This image, "The Convenience Factor," was created with four students and one teacher from Falmouth High School as part of their "Student Adventures in Learning" (SAiL) program. The students saw some of my other work and wanted to create an underwater image that spoke to something they were passionate about. They decided to focus on plastic pollution, which is totally up my alley, and also fitting as society begins to ban single use plastic straws, bags, and styrofoam takeout containers (Yay, Maine!)

The vision behind the image is that our choices based on convenience are killing the ocean in a really dramatic way. We don't need single use takeout containers because, instead, we can just bring reusable Tupperware with us in the first place. Small changes make a big difference; have you considered the small changes you can make?

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The students and I talked through ideas and I guided them on what was feasible to do in two days. We gathered at my studio, and decided to create a harsh image that contrasted beautiful, tropical waters with toxic, trash filled waters. I took a day to teach them lighting, how to work a camera and, of course, about the exposure triangle. We topped it off with letting them creatively direct and photograph each other, and they did a wonderful job! The next day, we all brought in our recycling and photographed the pieces and piles to use for the image. Then, I set up the lighting and the camera and let the students direct me into the pose they had imagined (and help me balance), take additional photos of the flowing dress, and additional hair images. Three weeks and many, many hours of Photoshop work later, their imagined photograph is finished! Watch the YouTube video below and leave some comments complimenting them on their artistic direction. Thank you, Pema, KT, Orianna and Amalie for being awesome!