Junior Meg Armstrong hasn’t always been a fan of taking photos. The hobby is a recent one for Armstrong, who has a newfound passion for the art. She was shocked when she found that out of WA’s 45 clubs, not one was for photography. So, she decided she’d just have to make the 46th herself.
Determined to remedy this problem, Armstrong shared her thoughts with fellow junior, Nathan Mach. Upon agreeing to share the leadership of the club, the two reached out to their business teacher, Gina Mustoe, who is currently the club advisor.
“[Meg] came to me and asked if I would consider helping her to start this club and show her how to use a digital camera. She recruited several people to join her, created a Google Classroom and the rest is history,” Mustoe said.
She soon learned that WA did once have a photography club. Unfortunately, it was disbanded because they simply did not have enough materials. However, this did not stop Armstrong from finding a solution.
“The main difference is that we do not use a darkroom to develop any film,” Mustoe said. “All of the cameras are digital.”
Armstrong found the rest of her leadership board in her manager, junior Nathan Mach and her co-president, freshman Natalie Travassos, who are both avid photographers.
Together, they’ve worked to make the club a reality and to form a safe space for everyone.
“We want to have a nice environment where you can just be yourself, and [..] take a few photos of whatever you’re interested in,” Travassos said.
The club is very welcoming to new students, no matter their expertise at handling a camera and editing photos.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re an expert in photography or haven’t touched a camera once,” Travassos said. “We’re open to anyone.”
The photography club meets every other Thursday in room 207 from 2-3 p.m.
