Huntington Student-Photographers Visit Manhattan
Huntington High School photography students traveled to Manhattan for a visit to the International Center of Photography and an opportunity to shoot unique documentary images on location along New York City streets.
Located on Sixth Avenue at 43rd Street, The International Center for Photography is both a museum and school. “Although the weather was not the best, we had an amazing time,” said Pamela Piffard, who leads Huntington High School’s photography program.
Before embarking on the trip, students learned about documentary photographer Louis Hine and what it takes to create a successful documentary image. “The documentary photography lesson introduced students to advanced styles of photographic shooting as well as incorporating the basic Common Core standards onto the art curriculum,” Ms. Piffard said.
At the International Center of Photography, the Huntington group viewed a documentary exhibit on Mr. Hine, one of the most well-known social documentary photographers. “At the exhibit the students analyzed the images and completed a museum report,” Ms. Piffard said. “After viewing the show students ventured out with chaperones to shoot their own documentary images on location.”
“The International Center of Photography is the world’s leading institution dedicated to the practice and understanding of photography and the reproduced image in all its forms,” according to the organization’s website. “Through our exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach, we offer an open forum for dialogue about the role images play in our culture. Since our founding, we have presented more than 500 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes, providing instruction at every level. ICP is a center where photographers and artists, students and scholars can create and interpret the world of the image within our comprehensive educational facilities and archive.”
It’s been 16 years since Ms. Piffard arrived at Huntington High School to begin her teaching career there. “I am a high school photography teacher by day and a freelance band photographer by night,” she said. “It is a great balance.”
Ms. Piffard studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, earning an associate’s degree in photography in 1996 and then obtained a B.A. in photography and a state teaching certificate at Parsons School of Design/New School University in 1998. She received a master’s in graphic design at Long Island University–C.W. Post College in 2003.
The faculty member’s love affair with photography started early in life. “I first took a class in middle school,” she said. “I wanted to do it because my sister had liked it. Immediately I knew it was a passion. By the time I was 14, I had my own darkroom and I spent every spare moment printing.”
By the time she was 15, Ms. Piffard was already shooting local bands and the following year as a 16-year old she was working for Under the Volcano fanzine and had done three albums.
What’s her advice to aspiring photographers? “To get started, just shoot a lot and keep doing it,” Ms. Piffard said. “Network as much as you can and show your work to anyone who will look at it.”