The final lunch bell rings and students rush to lunch after surviving their fifth-period class.
While walking down the hall, their gaze automatically shifts to the bulletin boards in the main hall. Whether that be a person, an object, or an event. The GlenOak Photography career technical program always shares its works of art on that very wall.
The photography career tech at GlenOak is a two-year commitment for students, beginning junior year and ending senior year. Over this time, students will learn multiple styles of photography and complete multiple projects, the boards being constant proof of their developing skills.
| Jeannene Mathis-Bertosa teaches Commercial Photography career tech at GlenOak said that the boards are there to showcase students’ own work and to help recruit new members for the career tech. |
“There are different genres they can choose from: sports, portrait, landscape, still-life, and food and products, which are exclusive for seniors,” Mathis-Bertosa said.
Though there are many genres to choose from, there isn’t always a straightforward option for students to choose from.
“Going out with the camera, you begin to notice things that you usually don’t, which leads to photos being taken,” Teagan Maresco, a junior in the career tech who’s surrounded himself with photography at a young age said.
Students are encouraged to go around the school to spot anything that interests them, whether that’d be at a sporting event, a portrait, or even someone they could photograph. Students are able to create whatever comes to mind.
“Once you get into that sort of creative mindset, it’s hard to get out until you get what you need,” Maresco said.
The photos do not have to be the student’s best work; the board is used to display, but the student’s favorite work. They are able to submit their work to have a chance to be featured on the board.
Not only does it help them express themselves, but it also helps them learn good composition and art skills.
“I included a self-portrait and a decay image on the board in the most recent rendition because they were standouts among my work,” Maresco said.
Maresco had two of his photos displayed on the board before it was taken down due to the upcoming portfolio show.
The process of getting students’ photos up on the wall is simple. The student first has to produce an idea, take a photo, edit it however they want, and finally, they submit their work to be hopefully hung up.
The teacher isn’t the only one who decides; a group of students also plays a factor in looking at photos that really stand out, especially with the upcoming annual portfolio show for the photography career tech.
Surprisingly, this is not an assignment; the bulletin board is there for displaying students’ work and for advertising the commercial photography career tech program, and most importantly, the end-of-the-year portfolio show.
The portfolio show is a public event where students from both career tech classes display their work from the year. The portfolio show is a big deal for photography students.
Students will present their work to the public and show photos students have taken over the year. The bulletin board will showcase some of the students’ best work.
“The bulletin board will be used to display standouts among the work of the Photography I and II classes that will be on display at the portfolio show,” Maresco said.
“We celebrate the students’ hard work throughout the year, the portfolio show is acting as their final exam,” Mathis-Bertosa said.
The portfolio show is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 5 and 6. An artist reception will be held on May 5 from 6-8 p.m. in the photography classroom.
