Some people on campus couldn’t tell you what people would learn in the Journalism class much less the Photojournalism class. The class is filled with information on how to be a professional photographer in many different areas.

“Photojournalism is different from a photography class because it places students in a situation where they’re covering events and capturing emotion rather than taking photos of inanimate objects,” adviser Danielle Bell said. “Being a photojournalist requires you to be willing to go places no one else can go, to capture emotion that no one wants to feel, but that everyone wants to see.”

A lot of classes are full of tests and notes, but in Photojournalism students occasionally are shown PowerPoints, but mainly edit their photos, work on projects and practice what they’ve learned.

“I like practicing the things we’ve been taught,” sophomore Jenna Abadie said. “It’s more hands on and helps me prepare for what I might continue to do in the future.”

However, it is not a class that you can sit in and make straight A’s. Students are required to attend three school events to take photos and you must apply to be accepted into the course. Projects are assigned almost every other week. So far they have done projects like Environmental Portraits, Sport Portraits, Lighting Project and Depth of Field Project.

“The projects are great because I learn a lot when we do them,” sophomore Lauren Pohl said. “The portrait projects have been really fun because you get to be creative with it.”

The class is also directly related to the student publications, The Roar Newspaper and The Lair Yearbook, because for one Mrs. Bell teaches these classes as well as Journalism but also because their photos are used in these publications often.

“Having the photojournalism students take pictures is great for yearbook, it’s always good to have a backup plan,” The Lair staff member junior Ella Taurins said. “Their pictures are a great way to make the yearbook look amazing.”

Alumni from this class have gone on to college to major in journalism and current students hope to be able to use this information later in life.

“The class makes me want to continue with photography because I have learned a lot and have had great experiences,” Abadie said.