Isaac Arjonilla

University of California, Los Angeles

Isaac Arjonilla doesn’t just sit down and watch a movie — he dissects it, analyzing every frame, from the widest shot to close-ups, intent on improving his photographer’s eye.

Ever since a storm wiped out almost all his photos from his childhood in Tijuana, Arjonilla has resiliently chronicled everything in his life.

He began taking photos in the third grade. “The pictures are awful,” Arjonilla said. “I didn’t know what I was doing back then.”

Arjonilla, a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, is a photographer and photo editor for the student paper, The Daily Bruin, covering sports, political events and breaking news.

He said he loves the newsroom environment. Silence and solitude are two things he tries to avoid, because he benefits from constant interaction. His photo-editing method, he added, involves many distractions and an abundance of procrastination.

Photography is Arjonilla’s passion, but he also wants to develop skills in Web production, filmmaking and writing. He counts the celebrity photographer Sam Jones among his biggest inspirations. Jones is famous for capturing the essence of actors, musicians and other public figures without using elaborate settings or props.

Not long ago, Arjonilla faced a new kind of storm, and once again he turned to photography. In the summer of 2010, he and his family had to move to a smaller apartment. In the process, he gave up his bedroom and slept in a van for three months. But once outside, he turned an uncomfortable situation into a project — now he had plenty of time to take video and photographs, and improve his technique.

“Photography is what kept me sane that summer,” he said.

- Lisa Maria Garza