![“[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)
Association of Texas Photography Instructors Executive Director and Harker’s Journalist-in-Residence Mark Murray offered photography advice and reviewed portfolios with upper school journalism students the week of Sept. 25.
Murray presented “What makes a great photo?” his first day. He reviewed winners from the 2019-2022 National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) photo contest, commenting on techniques and storytelling components behind each photo like action and emotion.
“When we capture images, we should always have the story in the back of our mind,” Murray said to the period three newspaper class. “If there’s no story, the reader has nothing to latch on to.”
After reviewing photographic techniques with classes, Murray offered feedback on this year’s first issue of the Winged Post.
“Let your content drive your design,” Murray said. “[Use] illustrations when illustrations are the best way to cover a story … Start thinking about: ‘what do we want to tell our readers?’”
Murray advised students on developing and editing a photography portfolio, such as submitting the minimum number of pieces required to highlight the photographer’s strongest work and showcasing a diverse skill set within selected works.
Throughout the week, Murray also reviewed photography portfolios with journalism students one-on-one with journalism students. Senior Photo Editor Brandon Zau (12), who signed up for a critique, appreciated Murray’s suggestion to focus on intentional photography.
“We touched on ‘do’s and don’ts’ of when you’re submitting a portfolio — your audience, general things to go over — which I thought was really helpful,” Brandon said. “Another piece of advice he gave was [to consider] how I want to be presenting my work to different people, and what kind of message I’m trying to convey with the medium of photography.”
Murray also discussed photo stories with students from the TALON Yearbook over the week, critiquing several professional examples, like from photographer W. Eugene Smith, to showcase what makes an effective photo story, which make up the majority of TALON spreads. TALON Co-People and Seniors Editor Mirabelle Feng (11) emphasized the interactive nature of Murray’s presentations.
“Something I really enjoyed was the way [Murray] included discussion from all of the students in the class,” Mirabelle said. “For example, he didn’t show us the photo story at first and only gave us the context. He started asking us: ‘What would you want to include in a shot for this story?” It gave us the opportunity to start thinking about what we would include in a shot list.”
Classes ventured into Nichols Hall and onto Davis Field to experiment with shooting in different lighting environments on Murray’s second and final day working with classes. The unique skylight in Nichols as well as the bright sunlight and dark shadows on Davis Field challenged students to fine tune their exposures and shutter speeds.
“I always love being surprised,” Murray said. “Especially [when high schoolers] make me [realize that] ‘I never thought about doing a photo like that’ or ‘I never thought about that point of view.’ High school photography is one where you can still be amazed or astonished, or sometimes a little cynical, about what you’re doing.”
