Picture-Perfect: Digital Perspectives students progress to next level in Photographic Society of America’s contest

April 18, 2024

By Chiara Cardone
Staff Writer

Following a vote by 51 LHS faculty and staff members who weighed in on their favorite photos, 10 students from Business & Technology teacher Mrs. Huntington’s Digital Perspectives classes will be participating in the Photographic Society of America’s International Photo Contest.

Huntington invited her students to submit their photography for consideration. In total, she received 41 photos across seven categories: animals, architecture, color photo choice, monochrome, people, photojournalism and scapes. Then, Huntington anonymously displayed the photos in the media center. The two photos in each category that received the most votes earned a spot in the International Photo Contest.

“What the judges [were] looking for [was] unique, different, creative photos that [told] a story,” Huntington said.  

She also said timing is key in taking a good photo.  

“I teach [my students] to be patient and wait for the moment,” Huntington said.

Huntington, who has been overseeing the contest for about a decade, said competition motivates students to try their best.

“They have a goal, a reason and something they need to focus on and capture,” Huntington said.

She said in her Digital Perspectives classes, which were offered during the first half of the school year, students learned techniques to differentiate their photos from those taken casually.

“We scratch the surface of what professional photographers do,” Huntington said. “We don’t have any fancy equipment, but the pictures come out amazing.”

Junior Roddy Morinho, who received a first place award in the scapes category and two second place awards in the animals and monochrome categories, said his favorite entry is his monochrome photo titled “Breezy,” which features a duck flapping its wings.

Morinho said the color on the duck’s wings captured his attention.

“It takes a lot of time to get the photo you actually want.”

“There were two strips of blue on the wings, and [there was a] green background with water and trees,” Morinho said. “It was beautiful.”

Morinho said he intends to continue taking photos for years to come, either in a professional capacity as a marine photographer or as a hobby. 

“It fills my day when I have nothing going on, and instead of laying at home playing video games, I get to go outside and capture moments that I can [look] back on,” Morinho said.

He said his advice to other photographers is to follow their passion and keep taking photos.

“People are going to hate your photos… and it kills you. But go take that next photo because someone’s going to love it, and it will mean so much,” Morinho said.

Sophomore Evangelise Amaya earned a first place award in the monochrome category and a second place award for photojournalism.

Her first place photo titled “The Lens of Music” depicts a tunnel constructed from sheet music with piano keys visible at the end of the tunnel.

“When [Mrs. Huntington] said ‘monochrome,’ I thought of my piano,” Amaya said. “That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of black and white.”

Amaya said she believes she earned the award because of the noticeable complexity and difficulty of taking the photo. She said she achieved her desired results by being patient, which is a skill she learned in the Digital Perspectives class.

“It takes a lot of time to get the photo you actually want,” Amaya said. “I remember thinking that [taking photos] was going to be quick and easy, [but] there’s a lot of patience that comes with it.”

Freshman Krysllaneh Amante, who earned two second place awards, was recognized in the color photo choice category for her photo titled “Leaves” and the architecture category for “A Night to Remember,” which she took during a casual walk in New York City.

“It was raining that night, and there was a puddle. It was reflecting the sign [of Radio City Music Hall],” Amante said. “From my eye level… it was just a puddle, but closer up there was the reflection. To me, that had a meaning to really pay attention to what is right in front of you.”

Amante said she feels a bit scared when thinking about her photos progressing to the International Photo Contest.

“I’m just from a high school, and now I’m being put out there,” Amante said.

Regardless of the stress that comes with competition, Amante said photography is an enjoyable pastime.

“It’s just like art…. For example, if you take a really gloomy picture, you can still turn it into art,” Amante said. “There [are] a lot of fun things that you can do with it.”

PHOTOS FROM STUDENTS IN MRS. HUNTINGTON’S DIGITAL PERSPECTIVES CLASSES Fourteen photos taken by 10 students in Business & Technology teacher Mrs. Huntington’s Digital Perspectives class will move on to the Photographic Society of America’s International Photo Contest.