The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

When Juniper Kerr was in middle school, her basketball coach kept saying, "Every shot not taken is a shot missed." It stuck with her. But it's not just about basketball now; it's about life and her love of taking pictures. I've been noticing her stuff and wanted to sit down and chat with her. I'm glad I did.

First, she started very young.

"When I was four years old, my mom helped me start my first business selling my pictures on cards at the Bellingham Farmer's Market," she said. And she never stopped.

"I probably spend a couple hours a day just watching things around me. I see something, frame it in my head, and make my camera take that picture for me. I like capturing that moment that will never happen again and sharing my view of the world."

So far, Kerr's view of the world involves perspectives from the ground, landscapes, water, and creative selfies. When she sees an unusual sky, she wants to make it look amazing.

Juniper-everyone calls her "Juno"-is a high school senior this year. She's finishing online while also enrolled in a welding and manufacturing course at SEATech (Southeast Area Technical Skills Center) in Walla Walla. It's a skill she enjoys and can parlay down the road into a marketable trade. Of course, welding comes in handy for creative endeavors. For Dayton's 2019 All Wheels Weekend, Kerr crafted six prize trophies out of auto parts. It took her two months.

"Jay (Ball, owner of Jay's Garage in Dayton) let me salvage parts out of cars. I just had to clean them and put them together."

She enjoys learning more about photography, as well. She's taking a photography class through Walla Walla High School and has enjoyed the mentorship of Dayton photographer Scott Kirk.

"He's been really great," she said. "He's taught me a lot."

She admires the work of other photo artists in the valley as well.

What photographic gear does she use? She uses her iPhone. That's all she needs, for now, and has received much praise for her photography. She keeps an album on her Facebook page and her Instagram account, @iphone_images1.

"I've had a few people judge me because I don't have fancy gear," she said, remarking on the cost of equipment. "People don't necessarily respect you because you use a phone."

Not true in the Touchet Valley, it seems. An iPhone is serving just fine.

I asked Kerr what her favorite color was, her answer; black. Why?

"I don't know, you wear it, and you feel tough, like, strong. All my clothes are black or grey." Sure enough, she was wearing a grey shirt the day I chatted with her.

"And I like editing or touching up photos toward the darker end of things, instead of real bright stuff."

Her favorite editing apps?

"I like Photoshop Fix a lot," she said. "I also use Tezza, Adobe Lightroom, and 1967, which is basically an app for making things look old." (This is humbling as I was born in 1962.) All of these apps are available for iOS and Android.

Her plans after high school?

"I'm definitely not staying around Dayton," Kerr says with a laugh. "I love to travel. We had an exchange student from Thailand who's like my best friend. I want to see her. Then Greece. Then I want to ski in Switzerland."

How far has she traveled in the U.S.?

"Well, I have 29 states down so far. I want to see all of them."

No doubt, she'll have hundreds of photos to show for her adventures. Quite photogenic herself, she'll find a way to rock the selfie in Thailand, where she hopes to sink amazing shots at Yi Peng - the annual Lantern Festival, which takes place on October 31 and November 1. And she wants to start selling postcard-sized prints again.

Just go to Kerr's Facebook page to get updates and to see new uploaded shots. Under Kerr's profile photo, you'll see those words from her middle school coach:

"Every shot not taken is a shot missed."