Aspen Frederick with her favorite brand of camera, Nikon. Blaine Hill/The Hub@TTU
Aspen Frederick was 12 when she received a life-changing gift — a camera. This is when she saw butterflies, leaves and eyelashes for the first time.
Frederick was born with a rare eye condition called ocular albinism and nystagmus. Her initial prognosis was grim.
“When I was born, I was legally blind,” Frederick said. “I was never supposed to see my mother’s face. I was supposed to never see so many things.”
Ocular albinism means eyes produce lower than normal amounts of pigment, leading to decreased eyesight, according to the Vision of Children Foundation. Nystagmus is a condition in which eyes move repetitively and uncontrollably.
As a child, Frederick did not realize she was different, even though people asked her daily why her eyes were shaking. She said controlling her eyes continues to be her biggest struggle. Although it has gotten better with age, the uncontrollable movements come back when she is really tired.
At 12, she began vision therapy with a doctor, Nolan Riley, who told her he could help 99 percent of the people who walked into his office, but she was the 1 percent he could not help. He was wrong.
Frederick loves to take pictures at sunset. Blaine Hill/The Hub@TTU
“I started doing vision therapy and, miraculously, I started seeing 20/40 with both eyes,” Frederick said with a smile. “That is something we never thought was possible.”
About the same time, Frederick’s mother, who did wedding photography, passed down a camera to her daughter, allowing her to see those little details most people take for granted.
“I started taking really crisp pictures and blowing them up,” Frederick said.
Throughout her life, Frederick has struggled with her eyesight, but she said photography helped her more than anything. She learned a lot about her own eyes because of the similarities between eyes and camera lenses.
Her sister, KenLea Frederick, said her sister has inspired her because of all the things she has overcome in spite of her disability.
“She genuinely loves people and is so happy to help others,” KenLea Frederick said. “She’s super driven and dedicated to everything,”
Aspen Frederick said helping people is one of her favorite things. One way she tries to do that is through photography, which allows her to build relationships with people and become a part of their special memories.
The first wedding she ever photographed was for her vision therapist, Kaitlyn Mankin. It was a big moment in her life and an honor to be a part of the wedding.
She recalled how after her first senior photo session, the father of the girl chased her down to give her a graduation announcement. What she enjoys the most is the feeling of giving confidence to people through her pictures.
“When I take pictures of a girl who’s a senior in high school who’s feeling insecure and she’s maybe not feeling so beautiful … I can usually tell whenever she’s a little uncomfortable,” Aspen Frederick said. “And, I show her these pictures and she’s like ‘Wow, I look so beautiful.’ All the sudden, it’s like immediate confidence.”
Aspen Frederick taking senior pictures for Chase Green. Photo Provided by Aspen Frederick
Frederick didn’t start charging for pictures until she was 16 because she said she wanted to master her craft. Then she started to compete for business with local photographers. At 17, she booked her first wedding and within the next two years, was doing up to five photoshoots a weekend.
She has now photographed a total of six weddings total and created a full-fledged photography business, Aspen Frederick Photography.
A freshman development and family studies major at Texas Tech University, Frederick is finally becoming more comfortable with driving and plans to get her license.
School has always been difficult for her, she said, and college is no exception, but she doesn’t want to be held back by her eyesight.
“This is probably what has made me have such a heart for kids and special-needs kids,” she said. “Because I know what it’s like to be different, and I know what it’s like to not know what’s going on in my own body.”
She chose her major because of all the possibilities it opens for helping people.
Blaine Hill/The Hub@TTU
Frederick originally planned to adopt seven kids someday but said her mother informed her it would be hard to find a man who would be okay with that. So instead, Aspen Frederick said she wants to pursue a law degree and work with adoptions.
“I really care about kids who don’t have families, and I want to find them a home and really show them love and give them a family,” she said.
Her goal is to advocate for children who cannot advocate for themselves.
“It’s really special to me to be a part of people’s lives, even if it’s just momentarily,” Frederick said. “If I can make a difference, I try to do that.”
About Blaine Hill
