By Peter Oh

From a young age, senior Ryden Secor has been interested in photography because of his mother, but his passion only really took off when he enrolled in Photography. “My mom did a lot of photography when she was younger, and that’s probably why the photography class caught my eye,” Secor said.

He has now taken the class for multiple years, and has found a particular interest in making prints in darkrooms, which are rooms that are made completely dark to allow for the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including film and photographic paper.  “I like developing pictures in the darkroom because it’s relaxing and very rewarding when I make a good print,” he said.

One of the best photography-related moments in Secor’s life took place when he finally finished his first print in a darkroom. “It took me a while to figure out,” he said.  “And when I finally got it, I was excited.”

Like almost all photographers, Secor often focuses on a few specific subjects when he’s out snapping pictures. “I tend to not take many pictures of people,” he said. “Instead, I like taking pictures of nature or street photography.”

Secor also has a personal preference when it comes to the medium that his photos are printed on. “I like taking film primarily because I think you can have more creative freedom with film as far as how you develop it and how you print the image,” he said. “I just enjoy finding interesting things to take pictures of and then when the pictures come out well, it’s very satisfying.”

After forming such a strong bond with the Photo class, Secor believes that anyone who is even slightly interested in the subject should try it out. “Photography is a lot of fun and I recommend the class to anyone [at Gunn],” he said.