PrairieView has been a year that has shaped each of us, and prepared us for the
photographic industry. We made it to the end this year because of the support we had
from family and friends and from the wisdom of our teachers.
To our family and Friends:
We would not have been able to complete these last 10 months if it wasn’t for all of
you standing by our side, willingly posing for yet another photo, allowing every trip to
turn into photo shoot, cheering us on when it seemed like the end wasn’t in sight, and
most of all supporting us as we took this step in our lives.
We have come a long way (I am sure that you’ve all seen our photographs from the
beginning of the year) But we would not be here celebrating this achievement if it
weren’t for you.
To our teachers:
Thank-you for getting us where we are today. I am not sure how you survived those
first few months of looking at our photos. They were out of focus, had no contrast, all
of our landscape shots had a horizon dead center. I really cringe thinking back to some
of the first assignments that I handed in. But its our teachers who even when they
viewed that first work, they still saw potential in all of us. They stood by our side with
full confidence that they would be able to make us photographers. And its true they
did just that, it was through their encouragement when wanting to give up, direction
when we just weren’t sure what was missing from an image, and most of all they
shared their passion with us.
I would personally like to thank each one of you:
Aaron, Bram, Craig, Lauralee, Paolo, Ross, Sarah, and Tristan.
And now to all of you Graduates.
We made it! Its been a journey, but we have come to the end, we have reached the
finish line and tonight we are going to be crossing it together.
Everyone always told us that this would be the fastest year of our life, and I never really
believed them until it was over.
It seems like just yesterday we were sitting quietly in the large studio waiting for the
year to begin, too afraid to even introduce ourselves to the person next to us.
We have come a long way. We have worked really hard, We have made many
friendships and have allowed ourselves to become vulnerable with one another and
vulnerable with the images that we create. I remember how nervous everyone was
during first group critique when we had to place our “best” work for everyone to see,
knowing that the work we thought was perfect wasn’t quiet there.
We allowed ourselves to be pushed to new limits, to step out of what may have been
comfortable and expose our art and our craft with those around us.
This graduation marks an important step in our lives. We have decided to do
something with this passion that we all have.
A passion that brought us together for the past 10 months.
10 months together to spend getting to know the art and craft of photography.
10 months being fully immersed into the photographic world. Yes, fully immersed,
some of us even began to dream in photographs.
We set out at the beginning of this program with the photography industry being an
unknown to us. Some of us not even knowing what an ISO is. We set out searching
to find our own creative style. One that sets us apart from the rest, one that is defined
as our own. And each of us has done just that, we have found a style that reflects who
we are. And I sure hope that by this point we all know what an ISO is. And now we are
stepping out into the world to put all that we have learnt to use. Photography has
become second nature for us. And yet this journey of learning is not over. We will
continue to shape our craft, learn from our experiences and discover techniques that
make us stand apart. Even though our time together in the school environment has
come to an end, our time together as professionals is just beginning.
We have been through lots this year, shared many photographs, adventures,
vulnerabilities, tears and laughter. And now we get to share this moment of stepping
out into the world as Photographers. We will always be able to continue to challenge
each other, share the images that we create, and journey together. We will always
remain connected by this passion that we share.
I am honored to say that I am entering this industry with 26 other very talented people.
We’ve made it!
We are photographers.
Its who we are. Its what we do.
This is not a farewell as much as it is a welcome to the world of Photography!
To us the graduating class of 2012!
Caroline Wintoniw
PV Diploma Student 2011-12
Valedictorian
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