Carroll ASL Teacher Nancy Scholz has run her photography business “Purpose Photography” for many years now.
Her camera has led her to opportunities she never could have imagined, including taking photos on the sidelines of Lucas Oil Stadium, and photographing racing horses at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. And it all sparked from the moment she took her daughter’s senior photos.
As a mom, Scholz was always the designated picture taker at her children’s events. Not until she took her daughter’s senior photos in 2017 did she start to consider photographing for others outside of her family.
Some of the students in Scholz’s class at the time didn’t have anyone to take their senior photos.
“I said, I can just, bring my camera to school, we can do some on the side of the building, just do some simple pictures,” said Scholz.
Scholz enjoys being active in the community, volunteering at various local nonprofits in her spare time. One of the businesses is GiveHear, a nonprofit organization that provides hearing aids, tests, and screenings for those who can’t afford them.
After finding out about her photography talent, they asked Scholz if she could take photos at their event. From that moment on, more organizations in the same circle began to reach out.
“It just has snowballed into when people see pictures I post, they contact me ‘Hey, I saw that you did this, will you come do that?’” said Scholz.
When she was creating her official business for her services, she needed a name. The name “Purpose” wasn’t just something she came up with out of the blue: It was more of a reminder.
“About 13 years ago, I went through a really rough patch in my life, and I felt like I was given opportunities to change, and to make my life better,” she said.
Scholz got a tattoo of the word “Purpose” on her wrist.
“I was like, purpose, because that’s kind of the thing too, it’s photography that has purpose,” said Scholz. “It’s providing a service to organizations and to groups that don’t have money to necessarily pay me, but I can still provide that service for them.”
As a teacher, she doesn’t have a lot of extra money but Scholz does have time and talent.
“That’s my way of giving my donation to them. I come and take pictures at the event for free, and I give them all the pictures for free,” said Scholz
Now, Scholz has 5 organizations she photographs for, including Turnstone and Special Olympics. Turnstone is an organization that provides comprehensive services and programs for those with disabilities, like sporting events. Scholz first started taking pictures for them because some of her past students were participating there.
“There wasn’t really anybody taking pictures at those events, so I just kind of started doing that on my own, and now I’m kind of the official photographer for Turnstone,” Scholz said.
Special Olympics is a similar organization, creating a space for people with disabilities to participate in sports, except it is international. Special Olympics created and controls Unified Sports, which is played at 777,670 schools, Carroll included.
Scholz also provides photography needs for Carroll High School. This includes Show Choir performances, School Dances, Fashion Shows, and more, but her favorite Carroll activities to attend are Unified and Champions Together sports.
“With the Champions Together and the Unified stuff, and for Special Olympics, like how can you not smile? Like my face hurts from smiling after those events- those my people!” said Scholz.
While Scholz does all of these events for free, she also works with Bateman Photography, a Performing Arts photography company based in Indianapolis.
This has enabled Scholz to get paid to photograph Color Guard, Marching Band, Dance, and Percussion Competitions around the state. This past season, Scholz went to Lucas Oil Stadium to photograph the Marching Band State Competition.
“I was on the football field at Lucas Oil Stadium. I got to go up in the press box and walk around like pretty much everywhere. And I was just starstruck I guess, cause I was just like- oh my gosh, I’m taking pictures on the football field where the Colts play!” said Scholz.
She also had another opportunity for Bateman Photography at the home of the Kentucky Derby.
“I spent a whole day with photographers at Churchill Downs, where they have the Kentucky Derby. I wasn’t there on Kentucky Derby day, it was a different race day, but they let me go with them on the inside of the track, and so I got to take pictures as the horses are running right towards me,” said Scholz.
Of all the work Scholz does through Purpose Photography, her favorite part about it is being able to be a part of the community. Mrs. Scholz’s work can be found on her social media accounts across several platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
“I’m an introvert, so I don’t like to be the center of attention, but I still like to be a part of things,” Scholz said. “And so, (by) taking a camera, I get to participate in those and be a part of it, but I’m not the center of attention. Somebody else is.”
