Photography is a one semester course here at Jacksonville High School, taught by Mr. Homolka. It is offered only to juniors and seniors. The class focuses mainly on photography with film. This year the students in Mr. Homolka’s 1st hour photography class began by constructing their own pinhole cameras out of oatmeal cans. Yes, oatmeal cans; they work, I promise. They learned the fundamentals of photography and how taking a picture actually works.

Finally the students were given more complex cameras and began their first photo assignment. They had to shoot photos from different angles with different lighting. The second assignment focused on people: portraits, some with props, some in different environments, and others that only showed fractions of the subject. In the third assignment, the students explored taking photos of landscapes, nature and architecture. Finally, the photography students were challenged with making a photo essay, a book of photographs telling their own story. For each of these assignments, the students made logs of the camera settings and lighting conditions as they took the photos. Once the film was developed, students made contact sheets and test strips prior to making the actual photos. Although shooting with film requires a much longer process than digital, the satisfaction of seeing the final product is what makes it worth it for Mr. Homolka’s students.

Zoe Wood, a photography student stated, “Photography is probably the best class I’ve ever taken at JHS. I really enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone and doing things I’ve never done. I loved taking pictures before, but film is so much better than digital. It really has encouraged me to maybe pursue photography in college and into a career. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in photography and has a great work ethic to take the class. Homolka really makes the class enjoyable.” Photography is the perfect class for any student looking for a chance to get creative while learning a lot at the same time.