Editor’s Note: Although there were over 20 students featured in the sustained investigation gallery on Feb. 15, the Tribe Tribune couldn’t cover all the astonishing artists and we felt Brenda Negrete and Jordyn Reskey are outstanding representations of the diverse student portfolios.

Like other research projects, photography’s Sustained Investigations lead students down a path based on a question they don’t know the answer to. 

To be part of the SI gallery, students must complete the Foundations of Photography class and be enrolled in the second year of photography. FUHS Students spend time planning, composing, and executing ideas that are ultimately narrowed to 15 photos that tell a story or convey a theme.

Brenda Negrete

Senior Brenda Negrete shared her family’s upbringing in the United States through her photos. “I wanted to show how my family life is, but also what their life is like,” Negrete said.

Negrete’s parents are shown in candid photos. These photos all bring a sense of nostalgia and warmth to the viewer. 

The photo of her father (bottom right) reminds the audience of a childhood memory, vibrant and bright. The flash is reminiscent of a disposable camera circa 2001.

The sewing machine is a reminder of how Negrete’s mother made a living when she immigrated to the United States. “She dedicated herself to sewing for people and for herself. If she wanted, she’d go out and she’d buy fabric. Maybe five or six dollars for a yard or two. She’d make her own shirt out of it, maybe even two,“ Negrete said.

Although the sewing machine in the photo isn’t the same one Negrete’s mom originally had, sewing is still an important part of her life.

“There’s a whole story that you can’t convey through a picture. But it’s just the sewing machine itself, it’s her life. And we’re just living alongside it. It’s her work. But she also works from home, so she has her work life and her home life in the same place.”

Negrete’s process of taking photos is as complex as the meanings behind them. She precisely makes everything the way she wants to fit the aesthetic she aims for. This includes borders, filters, photo editing and enhancement. “It’s not reality, but I feel like when you edit it, the photos are enhanced,” Negrete said. 

While Negrete was very proud and happy with the final product, she did have some regrets and nitpicks about what she could’ve changed. “I should have probably planned it out more for the pictures in general. I would’ve edited them more. I would’ve toned down the brightness a little bit, one of the photos is a little overexposed, but I feel like it is just planning out photos that makes it so much better,” Negrete said.

Jordyn Reskey

Similar to Brenda, senior Jordyn Reskey is a photographer who’s been attached to her camera since she got it. 

Jordyn always saw her mother, who was a photographer, as an inspiration. Reskey used to steal her mother’s camera and take photos on her own when she was young. When Covid hit, she picked up the camera again and photography clicked for her.

Reskey had completed all three years of the photo pathway in AP photography. She passed the AP test her junior year, but came back to be a photographer and a gallery manager. 

The duality of photography and gallery management set her up for a stronger statement as an artist. When taking photos for her SI, she says of how the photos would look against different color walls, the layout of the frames and how big the photos should be to work with the gallery. “When I’m hanging stuff in the gallery, I pay attention to color schemes more now, and as I was shooting things, I was thinking about what walls I’d put it on so the colors actually popped,” Reskey said.

 While Reskey’s topic was Beauty In The Mundane, she embraced shooting different landscapes and objects like barn doors with foliage growing over them and decaying wooden gates with rusted metal hinges and handles. She says that this balance is what made it unique. “I wanted a diverse mix, I did a lot of meta

l with organic matter, or wood with organic matter. I wanted to create some contrast between man-made structures and objects and natural

matter and how they can contrast but work together to create something beautiful,” said Reskey, who plans to study art at Cal State Fullerton next year. 

Ultimately, Reskey’s SI is a visually enthralling and stunning portfolio that asks the viewer to stop and smell the roses. To stop and analyze the craftsmanship of decaying doors and wonder who crafted them.