Digital Photography is one of many elective paths students at Wilsonville are invited to take. Although the main emphasis is on taking pictures using digital cameras, the highest-level photography class, Digital Photography Studio, has a newfound focus on using real film cameras—which are at least 40 years old!—to take photographs. 

Tyson Lunden, the school’s photography teacher, says that this class took a lot of work to get up and running. “Going through the old cameras and seeing which ones were still working took a long time, and is still a work in progress.” He explained that the class is “a mixture of film photography and digital photography…students will scan the [35mm] negatives and make them digital after that.”

35mm film is seldom used anymore, but it gives students a great learning opportunity to understand the process of taking a picture better. “Digital cameras have a lot of auto-settings, so it forces them to use manual settings on the camera,” Lunden described. “It’s more hands-on.” The limited amount of film also forces students to be more conservative with their photo-taking.

Taking pictures is something everyone does, but Photography class allows students to not only learn how to take photos using different devices, but how to make their photos look better in all areas. 12th grader Simon Bonfiglio says, “I’ve learned how to use light to make something stand out the best. I’ve [also] learned how to edit photos, we’ve done a lot of editing.”

He also has positive opinions on using 35mm film to take pictures. “I think it’s cool to learn about what people used to use to take pictures…doing something new is always cool.”

Lunden himself said, “the intrigue of film motivates some students to take Digital Photography Studio.” He also made clear that the class is for “students who are still interested after so many photography classes.” It’s the highest-level photography class, which means it’s the hardest but also the most rewarding.

Digital Photography Studio is an exciting new class to put on your course request form, if you wish to continue with Photography. Photography is a fascinating activity that continues to evolve, but perhaps the future lies in the past.