An untapped resource: student photographers

Courtesy of Los Gatos Saratoga Union School District

The National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists pose outside the college and career center.

During tutorial on Oct. 26, this year’s 33 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists stood in front of the cafeteria. It was later sent out to the community through a press release. 

The composition of the photo left much to be desired. Multiple heads were covered while others were facing the wrong direction. This brings up the question, why was taking a simple photo so disorganized?

During the event, there were minimal directions given, no information regarding proper windows or lining were provided to create a better organized subject. Not even a “1, 2, 3” or a “please say cheese” was announced. Rather, everyone just held a smile for as long as they could, pondering when the photo was going to be taken, if it was not already. The dozens of cameras being held by adults made it even more confusing which one students were supposed to look at.

This episode sparked an idea for me: Why not tap into existing school programs for such photos? 

Multiple programs train students in the basics of good photography, including the digital photography class, newspaper, yearbook, SHSTV and Media Arts. 

 Besides the training in photography, each program has high-quality cameras available for student use.

Why not utilize these resources? It would be incredibly easy to do so. Having students take these photos would also provide them the chance to show off their skills. Other events also cry out for better, more consistent photographic coverage. 

This problem is present throughout the school year, on and off campus. Why does Bombay in the Bay, arguably one of the largest student events of the year, have its photos taken solely by parents on a volunteering basis? Students in the various aforementioned programs could be offered extra-credit for offering their services, and these photos might be significantly better.

Another possibility could be the creation of a commission of a quarter dozen students who would take videos and photos of every event. Not only would this provide quality photos for the school and press releases, but also better record the history of the year as well as generating a large photography portfolio for the students. It would be a win-win for everyone, including the subjects of the photos.What better way is there to teach student photographers than having them take photos and putting those photos to good use?