Emma Camfield didn’t necessarily need to go to college in order to discover that photography is her passion.

In fact, it’s a skill and a passion that has garnered her much acclaim as a photographer and entreprenuer, which is exactly why she was nominated as one of Newton’s Gen Z leaders of tomorrow.

Camfield attended school in Newton County, graduating from Eastside High, and is currently enrolled at Emory University where she is studying business and psychology. She is in her senior year, on track to graduate in May 2023.

Outside of school, Camfield has been running her own photography business, Emma Camfield Photography, since 2015. 

Camfield’s photography business involves senior portraits, as well as photos for families and events such as weddings. It began just as a hobby — something she simply enjoyed doing, but it quickly turned into more.

“I started my business back in 2015. I was not an official LLC back then, but I did photoshoots for families and friends,” Camfield said. “I started a Facebook page [for my business] and it grew from there. I started working with another local photographer in Covington and I worked with her on a few weddings, and it grew from there when I became an official LLC.”

Camfield said her eventual degree in business and psychology would be beneficial for the business side of her photography.

During her first couple years doing photography, Camfield credited Jodi Walden Atkins as a mentor who helped her since the beginning of her journey.

“[Atkins] was my role model from the start,” Camfield said. “She did our family photos for years, and I think learning and growing from her in the beginning was very primitive for how successful I am now.”

Through her photography business, Camfield has been able to travel throughout the country while also planning the next steps for her company as it continues to grow. 

Camfield is looking to open her own photography studios in other parts of Georgia as well as other parts of the country. She’s already found a knack for exploring beyond her Georgia backyard, as she is currently studying abroad in Spain.

“I plan on opening a studio in Atlanta, [and] having more of a lifestyle studio,” Camfield said. “[I want] to expand here in Atlanta first, [then] to Charleston (South Carolina) and Florida, and hopefully have a studio in New York.”