College is viewed as a time for students to take charge of their futures. Some will decide to shoot for their dreams. Other students, who are no less determined, might take more pragmatic paths toward their success. And some even go outside the conventional path that many students take in their careers.

Students Skye MacLean and Andrey Starostin are examples of University students who are excelling at what they love earlier than some.

The students are the founders of Starostin Photography, a professional photography company they started independently in August and have steadily built since. Both MacLean and Starostin share a strong passion for the medium, but the idea to create the company in addition to Starostin’s exposure to photography are relatively new.

“Earlier last summer I’d been given a small compact camera and realized that I really like taking photos and wanted a more high-end camera the more I used Skye’s or anyone else’s,” said Starostin, junior in LAS. “Then I ended up getting one and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

MacLean caught on to photography much earlier in life, which almost appears to be a tradition, judging from her family history. Her aunt is currently a successful food photographer in England and her great-great-grandfather shot and posed prominent figures, such as the Royal Family. But MacLean says she never previously pursued photography intensely.

“It was never an activity that I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to turn into something,’” said MacLean, junior in LAS. “I always have enjoyed it, but when applying for college, I recognized other skills of mine were stronger and decided to focus on those.”

Lucky for her, she was on the ideal path all along. MacLean and Starostin met during their sophomore year and became friends quickly after sharing a course in Russian — an easy A for Starostin, they both joke, because he speaks the language.

After they set up several online pages and worked with friends and family, word of their talent traveled fast.

“It helps that we have family in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and also around here,” Starostin said. “That’s given us at least a 160-mile range of people we can work with.”

Both students also make Starostin Photography unique by tailoring the experience toward the customers.

MacLean says they are comfortable with those who want a specific focus for their pictures, or are happy to be given total creative direction. After the photos are finalized, the students meet with their clients in person so both sides can benefit from the interaction.

“We want to give clients a personable time, but for us, meeting with them helps gauge their reaction,” MacLean said. “There might be two photos we liked a lot, but they’ll be passed over. It’s like a learning process – we can develop our idea of what people want and expect.”

And the response from customers has been strong.

“Both Andrey and Skye were very easygoing during my time with them,” said Emily Roth, a past client of Starostin Photography. “It came to my family’s attention that our dog was diagnosed with cancer, and Starostin signed on to take photos of him with us while he was still himself. The pictures turned out great, and Andrey and Skye were very considerate during our shoot.”

Although the company takes its name from Andrey’s surname, both he and MacLean create a balanced work flow on a shoot. Starostin usually poses their clients and takes portrait-style photos, while MacLean wanders in the background, waiting for good candid moments to shoot. But they also remain ready to accommodate anything unexpected.

MacLean also creates the promotional materials, and both spend time learning from online sources and experimenting with their own projects.

The time necessary for running Starostin Photography can be busy outside of college, but the students are able to stay on top of both comfortably. According to them, their current situation as students has actually been helpful toward running their business.

“What’s nice now is that we don’t have to worry about living off of our profit and instead focus on building the knowledge base and meeting clients,” MacLean said. “When we are done with school and this does become our livelihood, it’s going to be a smooth transition instead of starting up a business and scrambling to make ends meet. And it’s slightly relieving to not have a camera attached to your hand every second of the day.”

At least not until the withdrawal kicks in, Starostin joked. Although their company has started off well, they are determined to keep improving their skills and building Starostin Photography. They agree that it is important for them to gain a wide range of experience so they can become well-rounded and have the comfort to work on their toes.

“What it comes down to is that we have a passion for photography and we’re constantly trying to fulfill that passion in any way we can that makes us happy,” Starostin said.

Since they started Starostin Photography, the students now have to add external hard drives to their equipment list in order to accommodate the large body of work they’ve accumulated. Plans for the future are solid and steady, including their first wedding set for May.

Adlai can be reached at [email protected].