By Holly Pogue
Pueblo offers many electives to its more than 1,500 students, and one of the most integral branches of the communication magnet program is photography, which provides students beginning and advanced classes.
Sophomore Jacqueline Guerrero wholeheartedly believes that students should enroll in photography classes in the future because of the many benefits the program offers; she attests to how beginning photography has helped her in numerous ways.
“This class truly has prepared me to be more professional and to interact with others,” Guerrero said. “I’ve really learned how to express myself better.”
She said that she enjoys how teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon gives her and her peers opportunities to go out of the classroom and take pictures—not just randomly but specifically for Tarazon’s assignments.
“Sometimes she [Ms. Tarazon] wants very precise pictures,” Guerrero said. “Everything we do is for a purpose. We are being prepared to be advanced photo students, and I intend to stick to this program hopefully all four years of high school.”
Students use the Macs frequently—learning an array of photography editing skills, including restoring old photographs and learning how to remove unwanted objects in pictures to make them more aesthetic.
Guerrero said that she has also enjoyed learning how to use different cameras, including film cameras and learning how to develop pictures “the old-school” way.
“I really encourage other students to enroll in this program because photography will help them to become better people,” Guerrero affirmed. “You’ll learn how to view the world in a different way and be more positive, which is always a good thing.”
Another student, Analise Verdugo, who transferred to Pueblo from Cienega High School last semester, said that she is glad that she enrolled in photography because she is not only having fun but also learning a lot of strategies about photography.
Verdugo said, “I really enjoy the days when we students are allowed to go outside—to take a break from being cooped up inside of a classroom—and learning new techniques about photography, including lighting and shadows. And, who doesn’t like taking pictures? This is such a great class!”
Despite having some mixed classes of beginning and advanced photography students, teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon has observed improvements with her first-year students.
She said, “Despite the agonizing challenges of teaching two totally different groups of students at once, I’ve had to somehow make it work like a lot of electives teachers at Pueblo.” She paused and added, “It’s not fair for the advanced students to be with beginning students, although there are opportunities for job-shadowing, which is a valid way to teach beginning students and reinforce what my experienced photography students already know.”
One student, sophomore Kimberly Teran, said that she enjoys her beginning photography so much that she is considering a career as a photographer.
“Ms. Tarazon has truly been helpful and has taught me so much in a short period of time regarding photography,” Teran said. “This is one of the very few classes I’ve had at Pueblo that has been both fun and academically rewarding.”