Photography, like other CTE courses, is a hands-on learning experience that prepares students for their future outside of high school. In this class students learn how to use cameras, photoshop, and rules of photography.   

According to the photography teacher, Maegan Rathbun, Puyallup’s photography course helps students learn how to use a camera and put different composition skills into practice. 

 “In photography, you’re learning essentially how to use a camera, you’re learning the settings of the camera, you’re learning how to navigate through it, you’re learning how to file, navigate, save, upload,” Rathbun said “you’re also learning the components of taking photographs, how they work, some of the rules of photography and then we also get into editing them using different Adobe software.” 

There are many lessons that are taught in this class, beyond just learning how to use a camera. Rathbun stated that her favorite lesson to teach is the camera or the photography rules.  

“It breaks down really understanding how to take good pictures by implementing these rules to put certain subjects and certain things in a directional way,” Rathbun said. 

  Paired with the lessons, the photography program has many resources available to the students. These resources include cameras, lenses and the photo lab. These are available for students taking the photography course. 

“They [the school] have so much available to students. I think that’s cool and awesome to learn more,” Rathbun said. 

The equipment that is provided for this program helps make it unique compared to prior places Rathbun says she has worked at. The skills that are taught in photography not only teach students how to use a camera and apply different compotation skills, but it also instructs students on necessary life skills.  

“I mean, like any other class, you have to have dedication, you have to turn things in on time, you have deadlines, you have to understand what you are doing” Rathbun said “that’s a life skill you’re going to have to do no matter what the job is,”  

Senior Heather Baldridge is taking Photo 1 and says this class has not only taught her photography skills but lessons she can use later in life. Baldridge has been doing photography since the eighth grade, taking the photography course has helped her be more aware of her surroundings.  

“It’s helped me have more of an awareness of how to stop and take a picture and think about it, step back and think about it like ‘is this what I really want? Or do I want something else,’ that helps me, I can apply that to different perspectives in my life as well,” Baldridge said.