This fall, students from Maine West’s Photography 2 class, under the guidance of Melissa Lloyd, took a field trip to BaHai Temple and Chicago Botanical Gardens. This trip, made possible through funding by the MTHS Foundation, allowed students to shoot film in some unique and beautiful areas outside of the school. They worked with their teacher to further their understanding of how to use the manual settings on their cameras, demonstrating a higher level of thinking. One student remarked that the experience “helped us learn more about how to use the sun to our advantage and many, if not all of us, got the opportunity to shoot some color film for the first time. We also practiced different ways of focusing our camera and blurring the background of our subject.” Another student added, “It was beneficial to visit two different locations because we were able to get a variety of photos and it was helpful to have more than one location so we can see how different techniques apply in different situations.”
Each student utilized photographs from the field trip to create a portfolio of work as part of a summative assignment for the course. The portfolios incorporated several different concepts that they learned throughout the course, demonstrating mastery of multiple skills. Furthermore, the students' works will be on display at the Des Plaines Library (January), the Illinois High School Art Exhibit (February in Bridgeport), the Maine West Spotlight Show (February), the Central Suburban League Art Show (April in Highland Park), and Maine West’s end of year showcase.
