AP Studio Art students submitted their artwork to the 2015 Drexel Photography High School Contest, and 12 students have been selected to have their photographs on display in Philadelphia, Pa., at the Photography Program Gallery from Feb. 6 to Mar. 4.
Juniors Blake Beers; Duvit Kakunegoda; Sam Marguleas; Ryan Parks; Spencer Song; Scott Tamkin; Jack VanAken; Alec Zbornak and Tim Guiteras, the 2014 winner of the competition; and seniors Justin Chung, Richard Janisch and Elliot Smith-Hastie will have their photos shown at the art exhibit.
Fine Arts teacher Mrs. Cristina Saggese, who helped most of the students decide which of their photos to submit, said, “It is very exciting. We have had other years when students’ work has been chosen for Drexel. This year we had the highest number of students that have been selected, which I feel is going to be about 10 percent of the art entries.”
Beers’ photo titled “Muscle Beach” was chosen for the exhibit. Beers said, “I have been putting a lot of hard work in these pictures. It is really cool to see me getting recognized, not just by my teacher, but by someone on the national level.”
Marguleas’ photo, “Sand and Sky,” will also be exhibited at the show. Marguleas said, “It is very surprising to have been chosen. I really like to go for the spur-of-the-moment photos, and I just will take pictures of anything interesting.”
Guiteras’ second photo, “Clouds over Timberline,” will be presented at the exhibition. He was the winner of the 2014 competition.
According to Mrs. Saggese, the Drexel competition is very well attended and very competitive. “The Drexel competition really looks for point of view. We have some talented students, and we have collaborated well to try to bring up their ability to see like artists because you have to see as an artist to get a good photo,” said Mrs. Saggese.
Tamkin submitted “Altar of Incense” to the competition. “Many of my photos are from my time in China and other parts of Asia. I find that the best way to take an impactful and intriguing photo is through the eyes, view, and context of the subject,” he said.
VanAken’s photo, “Poised,” portrays senior Nico Feola surfing in Malibu, Calif. “Through my pictures, I try to give the viewer a view of what Southern California’s surf culture is like and showcase the beauty of the ocean in a new perspective,” VanAken said.
“The Weaver” is the photo that Kakunegoda submitted to the competition. The photo shows the social status of people in his local neighborhood. “What drew me in to take the photo was the many human qualities and history I saw in one corner of the room. Watching the woman work on the machine, moving it by hand, gave a sense of man and machine working as one. Given that in today’s world everything we see is automated, watching her make clothes by hand gave a great contrast to today’s society.”
AP Studio Art students also submitted work to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the Sony World Photography Awards and the 2016 Saatchi Gallery-Deutsche Bank Art Prize for Schools, according to Mrs. Saggese.
