A group of Photography 2 and 3 students traded the classroom for the canvas of the city on Oct. 9, heading to Kansas City’s historic West Bottoms District and the bustling River Market for an intensive field trip. They had one simple mission: applying classroom skills to capture roughly 200 photos of local buildings, shops and produce.
Senior Hayden Decker noted that the trip was packed with knowledge from class to practice.
“[We used] the skills we’ve been learning in class towards our photography,” Decker said.
The biggest payoff was the freedom and adventure it offered.
“[Best part was] getting the freedom to roam and take your own photos, rather than following a teacher closely and getting the same perspective of photos as everyone else,” Decker said.
While the freedom was fun, the technical challenges were real, with Decker noting that the hardest shot to nail was “definitely the trains coming by,” requiring perfect timing and focus.
In contrast, junior Bear Cain faced a different kind of difficulty, struggling to get “a close up shot of berries that came out clear.”
These moments of struggle, however, led to surprising discoveries, as Decker was taken aback by the variety in the River Market stores.
“They had so many different and unique things to look at,” Decker said.
Cain, who initially focused on urban structures, was surprised by the variety of subjects to explore.
“I was shocked by how much greenery there was to photograph,” Cain said. “It opened my eyes to take more photos of flowers, and nature that can be found in local stores, on the side of buildings or even in forests.”
His favorite shot of the day ended up being one of greenery in a shop. The biggest lesson learned wasn’t technical, but philosophical, with Decker realizing that “having a different perspective is okay, it’s what makes us unique,” emphasizing that future photographers should not over analyze photography.
“There’s lots and lots of cool things in the world, you just have to find the beauty and meaning within it.” Decker said.
Cain also offered sharp advice rooted in their field experience, insisting the best starting point is “a good idea on how to use a camera and finding what kinda photography you like,”
Both students found the trip and class as a whole to be worthwhile.
“It gets your creative juices flowing and it’s super fun,” Decker said.
