![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Executive Director of the Association of Texas Photography Instructors visits journalism classes
Mark Murray speaks to Director of Journalism Ellen Austin’s seventh period Yearbook class yesterday regarding how to effectively organize coverage. During his presentation, he also gave tips on sports photography and suggested naming conventions to keep uploads organized.
September 30, 2021
Mark Murray, Executive Director of the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, visited the upper school yesterday to teach journalism students about photography techniques and offer advice and feedback on student photos.
Murray frequently judges for national conventions such as for the Journalism Education Association (JEA). Director of Journalism Ellen Austin invited Murray to the upper school so that Harker Journalism students could receive more personalized feedback.
“Mr. Murray is one of the very best photo educators in the nation, and he brings an array of specific skill sets to my students,” Director of Journalism Ellen Austin said. “I asked him if he would be willing to instead come here specifically and work with our students to develop them at exactly the level they want to be developed.”
Murray presented to the TALON yearbook classes, giving interactive presentations covering topics such as the components of a good photo, photography strategies, sports photography and more. Tiffany Chang (11), TALON Academics Editor, received one-on-one feedback from Murray yesterday after school.
Tiffany notes that sports photography involves finding the right angle and background and framing the photo correctly. While she found this difficult at first, she appreciates the feedback and advice that Murray provided.
“I’ve been trying to improve in terms of sports photography,” Tiffany said. “[I’m] not going to lie, it was quite a struggle. I was also picking mostly full body shots of a single tennis player, so he suggested trying to incorporate more angles and more variety into my photos.”
Additional reporting by Julie Shi and Medha Yarlagadda.
