Life is Like a Camera
"Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important. Capture the good times. Develop from the negatives. And, if things don't work out, take another shot."
We're happy to announce the return of Grier School's beloved photography class under the tutelage of Mrs. Fernandes!
The photo suite had been vacant since March of 2020 when the school went virtual at the start of the pandemic. It remained closed with the retirement of James Pingry when the 2020-21 school year started. Like a time capsule preserved, student binders and projects were left unfinished and scattered around the rooms when Mrs. Fernandes opened the doors in April to take photos for the spring musical. Realizing how special this place was, she asked to revive the class and spent the summer dusting off the Pentax K1000 cameras and collecting artifacts for the students to immortalize in black and white.
After school and on weekends, the photo suite is once again alive with students bustling around taking pictures and developing them in the darkroom. We love seeing our students with their cameras taking photos of each other and of things that catch their eye as being unique and memorable.
In this digital age, developing photos from negatives is like a lost art and not many high schools offer black and white photography as a class. As one of the students said to Mrs. Fernandes earlier in the semester, "Every step of the process is interesting!" There's a patience that's cultivated when taking pictures with a camera that lacks an instant preview and automatic settings. There's also a Zen-like feel as you hold your breath and exhale when your image finally appears on the paper in the pan of developing fluid as if by magic. Look for Featured Photos from the students at the entrance to the dining hall in the months to come.
Grier School
2522 Grier School Rd. | P.O. Box 308; Birmingham, PA 16686-0308
Phone: 814-684-3000 | Fax: 814-684-2177
Phone: 814-684-3000 | Fax: 814-684-2177
