Davis has given up an abundance of time for an extracurricular, but photography is worth more to him than people may think. Even with all the accolades football has brought him, Davis would rather choose to pursue photography.

“Obviously football takes up my entire life,” Davis said. “But photography is what I want to do in the future and will take me to the next level.”

Photography was not a hobby that Davis just picked up one day; it was a slow and steady process that began early on. Inspired by his mom and her camera, his interest in photography had been evident from a young age.

“I was always videoing and recording on my mom’s camera,” Davis said. “I found pictures of me [as a young boy] always with the camera.” 

Davis is hopeful for a future career in digital marketing and has already made his presence known on various social media platforms. He also decided to create a website that allows him to easily promote his business and share pictures.

“I have experience promoting myself with Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat,” Davis said. “But with a website, [pictures] are accessible to anybody, so it’s really helped me a lot.”

What started as a simple hobby has sprung into a successful photography business for Davis. Although he enjoys the cash flow that comes with good business, Davis believes he would be a photographer regardless of making money or not.

“I do [photography] more as a job rather than a hobby currently,” Davis said, “but even if I’m not making money, I’ll always be doing it.”

Although he only started with his phone, he never missed the opportunity to take pictures while spending time with friends. Being the “photographer” of his friend group has inspired him to capture moments that he can reminisce about and share with friends. 

“I was always documenting what I was doing, and my friends would ask me to send the videos and pictures,” Davis said “I love to look back and think ‘oh man, look at how that happened.’”

As Davis progressed as a photographer, he began to realize how to view the world from a different perspective. 

“Before I was never really experiencing anything,” Davis said. “So photography has definitely opened that world where I can really enjoy what’s going on and the experiences.”

Though Davis has been successful so far, he admits that it was not an easy road to get where he is now. Davis encourages others to try new hobbies and have faith in the process it takes to achieve goals.

“Obviously there’s going to be ups and downs,” Davis said. “But you just have to trust yourself and your ability to create what you want to do.”

Photo by Carly Prows