Photography and graphic design at SHS

By Shelby Laycock Strathmore High School

I’ve had the chance this year to take both photography and design classes at Strathmore High School (SHS), and even though I am pretty incompetent when it comes to technology, they were some of the most enjoyable parts of my first year of high school.
The photography program gives students the ability to show their own unique artistic flair; even if taking pictures of the school grounds seem to be a little dull, every student can find creative ways to express themselves through the pictures they take.
“The intro level classes are designed for beginners, so if you happen to have some existing background knowledge, you’ll be a step ahead of the game. On the other hand, if you’ve never touched a camera or a computer in your life, you’ll be fine,” said Ms. Taryn Riley, teacher. “In Introductory Photography, we focus a lot on composition – different ways to set up your photos to make them more visually intriguing than your average snapshot. We also get into some processing (editing, and combining different edits to make ‘filters’), and some technical settings using aperture and shutter speed to change how focus and motion look in your pictures. With phone cameras improving so much over such a short period of time, we’ve also been moving more towards using those photos in class, and checking out different apps to get the most out of your shots.”
I was in the class with a few of my friends, and we were able to help each other, despite our varying levels of skill. A student said about the photography class, “When the quarter was almost over was when we realized how much fun we were having creating things.”
In the graphic design class I took last quarter, everyone in the class was able to incorporate their own personalities into the projects we did. For example, I was able to photoshop a picture of Michael Scott as a zombie, create a music video to the song “I Want It That Way”, and make a fake public service announcement telling people to chew with their mouths closed, as well as some more serious projects.
“People always assume graphic design is just drawing on the computer, but it’s actually not like that at all,” said Riley. “You can draw, but you definitely don’t have to. We do a lot of combining/editing images and text to create our own custom pieces, making invitations, posters, lyric videos, etc. We do have one drawing project, where we learn how to create vector line art by tracing a cartoon, but we use anchor points and bezier curves, which even non-artists can get the hang of.”
The class was able to do their own thing successfully, while gaining skill throughout, despite being at different levels.
One graphic design student said, “These classes helped us to find new friends and create new memories every day.”
With all the stress of a first year of high school, it’s nice to have a class where you can feel relaxed and do your own thing. You don’t have to be amazing at it, and the teacher is really patient and leaves a lot of room for everyone to express their own creativity.
When deciding which options to take at SHS, the photography and graphic design programs are a great place to start. Riley describes the course perfectly: “A lot of projects in photography and graphics are open-ended, giving you a lot of creative freedom. There are always minimum requirements and expectations, but if you are interested in a particular project and want to show off your creativity and really go crazy, you can.”