On a bright autumn day, Melia Barker and Brooklyn Petersen shot pictures of a prop house at the Dallas Arboretum, practicing photography in full sun, which was a departure from the studio work they normally do in the classroom.

“I definitely like trying new things outside that helps learning more, and I definitely did enjoy it this time,” Petersen said. Photo credit: Jesus Serrano

The photography magnet traveled to the Dallas Arboretum to practice their skills after missing the trip last year due to COVID-19, Emily Cromwell’s first field trip since becoming the magnet teacher.

“It is an annual tradition every year until the pandemic happened, and now we are doing it again,” Cromwell said.

Students were assigned to shoot portraits, sculptures, architecture and details while working under different conditions than they were accustomed to.

“I definitely learned how to play with outside lighting, because the sun is really different studio lighting,” sophomore Jade Reim said.

Cromwell said she wanted students to use the opportunity to be as creative as possible to improve their skill sets.

“Typically in the classroom, the students just work with studio photography, so this was an opportunity for them to have freedom on their vision,” she said.