To the left and around the corner of Woodgrove High School’s main hallway is the fine arts hallway. The second door to your left is where you will find tall ceilings and a teacher showing his students valuable skills. This is the home of the Woodrove photography class. Woodgrove was built with the prospect of a photography class in mind. Since then, it has been nurtured for 15 years by the photography teacher, Mr. Shawn Grove.

From working with film to digital cameras, the Woodgrove photography class enhances its students’ photographic comprehension and inspiration. Mr. Grove guides his students to success. “I feel that I am a little bit of an art coach or an art shepard,” he expressed. In order to show his students that photography is more than just clicking a button, he highlights the importance of different angles and finding the meaning behind the photos. Grove supplies his students with prompts to facilitate their learning and creativity. “I try to give them insight on some things to think about, and then as far as their creativity is concerned, it’s kind of up to them where they want to go with it,” Grove explained. The class itself is more than just prompts and assignments as it also teaches its students valuable lessons. 

Regardless of failures and accomplishments, Grove’s photography students continue to explore their artistic abilities by capturing the world through a lens. Junior Emma Edwards, who wants to pursue a career in photography, discussed her favorite parts of photography. “My favorite aspect would probably be the storytelling through the photos, because every photo shoot is different, and every photo shoot can have its own message,” she remarked. Junior Ken Ruiz touched on her favorite parts of photography as well.  “You can capture different moments, just to keep as memories,” she expressed. Photography can capture some of the most important aspects of  life and keep memories alive.                                                                 

Photography is a commonly misinterpreted medium, but like many other mediums, it has science behind it. “Most young people specifically don’t think about the science aspect of paint or ceramics or photography. In photography, I really feel there is this magic that comes about with science when an image evolves in the dark room,” Grove observed. Beyond developing film and working in a dark room, the cameras hold a lot of power. Geoff DeMark, one of Woodgrove’s art teachers, spoke on the procedures of photography. “It is process oriented. There are all kinds of things that control the camera and especially in the dark room, when they’re physically handling film, you’re processing it through chemicals, timing it, taking a look at results, and trying to control results,” Denmark explained.

Woodgrove’s Photography course teaches its students valuable lessons and important life skills. “It’s a lot of trial and error,” Edwards expressed. Through the class, students get to experience failure and success. They get to understand that not all the images they take will turn out the way they wanted or expected. They will finish the class with a new understanding of not only how photography works, but the ability to turn a fleeting moment into a long-lasting memory.