The beauty of photography is that it enables us to capture moments in time and place, permanently. When catching these brief instants, time is of the essence. And yet, photography is also timeless. It allows us to identify with and recall our cultural pasts and envision how we might foresee the future. Photography also relies heavily on perspective: who is holding the camera, how they angle it, what the subject matter is. How do these variables affect what is seen in the final image? Perspective is everything. And what better lens to see the world through than that of our youth? 

For more than 50 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has celebrated the accomplishments of Club youth as they learn the art and science of photography. After local and regional competitions, the ImageMakers National Photography Contest yields regional and national winners, ages 6–18, whose photographs compete in several categories: Culture and Tradition, Portraits, Nature and Surroundings, Fashion and Style, and Editing and Filter. The annual contest is supported by Sony and by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Photography Program, designed to help Club members go beyond taking simple snapshots and develop the skills to produce photographs that can truly impact a viewer. 

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale and Parkwood Studio to provide a weekly artist-led photography workshop. Each week after school, Club members ages 12–15 worked with local photographer Nader Abushaab in a professional studio setting to learn portraiture and ways of expressing identity through lighting, composition, and movement. One of the members, Reagan Campbell, noted: “My experience with ImageMakers last year was definitely something I won’t forget. I really enjoyed taking photos with different lighting and having the ability to make choices that impacted my photos, as well as working in a photography studio. I learned a lot about all kinds of different lighting and composition options for making my photos stand out.”  

Selected are the winning images for the Scottsdale region that went on to compete at the regional level.  

 Organized by Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation 

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