Eileen Flynn, Reporter
@eileen_courant
Between classes, homework, and family obligations, most high school students are only able to make time for one serious extracurricular activity. However, sophomore Nico Savini manages to pursue both his love for football and his passion for media. Nico is an athlete on the NCHS football team, and spends his free time taking professional -quality photographs and creating video edits.
Nico’s interest in photography first became apparent last year while taking the Intro to Digital Photography course at NCHS. “I just started taking pictures in my free time, and after one particular project that I really enjoyed, I asked my mom for a real digital camera” Nico said.
Since then Nico has been experimenting with photography, even when on a National Geographic trip to Yosemite Park for twelve days. The trip was completely dedicated to photography, and allowed Nico to discover himself as an artist. “My favorite thing to photograph is water. You can do so much with it, and it can be portrayed in so many different ways.” Nico said.
However, in terms of art, Nico’s interest is not limited to photography. He also enjoys editing videos, and even took over the responsibility of creating this year’s Turkey Bowl hype video, which in the past, has been made by NCHS alumnus Andrew Chalon. “I play football, and I noticed the effort that the team has put into the games, so I wanted that to show through the video” Nico said.
Between playing on the football team, editing videos for various projects, and taking photographs in his free time, Nico has an extremely busy schedule. “Next to football, Nico’s art really is his second life.” sophomore Jack Defrancesco, one of Nico’s close friends, said. “He’s very invested in it, and he splits a lot of time between art and football.”
However, Nico dosn’t let his busy schedule stop him. He puts hours into his work, and finds time to continuously work on his art. “Nico Savini is constantly working to perfect his craft. Multiple times during the football season, Nico would be at the youth games taking pictures and improving his ability to take really great shots,” sophomore Christian Sibbett said.
Nico’s love for media comes from the effect that his work has on other people. “I really like putting something out there that reaches people and that people really enjoy looking at,” he said.
Sophomore Jackie Steele is one of his friends that has been inspired and amazed by the quality of Nico’s photographs on his website. “I actually saw Nico’s website shortly after I came to the high school, and seeing photos with such skill really inspired me,” she said. “It made me feel lucky to be a part of a school with so much talent.”
Nico is currently taking his photography skills to the next level and even plans on selling some of his work. While his photos primarily focus on nature,
particularly water, he is constantly exploring new art forms. This semester, Nico is taking the Introduction to Documentary Photography course, which he finds very different from the style of photos that he takes in his spare time. “Documentary photo is more about configuring the images that you take,” Nico said. “On my own time, I usually edit the pictures to make them look like like they did in nature.”
In the future, Nico hopes to further develop his passion for different media forms while also pursuing his love for football. “I just want to keep doing what I’m doing,” Nico said, “I don’t know where this is going to take me, but I know I want to continue.”
