Strange encounters with wispy, blurred figures in dim hallways is no reason for panic. In fact, it’s the result of a seasonally appropriate spooky photography project.
For the past week Photo 1 students have been challenged with the task of capturing “ghosts” on film.
Photography teacher Collette Sweeney joked, “Ghosts have been sighted in the Campo halls. It could be a student haunting the halls.”
The fact however, is that her students worked in groups of 3, and wore white sheets and used camera effects to create the spooky illusions. According to sophomore Kyla Feldman, the students needed to know how to work the shutter speed. “We have to adjust the aperture settings and stuff so the shutter speed goes off really slowly, and in the middle of the frame you drop down really fast so it looks blurry and super trippy,” she said.
According to sophomore Isabel Beer, the shutter speed for the project is 8 seconds. “You have someone standing in a sheet in front of the camera for half the time, and at the end of the 4 seconds you run out of the shot, so you can see through them,” Beer said.
This project is part of another lesson, according to Sweeney. “It’s part of a larger project, exploring the technicalities of the camera and the shutter speed, and zooming the lens to create a blurred effect,” she said.
Shutter speed is the amount of time that the lens stays open, allowing light to be exposed onto the digital sensor. “You adjust the camera and how long you want it to stay open. You want to capture the motion,” sophomore Madeline Young explained.
According to Sweeney the project inspired an imaginative narrative for students. “They’re making up stories to go with their photos,” she said.
“It was really interesting after we were done,” said Beer.
