What makes Photo such a popular course?

Photography teacher Martin Ledford never fails to have a sizeable wait-list for his Photo I and Photo II classes during course-selection season, but what makes his courses so popular? Having taken Photo II and being an avid photographer outside of school, I can confirm that the fast-paced classes are certainly for those that are passionate about the craft. Along with mastering film and digital camera usage, the classes teach professional, organized workflow tactics and provide students a form of contribution to Samo through documenting school events. In a social media crazed society, where snapshots of one’s life are viewed for mere seconds at a time, taking up photography as an art form forces people to analyze and fine-tune their methods in order to execute images that have both depth and visual appeal. The Photo I class begins the year with film photography, learning about how photos were taken before the digital capture of light was available. Having learned photography on film myself, it is far and away the best tool for beginners to think about capturing images without the automatic features that iPhones provide. This forces students to slow down and consider every element that goes into a photo. Many students describe film photography as “nostalgic,” putting themselves in a time period when electronic luxuries didn’t exist. Throughout the year, while the Photo I class focuses on mastering the mechanical aspect of cameras and Adobe Photoshop, the advanced Photo II curriculum focuses on visual storytelling and advances students’ mechanical prowess through shorter technical assignments. As a second semester culmination, each Photo II student creates a unique photo essay made up of a semester’s worth of work on a self-assigned topic. Deen Babakhyi (’19), a dedicated photographer both in and outside of school who based his semester-long project on the dynamics of his peer group, found the assignment to be enlightening and gratifying.  “The book project helped me develop my story telling ability by forcing me to step back and analyze my friends as if I were a stranger, but at the same time capture intimate moments,” Babakhyi said. Ledford’s weekly assignments allow students to accomplish both individual and collaborative work, making the class both highly productive and fun. Working on photography assignments allows students a place to temporarily let go of their worries and focus solely on crafting the perfect frame.Unknown to outsiders, the photography classes don’t stop at camera mastery and post-processing competency. The class integrates industry-standard practices such as project sheets, class critiques, shot lists (targeted brainstorms) and portfolio building. Ledford drives home a key point of teaching students how to turn photography from a hobby into a career, instilling each student with a sense of professionalism and pride in their work.In addition to the photography assignments provided during class time, simply being in the photo program opens ambitious students up to a whole new avenue of contributing to the Samo community: photographing school events. From marching band rehearsals to musicals to pep rallies and everything in between, there is typically a photography student capturing the action. From personal experience, photographing school events allows one to expand their areas of expertise tenfold and hone mechanical skill sets while finding the perfect angle. Photo I and II are incredibly constructive and fun classes that help students dive into the ever-expanding world of photography. Whether students are first-timers or have prior experience, anyone with a sustained passion for the craft should strongly consider enrolling in the course.