![“[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)
Journalists explore Union Square through JEA photography workshop
Corning-Painted Post High School Yearbook Adviser Mike Simons shows another journalism adviser how to access the live view of a photograph’s histogram levels. Simons and Clint Smith led the Digital Photography workshop together.
April 22, 2023
SAN FRANCISCO — High school journalists attended the Digital Photography Workshop taught by Michael Simons and Clint Smith, yearbooks advisers based in New York and Texas, on Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.
Simons and Smith introduced basic camera terminologies like aperture, ISO and shutter speed. He then described photography techniques and recommended camera lens brands.
In a walking tour to Yerba Buena Gardens and the Tenderloin area, Simons assigned students to shoot three photo stories that featured a chosen theme. Along the way, students captured architecture, people and scenes of the Union Square area.
“My favorite part was when we went outside and took pictures of the city, because it was an opportunity for us to get out of the lecture room and actually implement some of the skills that he taught us in the workshop,” TALON reporter Angelina Burrows (10) said. “And what I thought was really cool was seeing all the different types of people.”
After returning from the park, Simons and Smith demonstrated how to enhance portraits using flashes with different colors. To end the day, Simons and Smith commented on students’ photo compositions and answered remaining questions from the morning’s lecture.
With eight years of experience leading Digital Photography workshops at the NSPA National High School Journalism Convention, Simons shared how each session’s needs differ based on the students attending.
“One of the things that I really enjoy is the breadth of experience and being able to create spaces where more inexperienced or novice photographers can learn from, or be inspired by some of the more experienced students,” Simons said. “Although it’s challenging to have that wide of a range of experience in one room, it was really cool to have that sharing back and forth.”
