Student Spotlight: Danielle Brown

When Danielle Brown was creating her schedule for her first year at Wayne Valley High School, she knew that she wanted to take the Photo I class. During Covid, Brown experimented with the filters on her phone and fell in love with photography. Around one year later, Brown placed third in the Photo Illustration & Manipulation category in Jostens Photo Contest. “I was in so much shock. I think I still kind of am,” Brown admits. 

Miss Pritchard, the photography teacher at Wayne Valley, told all of her students about this contest. She encouraged Brown to submit “Starry Eyed”, which is a photo of Brown’s younger sister. “This image is striking. The tight crop brings the viewer in, the use of selective color and the star motif are what drove the title ‘Starry Eyed’. The editing is flawless and the model’s face is stoic,” Miss Pritchard explains. Brown’s inspiration behind “Starry Eyed” came from the social media site Pinterest. “I found one that is similar and I thought it would be a really cool thing to do,” Brown comments.

Brown’s love for photography has continued to grow since her freshman year and she plans to take the course all throughout high school. She also works on her photography outside of school. “I would do little photo shoots with my sister over the weekend,” Brown explains. “I took a camera home from the school since I don’t have my own.” She even created an Instagram account with her friend Izabella Munoz where they post their photos together! 

“[Brown] puts her heart into each project and has found joy in the artform. Her work is empowering, communicative, and exemplary for an artist of her age!” Miss Pritchard adds. And this contest is just the first win for Brown! She already has submitted a photo for another contest and is planning to continue to submit her work.