T.C. Williams Students Shine Behind the Camera

Teachers, administrators, students and staff at T.C. Williams High School became photography subjects this year as part of the “celebrity” READ poster project.

Based on a series begun by the American Library Association in 1985, advanced commercial photography students selected their subjects, set up photo shoots and added text to 30 photograph posters, which will be displayed throughout the school.

Senior Kaylynn Majors, who attended a reception introducing the posters Thursday morning at the school, photographed school secretary Patricia Moran reading “Sugar and Spice” by Lauren Conrad.

“It was just fun. I liked it. I got to be in charge,” Majors said with a laugh. “Because, you know, you look to the adults in the school to tell you what to do, and it was fun just to be like, ‘Oh no, do this, put your arm right here, or sit like this.’ That was fun."

Senior Maria Jones photographed building manager Mr. Harrison reading “The Ultimate Superbowl Book” by the loading dock.

“I didn’t know Mr. Harrison before, so it was just really cool to meet him, and now every time I see him in the hall I say hi, and he’s really nice,” Jones said. “It was just fun to make the posters.”

This is the second year T.C. Williams students have participated in the photography project, said school librarian Gerard Joria. “It’s a chance to work with a real client, as opposed to an academic setting, that says, I went to them, that says this is what we need, these are the parameters we need, can you guys deliver?” he said. “And clearly, they did.”

T.C. Williams photography teacher Taki Sidley said the project helps prepare students for a career in commercial photography.

“We’re really supposed to be training them in a professional way, and this is the kind of assignment that as a professional photographer, you would get, where you have to create something that’s going to be displayed and other people are going to see it,” he said.