“Two years ago, I started an Instagram page dedicated to airplanes. Two of my uncles are pilots, and then my sister and her husband work for an airline so I’ve been exposed to aviation my whole life. The first time I went to watch planes take off, my brother-in-law took me. After that, I went once every two weeks. I started posting on Instagram the photos I took during these visits. My following started off small, but since, I have gained 29,000 followers.  

[Instagram] reels are definitely more attractive than pictures, so I’ll try to do more of those. I also used to have a pattern of posting in the morning, but I don’t do that anymore. Some of my posts get reposted sometimes by airlines. Otherwise, the content alone attracts the attention. Some stuff does well, [but] it’s just knowing which audios to post and which tags to add to get more attention. It took me a while to figure things out, even just knowing what to say in the captions. So far the coolest thing that has come out of this is getting published by Southwest Airlines and United Express. 

Right before I started my account, I went to Canada and flew in this plane with a particular color scheme. Different airlines have different paint schemes for special deliveries, but I did not realize this at the time. I just thought it was a cool paint scheme. After this, I started paying more attention to planes and exploring different ways to share my experiences and insight. 

The thing I am most proud about from my high school career is how much I have grown as a person. I came here from Tanglewood only knowing two people. I had to get out of my comfort zone to go from not knowing people to leaving knowing quite a few people. I am glad to have seen myself evolve from an introvert to an extrovert and overcome some of my fears.

Next year, I will be running track for School of Mines in Colorado. Currently, I run the four by one and four by four for Bellaire. In college, it’s going to be more like the two-hundred and four-hundred meter [dash]. Coach Jones was the one who talked me into running college track. Per her advice, I reached out to the coach from School of Mines and started talking to him for a little bit, and in February, I committed two weeks after signing day. 

Track is obviously very fast-paced, and if you make a single mistake, you’re behind. You have to be on your toes. Same thing for the photography that I do, you only have a few seconds to get a good shot. Practicing my focus correlates to other areas in my life. For example, this year, I performed a lot better because I procrastinated less on my work.  

It’s good to chase the small moments. A lot of times in track, you miss the time you want to get. I just say to cherish the wins and don’t be discouraged by loss.”

For more on Schmidt’s plane photography, check out @that1spotter (Insta only)