Why is Sarah Sheafer Smiling?

Last fall Lesley McWilliams, Art Teacher at Smart's Mill Middle School, led her 8th Grade Class on a photo safari near school property. While originally an exercise in photo composition using simple digital cameras, the quality of their work caught the attention of photowork's owner K.D. Kidder.

photoworks turned McWilliams' class project into a judged photo exhibit, then devoted an art show to the entire class for March's First Friday. First place went to Sarah Sheafer.

Using a borrowed storefront on West Loudoun Street, photoworks displayed the student's work in true gallery fashion. K.D. Kidder served as the show's judge.

All of the photos were originally photographed in color. Part of the class assignment was to learn to use Photoshop in order to turn them into black & white images, as well as learning to adjust brightness and contrast to create the most satisfying result.

Sarah Sheafer's composition, showing the shadow of a chair on an old wall, won 1st Place. Judge Kidder felt that Sarah, in making the shadow the focal point rather than the chair itself, showed introspection and created intrigue.

Art Teacher McWilliams (left) asked each student to write their thoughts about their image. In Sarah's words:

"We went early in the morning which let the sunlight give the chair and wall dramatic shadows. The wall had wonderful texture and depth. And the icing on the cake was the scuffing on the chair and the grain on the wood."