Vicki Bass recently completely the second of three Sampson Community College photography classes currently offered each semester, and her love of the art, she said, continues to grow. She credits the deep affection for her camera and what it produces to her genuine love for taking pictures and the educational adventures instructor Gloria Edwards has taken her Shutterbugs II class on week after week.
It’s been a learning experience, she attests, but one that has been fun and filled with laughter, too.
“Gloria is an amazing teacher,” Bass gushed during the final night of class. “And she makes learning about our cameras fun and exciting. I can’t wait to see what I’ve taken week after week.”
Photography, she said, is a world of exploration and the things she unearths fascinating to see in the photographs she takes. “Things out there are beautiful, and many times what I see are things I’ve never noticed before. That’s one of the things Gloria has taught us — to see the world differently.”
This year, in Shutterbugs II, Bass said her skills have improved as she has traveled across the county and the state utilizing some of the tools Edwards has taught.
She’s not alone. To a person, those in the Tuesday night Level 2 class were nearly teary-eyed as they went through their final exam, showing off some of the best of the best of photographs they’ve taken.
“I can’t wait to take Shutterbugs III,” noted student Anne Price, who said she has grown as a photographer and a person under Edwards’ tutelage. “I just get so much from Gloria’s instruction. I guess above everything else, she has taught me to keep my eyes open for the world is full of beauty to be photographed.”
Edwards just shakes her head in astonishment, humbled by the way all her students have taken to her instruction and overjoyed at their growing love of photography.
“I wanted them to love photography and to see the world differently,” Edwards noted. “Looking at their photographs and listening to them talk about how they see the world differently thrills me. That is always one of my goals. I am so proud of all their accomplishments. They are great photographers, and I love knowing how much they have come to enjoy taking pictures.”
And they do. Shutterbugs II students say in addition to learning to view their surroundings with different eyes, they have learned to think about settings, how to blur backgrounds, take reflections and love every aspect of photography. As they aim their camera toward the world, capturing images that often even amaze them, they say their love for the art has grown.
“I didn’t know much about my camera until I started taking Gloria’s classes at SCC,” said student Hilda Carr. “Now my camera goes everywhere with me. I can’t get enough.”
Edwards will be at it again in the fall, offering Digital Do’s and Don’ts, Shutterbugs II and Shutterbugs 3. The latter two courses require students to have taken the previous class.
For more information on the classes or to register, call 910-592-7176.