The photography classroom is a busy room full of eager students hoping to create beautiful works of art. WJ proudly displays pieces of student artwork in the hallways for others to appreciate.
One student in particular, senior Walker Prindle, has been determined to progress in his photography skills since a young age.
“I would say beginning of middle school, I had dug up my dad’s old film camera and proceeded to pretend to shoot photos. Eventually I began to take real photos,” Prindle said.
The more he photographed, the more he found what style he enjoyed and he thinks that that is how he has changed as a photographer.
“I think the perfect of one subsect, for me it is nature photography, expands an artist skillset more than an understanding of multiple subsects,” Prindle explained.
As he continued to take photos, he discovered the subsect that is best for him. Although Prindle may think his improvements have been due to finding his niche, his friend, senior Ingridi Viruel thinks it’s more than that.
“Walker really puts his personality in his work; [he’s] been changing so much and you can see the impact in his pictures,” Viruel said.
As Prindle continually finds the subjects that he enjoys, his pictures reflect his style and become more advanced. He wants to continue this improvement outside of school as well.
“Currently, I am in the application process for a couple art schools,” Prindle said.
He has already made an effort to continue growing as an artist over the summer with his internship in Utah, even though it wasn’t what he thought it would be.
“It wasn’t what I expected, I was put into more of a writing role. Nonetheless the experience was fun,” Prindle said.
He still learned useful information – although it wasn’t photography skills.
“[I learned] the inner workings of a news/media work environment,” Prindle explained.
He hopes to incorporate writing into his photography in the future and the internship was a helpful way to learn this about himself and his possible career path.
Prindle’s photography teacher, Daniel Kempner, thinks that he’s capable of becoming a professional photographer because of his passion of photography.
“It’s about personality and if they’re driven,” Kempner explained.
That is what Kempner thinks that is what it takes for any of his students to make it.
Prindle’s peers and teachers think he will be able to make it as an artist in the future and since he knows what he wants to do, someday soon people may be seeing nature prints taken by Walker Prindle.
“He still has a lot to show to the world,” Viruel said.
