UNC-CH Lens is committed to the idea that photographs aren’t taken, they’re borrowed.
The student photography and creative writing group tells the stories of students and community members with a desire to capture lasting memories.
The mission of UNC-CH Lens is service-oriented: provide high quality photography to families and community members otherwise unable to afford it. They do so by photographing UNC students and student groups and writing the stories of the subjects for a fee, allowing them to provide their services for free to those who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
The idea for the non-profit group started in fall 2011 when junior and executive director Jaehee Yoo bought a Nikon D90 camera, a purchase she felt was too frivolous to not be used for a greater purpose.
“So I thought, and the only thing that I could think of is service, and serving the UNC community, serving our students, and serving the families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro that really don’t have access to professional photo shoots,” Yoo said.
With that idea, and with the help from friend and fellow junior Matthew Lee, now assistant executive director, UNC-CH Lens was born with the first photo shoot and story going live on their website at the end of the 2013 spring semester.
The organization developed from a small club into a rapidly growing community with over 12,000 hits on its website, and a request only a few months later from students at the University of Georgia who wanted to start their own Lens group.
The group’s head of business development, Nicholas Sanford, helped the UGA group set up its own Lens website. Sanford, a senior, said the group had no hesitation with spreading its mission.
“I expected maybe down the road we’d talk to another campus that has passionate people and appreciates what we’re doing,” Sanford said. “But sure enough, it was within the first few months.”
