When it comes down to it, life is about savoring those moments we don’t always expect: Anzhela Sira knows this well—she actually takes most of her photos using her Samsung Galaxy phone, something she always has on hand. The use of a lens attachment ensures that the quality isn’t diminished.
It makes sense, then, that her photographic inspirations of animals and nature led to the overall winning shot in the 2014 Picture Plymouth photo contest. Anzhela recalls walking outside with her older sister on a beautiful day in late July and noticing various insects flitting between the blades of grass. She took out a macro lens and began to take pictures of the bugs as they flew. Most of them were timid, offering only fleeting glimpses. This dragonfly was different. “It wouldn’t fly away,” she says, “so I got up really close.” The image manages to capture the vivid summer green background of the grass, the delicate petals of the flower, the glass-like wings and the bulbous eyes staring right back at the lens.
A junior at Wayzata High School, Anzhela says she enjoys volunteering and hanging out with her friends during lunch at school. Her favorite things about Plymouth are the parks and the fireworks on the Fourth of July. “I took a lot of good pictures then,” she says. She’s not alone in her passion for photography; her older sister Yuliya and younger brother Alex also join her in this artistic endeavor. She loves all of the community events offered in Plymouth, like the Fire and Ice Festival held each February. Anzhela is thankful for the moments she has been able to capture on camera, adding, “I’m glad God sent that dragonfly so I could take a picture of it.”
