Storm Teams’ Photos Taken as C.A.S. Project

On Feb. 2 Junior Hannah Driscoll photographed the school’s basketball teams and cheerleading squad as part of her C.A.S. requirement for the I.B. Diploma.

She proposed the activity as part of her C.A.S. portfolio to support her personal creativity and to provide a service for the Sturgis community. Not only will her efforts benefit the student athletes and parents by providing photos at no charge, but it helps Hannah learn more about photography, an activity she is passionate about.

Photo by Ted Jameson, staff pseudonym

Hannah Driscoll poses the Boys’ Junior-Varsity Basketball Squad.

“I chose this because of my past interest in action photography during the fall season,” said Hannah. “I took pictures and worked on my skills outdoors during last season, and worked on a slide show [for the fall sports banquet]. Now I would like to work on my understanding of ISO speeds, and exposure to get nice indoor pictures.”

Hannah's effort did not go unnoticed. Athletic Director Patrick O'Kane said her work exhibited “professionalism.”

In order to prepare for the photo session, Hannah was trained by Jeff Hyer, the school C.A.S. Coordinator and history teacher. During one of her study periods, Hannah was shown how to set up the studio lights and how to hook up the camera to the lights.

Hyer, who learned how to photograph sports teams when he was in high school, assisted Hannah.

“I am extremely impressed with Hannah's ability to quickly learn on the job,” said Hyer, a former newspaper and studio photographer. “I showed her how to pose and photograph one team, and after that she picked it up and took over. She completed the cheerleading squad, and all four boys’ and girls’ squads in 30 minutes.”

However, taking the photos is only half the job. Hannah will digitally edit the photos, crop them, archive them, and then post them online so they are available to the students and parents at no charge. They were made available on Friday, Feb. 11.

O’Kane said that the project will continue with the spring sports teams and hopefully establish a new Sturgis tradition.

Photo by Hannah Driscoll, staff photographer

The 2010-11 Sturgis Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team with Coach Roy Porter and Assistant Coach Dan McKay. This winter sports team photos were taken by Junior Hannah Driscoll as a C.A.S. project.

In addition to Hannah’s efforts, this project was made possible by a number of previous contributors. The class of 2009 gave the studio lights as a gift, and the Class of 2010 gifted the professional Nikon SLR, which has both a portrait lens and a long lens for sports.