High School Pt. 1

 

Monochrome shot to emphasize the architecture.

    I am not particularly happy with this photo of my high school, but some people might like it.  I recently read an article by nature photographer Frans Lanting where he said, encouraging the use of black and white in winter, "color takes a backseat to shape, texture and tonal nuance, and depth and dimension are brought out through shadow and highlight."  Of course, he was talking about winter landscapes and this is a building shot (although it was fucking cold when I took it), but I thought it would still work.  Turns out that the composition is weak and I would like to get a better shot eventually.

    As for the subject of this post, high school, I don't have much to say really, which is why I chose to make this "high School Pt.1," in case I post again with more thoughts.  When I first started here, most of my friends went to catholic school, and it was a year before I found a group of friends here and two before I met my girlfriend, Stephanie (she also went to another school).  So, as far as day-to-day life went here, there's not to much to go on.  I spent a lot of time keeping my head down, my grades up, going through the motions and using my lunch breaks for homework, so I would have time to hang out with Steph, skateboard, or throw the frisbee around with my buds.

   One story I did actually want to tell occurred in my freshman year, an event that would become legendary throughout the school.  It was first period art class, which was awesome, and I was sitting there holding in a dump (as per usual during the first three class periods for me).  Across from me were two people: one kid, my age, considered somewhat of a fag, who I rather liked and still do, and another, older, bad ass type kid who I was friendly with in middle school when he rode BMX.  Anyway, it went something like this.  Bad-ass: "give me that eraser or I'll stab you with these scissors."  Kid my age: "No."  So, blah, blah, he kept refusing, so older kid proceeds to stab him with the scissor.  This is super illegal, easily grounds for a lawsuit, but the kid my age was very reluctant to the teacher (who was a good guy as well) what had happened.  eventually, word got out, older kid got in trouble, whole school found out, and the legend of The Time When Billiterri Stabbed BJ In Art Class lives on to this day.