Behind the scenes of Benilde-St. Margaret’s social media accounts and marketing campaigns are the talented student photographers who capture the pictures we see. This school year, an influx of students have been spotted at BSM sporting events and activities taking photos from the sidelines.
Everyone’s path to photography is different, and many started in the BSM building. Seniors Zach Moonan and Ryan Bruer discovered their interest in cameras during art teacher Kelli Rahn’s photography class. The class consists of different projects that teach students the basics of cameras and composition. On the other hand, sophomore Grace Soderling’s passion for art and general curiosity led her to experiment with a camera for the first time. “I’ve always been a very artistic person… I just started playing around with photography and it sparked an interest,” Soderling said.
Among other subjects, sports photography remains a favorite for most student photographers. Bruer can usually be found on the sidelines of BSM Hockey games while Moonan often captures photos for the BSM Boys’ Basketball team. Their work, requiring a high shutter speed and lots of focus, can be seen on teams’ Instagram pages and websites. “I’ve been doing a lot of sports photography for the basketball team and the hockey team… I’ve done paid photos for basketball, but right now I just do it for free to help out with everything,” Moonan said.
There are a multitude of opportunities for young photographers to get involved at BSM. Soderling has been interning with the marketing department where she takes photos and posts them to BSM social media accounts. The job introduces students to marketing as they capture media and assist with school promotions. “The easiest way to sum it up is running the Instagram account to an extent… It’s a good opportunity for me to expand my photography skills,” Soderling said.
As they move on to college next year, Moonan and Bruer plan to continue their passion behind the lens. Both want to eventually start a small photo business in college to earn some money on the side. “I’m thinking about studying something photography-related in college and then trying to get a job involving it,” Bruer said.
Although it may be daunting, taking on a new hobby such as photography isn’t as hard as most think. BSM art classes are always open to newcomers and are a great way to get started. “I think the most important thing is to start taking photos. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment. You can just use your phone. Work on getting a view of different sceneries. I just think it’s important to just get experience and get out there,” Soderling said.