By Quinn Andersen

FREEBORN — Monica Bye has been taking photos for her 4-H project since she left Cloverbuds, the 4-H name for children in grades kindergarten through third grade.

She loves taking photos of her mom, Jennifer, her dad, Jim, and her 16-year-old brother, Travis, along with her dog, friends and just about anything she deems pretty.

“Photography is just fun,” Bye said.

Bye said when she finds something she wants to show people, she takes a picture. She likes to try different angles and see how the photo looks. Bye enjoys capturing the moment.

Bye considers photography her hobby, something she can do for fun.

“All the big events in life are captured in photos,” Bye said.

Bye is 18 and in the spring graduated from United South Central High School. She will attend the University of St. Thomas to study business this fall.

Bye enjoys music, singing and dancing, she said. She acts, plays tennis and likes hanging out with her neighbors.

Last year Bye submitted a photo of her neighbors and their miniature horse to the Freeborn County Fair.

Bye lives just outside of Freeborn and has enjoyed living in what she calls “a close-knit community.”

“You don’t have to worry about things going wrong,” Bye said. “You can just hang out and walk around.”

Bye has an 8-year-old cousin who recently has taken an interest in photography as well. Bye said it was fun to see to see him taking lots of pictures when they went camping last week.