After being inspired by his Personal Project in Grade 10 and wanting to pursue his newfound passion for photography, Simon G. (Grade 11) met with Ms. West to start a Photography Club. We sat down with Simon to learn about the success of the Photography Club, what they have been up to, and his favourite memories so far.
Tell me about the Photography club.
After completing my Personal Project focused on Photography last year, I thought it would be great to start a Photography Club as part of my CAS requirements this year. I figured it would be the perfect way to give back and to provide me with an opportunity to lead a club. I designed lesson plans starting with the basics like how to use a camera and then created more specific lessons with different skills and techniques for students to learn. After each lesson, I then provide an opportunity for students to practice their skills and create a portfolio of all their work.
Why did you start this club?
I loved the feeling originally going from learning how to use a camera and then transitioning to taking my first photos that I remember feeling proud of and thinking were good. I enjoy the feeling of improvement and wanted a way to share this with others. Photography isn’t an art form we talk about much at school, and it is underrepresented. I wanted to give students an opportunity and the space to learn and explore photography.
What does a typical meeting of the Photography club look like? What sorts of activities are involved?
We meet weekly and I would have a 10–15-minute lesson prepared focused on a specific skill or technique. Once we finished the lesson, students would then go out and take photos that represented that skill. Once we worked through all the lessons, students began to work on their portfolios and really refining their skills.
Do you have a specific role within the club?
I am the leader of this club. I share my experiences and skills with students and am here to mentor and support them as they explore photography.
Why should students join the Photography Club?
The Photography CAS Club will be starting back up in the Spring, a great season for Photography. If you are evening remotely interested in this form or art, photography would be a great skill for you to explore. You never know if you are going to like it and it is always fun to try new things and learn new skills.
What does this club mean to you?
For me, this club has been like the second phase of my personal project, which was a passion project. I had a lot of fun learning a bit more about photography and its taught me more about teaching and what it takes to be a leader. Running the Photography club has been a great
experience for me and everyone in the club. It has been so rewarding to witness everyone learning and improving their skills.
What is your favourite memory from the Photography club so far?
At the start, I didn’t really know if students in the club were getting the material or understanding. I saw them taking photos but hadn’t seen the end result. That first day, once everyone was uploading their images and I saw for the first-time what sort of photography students gravitated toward and how students demonstrated their work. The diversity in the photos amazed me.
What is your greatest takeaway?
Teaching is way harder than it looks. From lesson planning and getting everyone focused, I had to recognize and understand that everyone learns in different ways. Accommodating different learning styles can be challenging but I learned so much from this experience.
Photography Club Members:
Kylie C.
Katherine L.
Sophia S.
Angela S.
Annika C.
Jacob P.
Jayda R.
Ryan F.
Amaryan Q.