From dahlias: black, white, color

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Flowers inspire student Jonathan Hallet to take up the camera.

Dahlias launched Jonathan Hallet’s foray into photography.

Wandering through Golden Gate Park with his granddad four years ago, the Bainbridge High School senior came upon a dahlia garden that filled him with awe.

“That’s where it started,” Jonathan said. “The garden was phenomenal. There was such a variety of shapes and textures and colors.”

Riveted to the spot, Jonathan captured “plenty of dahliahs” and imagined his own dahlia garden, which he has planted every year since that trip.

Although he still finds new ways to enjoy and photograph his favorite flower, his interests have broadened.

“I do mainly nature photography,” said Jonathan, who doesn’t leave home without his camera. “I’ve gone out hiking with my family a lot. When I see an exciting moment outside, I have to capture it.”

Two of those moments earned Jonathan accolades in last year’s Washington State High School Photography Contest. The then-junior placed first in the “Color” category and second in “Landscape.”

Overall, BHS captured more awards than it ever had, including second place in “Team Total.”

“It’s very, very rare to have two of the 39 first images,” said Linda Holsman, BHS head photography teacher, adding that it took the judges some 16 hours to pick the competition’s winners. “To be a top five school out of 63…I was just really, really pleased.”

Then-seniors Joel Bombardier won Best of Show and placed first in the People category, Chad Rabinowitz placed third in Landscape and Geri Griffin placed second in Manipulation.

BHS came in second in team scoring, thanks to students who placed fourth, fifth, sixth or “select” as the top 20: Maddie Adams, Jenna Conrad, Lauren deNormandie, Alyssa Dyke, Christine Garrigues, Erica Hemmen, Dillon Maslach, Elisa Morris, Zach Peach, Alexa Seidl, Andrew Steward, Molly Tanner, Ariana Rose Taylor-Stanley, Kayley Turkheimer and Beatrice White.

The competition’s winning photographs are touring state high schools and junior colleges this school year. The works are on display in the BHS library through Oct. 20.

“I’m so proud of these kids. We’ve been top five for years and top 10 for always,” Holsman said. “To beat some of the private schools who teach for this (competition) is incredible. I always knew I’d get a top 10 because the kids work so hard.”

Results of the competition – which drew 3,398 entries from 63 campuses – were announced last May at Woodinville High School.

The panel of judges included Barbara Kinney from the Seattle Times, Matt Scozzaro of Getty Images and Crista Dix from the Wallspace Gallery in Seattle. The award ceremony was held in June in Burien.

Jonathan Hallet was sure his submissions would do well, especially the one that came from another outing with Grandad.

“The black-and-white picture on the beach, I had no doubt about it. It’s my favorite,” Jonathan said. “I was in California with my granddad for his 80th birthday. We were on the beach having a picnic. It was a beautiful day.”

Then clouds filled the sky, the light changed and, just before it started hailing, Jonathan got his shot.

Jonathan’s other wining photo – a bug on a flower caught in Victoria, B.C.’s Butchart Gardens – displays his penchant for perspective, patterns, details and color.

“I like to capture a little piece of nature no one noticed,” Jonathan said.

It wasn’t hard for Jonathan to choose his submissions for the photo competition.

“I look at the pictures that stand out and pick them,” he said.

Jonathan plans to continue taking photography classes in college, although he’s not sure he’ll make it his profession. He would be happy to sell some prints in galleries, however, and use his art to bring people closer to nature.

“They may grow more conscientious and appreciate nature more,” he said.

The BHS photography department is so popular, the district added a second teacher this year. Janet Neuhauser was wooed from South Kitsap High School to teach the digital classes.

Holsman had been the sole photography teacher for more than 15 years.

“Our classes are packed with 30 students. We’re running 189 kids in the darkroom and 130 through the digital darkroom,” said Holsman. The program only can accommodate juniors and seniors.

Holsman and Neuhauser both have master’s degrees in art.

“She was my biggest competition in high school. But we love each other and were always rooting for each other to beat Lakeside,” Holsman said. “When the school district asked who to hire, I said, ‘There’s only one person I want to teach with. It’s Janet.’”