Many enjoy being in the spotlight and want pictures taken of them and to be shown off. This stereotype does not include Francis Howell North business teacher Lexi Rupp. Rupp spends a lot of her time at North as a business teacher, leading the FBLA program, assisting with the DECA program, and coaching their girls’ golf team. While she has her hands very full, outside of the classroom Rupp prefers to be a little bit more behind the scenes. Ever since she was little, she had always had an eye for the camera.
“I have always loved photography,” Rupp said. “Just the detail and beauty of taking the photos and the idea of capturing a moment and keeping it forever. I started in high school when my parents bought me my first camera. I just started to take pictures of anything and everything. At the time, it was mostly just nature.”
As she’s grown, her skills have advanced. When she got her first camera, nature was the spotlight. Any flower, plant, sunset, or anything in nature was so appealing to shoot for Rupp and really helped her improve in her craft. Seven years later, her business has blossomed into so much more.
“I specialize in senior, family, and couples photos,” Rupp said. “I also have a few weddings booked for next year, as well as some fun friends and family with their pets. But now I have loved more of the human interaction side of photography.”
Rupp strongly enjoys her time behind the camera, but doesn’t think it was meant to be her full-time path. Teaching and coaching are where Rupp’s heart belongs. She wants to influence the next generation and lead them to find that own purpose for themselves. Rupp doesn’t mind overlapping them, though. She took senior photos for the schools’ golf and softball teams. Senior Addyson Brenner golfs for North under Coach Rupp and also has her as a teacher in class.
“I think it’s so neat that she can not only do both, but how cool it is that she can mix them,” Brenner said. “I know that teaching is where she belongs, but her photography really inspires me as I want to pursue having my own business as well.”
