Latin School of Chicago

Dear Friends, Every photograph tells a story. This 13th edition of VIDI magazine also serves to tell the story of Latin School's commitment to the arts. VIDI empowers our students to create windows and mirrors of their lives through the photographs they create. In 125th anniversary year of Latin School, we celebrate our school and our stories. We all have stories to tell and photography is another way of communicating these stories. There are times that we document our experiences, such as a photo taken during an event, performance, or an image created dur- ing Project Week. In this edition you will also see images that reveal the artist's mind, ideas that are birthed through experimentation, use of imagination and the exploration of technology. Furthermore, they tell the story of our human ability. In February, LIFE, Latin's Initiative for Ethics, invited Photographer Steve Shapiro to the school and our Photography Club was in atten- dance. He shared a story of his experience of being part of a group of photojournalists who were all documenting the same thing at the same time during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. He shared how each photographer selected to photograph this moment in history in a different way. While we may see things the same way, we interpret them differently. Some opted for a wide angle shot, others placed their fo- cal point on a section of the activity, and Shapiro opted for an extreme close-up of just one face that he thought expressed the emotion of that moment. This year was my fourth Project Week trip to Cambodia. Science teacher Randall Carpenter and 18 students joined me. While we expe- rienced many things unique to Cambodia, each provided us with an opportunity to approach these experiences with intense curiosity and to choose a point of view. As traveling photographers it is all about honing one's observation skills and making choices. Preparation rewards the photographer. Knowing how and choosing when to photograph challenges our students as they learn to frame a picture in a way that commu- nicates what he or she wants to say. Empowering our students to create representational memories can be a tremendous personal benefit as they broaden their story telling skills and discover value in their perspectives. As you look through these photographs I hope you will pause to consider what might be the point of view selected by each of these young photographers as they create meaning through the technology of photography. Romanly yours, Betty Lark Ross Photography Instructor and Visual Arts Department Chair 3 Cover Photo: Street Wise Sarah Stone '16 6Angkor Wat Ta Prohm Jake Orlin '16

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