Ghostly Images Snapped by Advanced Photography Students

Huntington High School Advanced Photography course students created interesting phantom images using long exposures while experimenting with lighting and movement.

The ghostly images were taken in the run-up to Halloween and covered a variety of angles. After stages the photo shoots and acquiring the images, students worked together as a class with teacher Pamela Piffard-Williams in the art studio to prepare them for public consumption.

Students experimented with shutter speeds and tripods and generally shot in low light. They paid particular attention to their framing and were always aiming for strong compositions. They took a variety of shots with different types of lighting and movements.

“We were aiming to created phantom images with subjects moving while the shutter was open,” Mrs. Piffard-Williams said. The teacher has been on the high school’s faculty since September 1998.

Advanced Photography is a full-year one credit course. Students are required to take Introduction to Photography as a prerequisite. The course is open to students in grades 10-12.

“In this course, students will expand upon the skills learned in Introduction to Photography,” according to a course description. “The emphasis will be on producing exhibition quality digital images based upon self-motivated projects. Students will learn how to edit their images using Adobe Photoshop, study the work of several other photographers, learn studio techniques and visit photo galleries.”

Armed with an AS degree in photography from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Mrs. Piffard-Williams enrolled at Parsons School of Design, earning a BA in photography and her teaching certification. In 2001 she obtained a Master’s degree in graphic design at C.W. Post.

In addition to teaching at Huntington High School, Mrs. Piffard-Williams is a professional music and concert photographer.