A good photograph tells a story, evokes emotion in the viewer and makes you think about what happened or will happen. Photos allow one to see the world through another perspective, through the photographer’s eyes. Photography is an art, and like any other art, it needs practice. Lots of practice! During the course of the year, photographic subjects are prevalent on the school grounds. Be it a cricket game, hockey match, chess practice, house plays or an interesting sunset, there is always something happening at Parktown. So, there is always something to photograph!

The Photographic Society fulfils an irreplaceable role within the life of our school. Without the Society we would have only text and graphics with no visual record of the passion, commitment and motivation that drives our learners and educators. Our photographs are used on this website, the school communicator, in the Rampant newspaper, the Parktonian magazine and The Rosebank Gazette. They appear in presentations given during Orientation, Open Day and other special occasions. We also supply photographs for the marketing and advertising of Parktown Boys’ High School. The photographers can be seen out, in all weather, with the tools of their trade, trying to get the coveted shot, the winning try, and the loser’s expression, the enthusiasm of the crowd or just that beautiful light. Our photographers capture the heartbeat of the school and display it in a thousand pictures. They look at light differently, and at life differently. They focus in on the small things that we take for granted and try to capture the big things that we would never miss. From Macrophotography to Landscape we’re developing it all!

Due to the fast-changing technology related to photography, we are aware that we will always be learning new techniques, be it on-camera or post production editing. We aim to increase awareness of the current and developing technology within this field. So we know that we will never know it all and we strive towards that seemingly unattainable goal of ‘the perfect shot’.

Our current endeavors this year have resulted in a record-breaking amount of photos being taken during the first two terms. Over 10000 photos have been composed, taken, uploaded and edited in the first half of this year. This is, of course, a massive undertaking where our photographic skills form only the beginning of a complex process to store, select and distribute the 'cream of the crop' to all interested parties. When the volume of photos is so high, it results in a huge amount of time behind the scenes manipulating images and placing them in a logical system of filing. These are important skills that our photographers also develop - mainaining a large database of photographs so that easy access can be gained to any one aspect of the school's life. And certainly, it constitutes life-long learning!

PHOTOS BY LEARNERS