My name is Kaili. I have been taking pictures with my iPhone for about two years. It started as a hobby during quarantine because I didn’t have much to do, so my creative side came out. I never knew how much there was to learn about pictures and cameras. This class extended my knowledge about all kinds of photography. Having this class available to me helped me with all the basic elements of photography and how to make the results of my photos better.

The photos that I have selected are my favorites. The first is a portrait photo of me (taken by Malia). The next one is of a flower, this really stood out to me because of how bright the color was and how clear the picture was, it was honestly my favorite. The last picture is a motion picture of a water fountain. This stood out to me because it was smooth and the whole picture looked balanced. The last thing that this class taught me wasn’t as much about how to take pictures as much as it was a lesson; You can follow all the “rules” of photography and do all the right settings and the picture can still turn out very bad. It’s all about how you vision the object before you take the picture.

My name is Brynn and I’m fifteen years old. I’m going into my sophomore year at Jesuit High school. I first became interested in photography when my sister introduced it to me as of a couple years ago. She has always been talented with taking pictures and has always supported my interest in it as well. I enrolled in this class to gain a good basic understanding of how a camera worked, but came out learning many more techniques than I could have imagined. Photography used to seem so easy but now I understand the amount of effort that goes into taking even a single simple photo.

While creating photos for our class assignments, I’ve realized that it makes very interesting images, taking close ups of things with complicated patterns and textures. Things such as plant leaves, clouds, people’s facial features, etc. I also think that for a photo to be engaging, it needs to convey at least some emotion. Whether that’s associated with the colors we emphasize, or the facial expressions that our photo subjects make.

My name is Malia. I’m 15 and I am going into my sophomore year at Valley Catholic High School. Like most people who signed up for this course, I wanted to learn to create better, more substantial photos. My family is typically very enthusiastic about taking natural pictures when people are simply being themselves during big family gatherings which we hold often. Usually the responsibility of taking these photos is left to my aunt, but this job is soon to be passed onto me. This is my main motivation for learning how to take an excellent picture, though I’ve always had a fascination with photography.

The first picture I included is a portrait of myself taken by the head of this class, Frank Hunt. Though I usually prefer to be the photographer rather than the subject of the photo itself, this portrait did not make me cringe as a knee-jerk reaction, which, I have to say, is quite an accomplishment. The second photo is exactly what it looks like, a slightly rusted door knob placed on a reddish brown door which I took because the colors and detail of the picture enticed me. The third image is a picture of ivy illuminated from behind the leaves growing on old mossy concrete. The vibrant green and texture of the stone is what encouraged me to take it. The last photo displays a vintage looking, busted up car sitting in a driveway backed by a yellow garage. I really enjoyed the contrast of the two main colors in the frame and simply how cool this vintage car looked on its own.

My name is Hazel Kiblinger and I am going in to 8th grade at Forest Hills. I went to class because one of my friends ( Nathan White) went and he really enjoyed it. I am really glad I went because I learned so much, met new people, and got to see things in a new way! Before this class I just took pictures on a phone that only sometimes would turn out good, now I know how to take good quality pictures so that I get good shots on my own knowledge instead of just getting lucky. Thank you Frank Hunt for being a great teacher and making me a better photographer!

The first picture is of a cool fence I saw that made me think of an old town. The second picture is on an exotic flower that I thought was just beautiful with the bee on it. The third picture is right outside of the Hart Theater I saw this weed with the dew on it and knew I needed that shot. The fourth picture is next to Decadent Creations and I thought the art was just so colorful and cool. My portrait is by Malia, she just did a great job of catching me at my best!

My name is Rocco Ciliberto. I’m 11 years old and I go to Witch Hazel. I am in this class because my Grandpa is into photography, so I wanted to try it.

The first picture is a zoom in photo of a flower.  I selected my first picture because I love seeing flowers close up  on pictures of flowers and also like it because of the blurred background. This photo is special to me because we always have petunias and they look pretty.

My second picture was a picture of a water fountain. I chose the second picture because I like the look and the texture of the water.This photo is special to me because I like the water falling back down from the fountain.