In late September, a small group of adult students visited the ACT Studio for a digital photography class led by Hannah Pewee. Pewee is a former ACT intern who has now become a teaching artist. The students who attended this class had the opportunity to learn photography skills they could implement into everyday pictures that can be taken on almost any device. Pewee taught students about multiple camera modes, including macro and landscape. Students explored multiple photography techniques to capture engaging pictures by zooming in on their subject, changing the angle, or utilizing the "rule of thirds."
While the class of six students was smaller than usual in order to follow COVID-19 guidelines, Pewee was positively surprised with the outcome. Despite the pandemic, Pewee stated that ACT still felt like the same positive and creative environment she remembered from her internship. Most of the students' time was spent outdoors exploring the block surrounding ACT’s location, but wore masks and practiced social distancing measures when indoors. Photos taken by the students during the class featured the landscape and objects outside of the ACT studio, such as a street sign and local businesses across the street.
We caught up with Hannah just a few weeks after the class took place. She shared warmly:
"It’s so rewarding to interact with the students. They’re always so positive and a joy to be around. Seeing how excited they get about learning new things reminds me of just how amazing art can be. One of my favorite moments of my class was when the students presented their photos to everyone. It was great to see how proud they were of their work, and how supportive they were of each other."
