Above: Casper Altman snaps a picture. Photo courtesy of Lexi Andersen.

Meet Casper, 19, of Davenport, Iowa, an SAU Junior majoring in Digital Media Production and Multimedia Journalism, who spends his days living life through a lens. 

Casper is passionate about photography, and it shows through his strong emotional and thought-provoking imagery. 

Casper says “being behind the camera has allowed me to experience many things. It’s like I am a part of things that I would not otherwise have been able to see or experience.

“As a freshman in high school, I mentioned to my dad that I wanted to do photography. He gave me my first professional camera for Christmas.” The camera to Casper was symbolic of that of a fire that had just started; it was small, at times it flickered, but never-the-less with the right elements, that fire began to grow.

Casper attended Davenport’s North High School and graduated in 2023. During his time at North his passion for photography grew as the head photographer of the yearbook.

Above: Davenport North women’s basketball player making game winning layup. Photo by Casper Altman.

He says his favorite picture is an iconic shot of the North High School Women’s Basketball players’ game-winning layup. “It’s my favorite because it was the winning basket. They had been working so hard, and the crowd was so loud. The player was making the drive, nearly lost the ball, and then slam dunks the ball for the win. The crowd went crazy!”

Though Casper captures emotion and drama in every aspect within his pictures, he describes himself as shy. “The camera draws me out and gives me a confidence boost. People love the camera and most like having their picture taken. They are not looking at me, they are looking at the camera.”

Above: women’s rights activists at a Roe vs. Wade advocate walk. Photo by Casper Altman.

Casper says another one of his favorite experiences was photographing a protest during the turnover of Roe Vs. Wade in 2022. The Roe Vs. Wade protest was a long walk from Davenport, Iowa, to Rock Island, IL. “It was not a party picture; people were not smiling and sticking out their tongue, there was a mission. There is power in photography. At first, I was scared to take out my camera, but I felt it was there for a purpose, I was contributing in my own way.”

Above: a crowd of people at a LGBTQIA+ advocacy event. Photo by Casper Altman.

This was not the only protest Casper says he’s photographed. He also attended an LGBTQIA+ protest in 2022 at the Vander Veer Park located in Davenport, Iowa. The event was in support of trans-life. “People should find out who they are as a person. It matters that others support this effort.”

Casper says he tries to keep his passion alive by submitting photos to other social media accounts in the hope that his work will get noticed. He says “that he hopes others will also find a passion for photography and wants to start a photography club at SAU someday. 

He is taking his first steps to build his photography portfolio by taking pictures for the SAU student e-newspaper “The Buzz” in the coming months. He says he dreams of becoming a world traveling photographer capturing photos of life, fashion and events.

Bradley Thiessen-Cooper is a staff writer for The Buzz.