For example, Ana Martinez, Nick Mojica, and Tyler Sparks, all members of the class of 2022, will be working for The Gregory School alongside Ms. Haskell to photograph the 2021 commencement and 8th grade promotion. “I tell them that when they are doing this, they are not the school’s students,” Ms. Haskell said. “The school is our client and we are professionals who will perform the job.”
"The Gregory School provides me the opportunity to do as many photography-related projects as I need at the school. I find that doing these projects gives me a rewarding experience. I can use my passion to give back to my community."
— Chenyu Li '21.
The most coveted professional opportunity within The Gregory School photography program is a year-long senior internship with Ms. Haskell at Haskell Photography. This year Chenyu Li ‘21 reaped this position. In his first professional field shoot with Ms. Haskell, Chenyu got to work with the editor from Tucson Lifestyle and learn about commercial photography. “It is similar to photos we take every day, yet it requires more intricate details and more careful compositions,” he explained.
“During a normal year, an intern will attend my comercial photoshoots,” Ms. Haskell said. “This can be anything from shooting magazine layouts to ad campaigns and everything in between. The interns get to be hands on with setting up lighting and interacting with my clients. Sometimes they find out they love photography even more, and sometimes they realize that the long meticulous days are not for them. All of that is valuable information.”
In addition to his duties as a photo intern, Chenyu also entered the Arizona Highways 2021 “Adventures in Nature” Student Photo Contest—an assignment required of all Ms. Haskell’s students. On May 6, attending the Zoom award ceremony from their respective homes, Ms. Haskell and Chenyu learned that he won first place out of nearly 4,000 entries. The photo, Bighorn Fire, earned Chenyu a $5,000 cash prize and will appear in several publications. A print will hang in the permanent show at the Nature Conservancy.
“I think Ms. Haskell has really helped me to build my path to where I am right now,” Chenyu said. “She encouraged me along the way. I still remember that when I first met her in class and showed her the pictures I had taken, she said, ‘Photography could be the right path for you!’
Under Mrs. Haskell's guidance, I am able to study more about photography, my passion. She also inspires me to explore more about my passion and possibly find the intersection between my major, economics, and photography.”
