Bearden expands extracurricular art offerings with Photo Club

Bearden High School has always promoted the arts in a big way. From offering students classes like AP Photography and AP Art, students have options to express themselves in many different ways, but these Bearden students took their love for photography to a new level.

Over these past few weeks of school, a group of AP Photo students came together to figure out a new way they could incorporate their photography into the school and community, and decided on creating a Photography Club.

The Photography Club will be a place where students who love photography, or want to learn more about it, can meet, share, and discuss what they might be working on, or any plans they have for future projects.

Co-president and co-founder Senior Eli Nester is excited for the new club and new members that will come along with it.

“To me, photography club is a place where anyone who has any level of skill or interest in photography at all can come to learn from other photographers who share their passion, have fun, share their work, and receive friendly critiques on their works,” Nester said.

Junior Kira Suerth, the other co-president and co-founder, wanted a more photography-based club because most other art clubs at the school don’t focus specifically on photography.

Not only will club members be given assignments, but Suerth wants to make sure the club is involved in the community through shows or competitions.

“What I want to do overall, for at least a semester or maybe even next semester, is I want to have an exhibition of members work, but in general, we do have projects specifically for the members to complete and to basically just get involved with the community,” Suerth said.

Both Nester and Suerth really want the community to be affected by their photography, but also the school community as well.

“Our projects are going to help the school as a whole in a more direct way, as we are currently working with the library to replace some of the older posters that advertise reading, and hopefully we get more opportunities like this to decorate the hallways around Bearden,” Nester said.

Not only do the students feel a need for the club, but club sponsor Mrs. Victoria May also feels the club will be a nice addition to the school.

“I think it will be able to include students with an interest that maybe don’t have a place to go, or they might not have a chance to take the photography class, or maybe aren’t into art,” Mrs. May said. “But this will give them a chance to have a common ground with people.”

Photography Club meets Mondays from 3:45-4:30 in Room 323.