(Olympic National Park photo from nps.gov)
Right now, a group of West Seattle High School students is “on assignment” with National Geographic Photo Camp in Olympic National Park, and this Thursday night, 7 pm at Youngstown Arts Center, you will be able to see the results – Susan Turner from NatureBridge sent the following news release with information about what’s happening – read on!

Twenty students from West Seattle High School will have the unique opportunity to document and learn about the local environment with National Geographic contributing photographer Melissa Farlow during National Geographic Photo Camp Olympic Peninsula. From Sunday, Aug. 16, to Thursday, Aug. 20, the 14- to 18-year-olds will explore Olympic National Park and photograph, edit and design a portrait of the region’s ecological landscape. The Photo Camp is presented in partnership with the Olympic Park Institute.

During the workshop, Farlow and Bert Fox, the Charlotte Observer’s director of photography and former National Geographic magazine picture editor, will brief students on photographic vision, equipment and technique, while guiding them through the process of creating a story through photography and writing. The budding photographers will go on assignment in Olympic National Park to experience a variety of natural ecosystems that are influenced by the area’s myriad wildlife and vast range of physical environments. The camp will give the students the opportunity to interact and to reflect on environmental issues that affect the region’s diverse ecology.

“We hope that Photo Camp 2009 will provide students with a unique lens on the world and help expand their awareness of the environment and their impact on it,” said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president, Mission Programs. “We are honored to participate in this endeavor.”

“Olympic Park Institute is proud to be partnering with National Geographic to host Photo Camp,” said Institute Director Tom Sanford. “Partnerships like these help us introduce new groups of youth to Olympic National Park and find new ways to use technology like digital video and photography to help them make meaningful connections with nature.”

A presentation of the students’ work will be held on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m., at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle. It will be open to the public.

Cameras for the Photo Camp have been provided by Olympus Imaging America Inc. Memory cards have been donated to the Photo Camp program by PNY Technologies. Lodging accommodations for the Photo Camp staff is provided by Ace Hotel Seattle.

National Geographic Photo Camp has provided programs for more than 850 young people in over 40 locations since 2003. Other Photo Camp venues this year are Botswana; Jordan; Pine Ridge Native American Reservation, S.D.; and National Marine Sanctuaries near Florida and California. Visit
nationalgeographic.com/photocamp for more information.

Farlow is a freelance photographer who has contributed 14 stories to National Geographic magazine. As a staff photographer for the Louisville Times, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of desegregation in Louisville public schools. Farlow’s images have won multiple awards in the National Press Photographers Association’s Pictures of the Year competition and other prestigious contests. During his years as a National Geographic picture editor, Fox edited more than 90 stories for the magazine. His 34-year career in journalism and photographic editing earned him the title “Picture Editor of the Year” five times by the University of Missouri.

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 370 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 9,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.

Olympic Park Institute is a campus of NatureBridge, the largest nonprofit residential education partner of the National Park Service. Its mission is to inspire personal connections to the natural world and responsible actions to sustain it. In partnership with Olympic National Park, the Olympic Park Institute provides residential environmental education programs to more than 6,000 diverse youth annually. Over 25 percent of the programs’ participants and half of the participating schools receive scholarship assistance. For more information, visit olympicparkinstitute.org.