Photo class captures sights at Unionville

MANAWA - The streets of Unionville came to life early this month as photography students and models wandered the Union Thresheree grounds in Symco, putting theory into practice for their final class assignment.

The outing served as the capstone field trip for the Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) “People, Nature and Landscape” photography course, which is offered at both the Waupaca and Oshkosh campuses, allowing students to test their skills in a real-world setting and connecting them to local communities.

The class is taught by New London native Michael Cooney, a writer, photographer and instructor who has been teaching at the technical college for 18 years. Cooney said the eight-week class aims to help students learn composition and camera controls.

“I am happy when students master sufficient skills that they can really then start building their photography on that,” Cooney said, noting that his goal is to help students move beyond simple point-and-shoot photography.

The class draws a diverse group of aspiring photographers, ranging from homeschooled junior high students to adults well into their 70s. Cooney uses a hybrid model of in-person meetings, Zoom sessions and hands-on field trips. The latest class brought in students from the Waupaca area, Fox Valley, Green Bay and Wausau.

Unionville, located in the Symco area of Waupaca County, is known for the annual Union Thresheree, a festival that preserves agricultural history and showcases vintage equipment and demonstrations. The site includes a collection of historic buildings dating to the 1800s.

Cooney said field trips to places like the Union Thresheree grounds give students the opportunity to apply classroom concepts with one-on-one guidance. During the course, Cooney regularly encourages students to focus on “frame awareness,” or deciding exactly what belongs in the picture and what doesn’t, and pushes them to “get close, get closer” to fill the frame with their subject.

He also teaches photography as a way to connect with others, he said. While approaching strangers for a portrait can terrify students, Cooney says using a camera as a conduit to meet people makes the process fun and rewarding.

“Everyone likes attention and everyone wants to be seen and acknowledged for who they are,” he said.

For students, the class offers a chance to explore new passions. Delores “Dee” Fietzer of Farmington Township, a recently retired nurse of over 45 years, took the course to feed her creative side.

Fietzer praised Cooney’s contagious enthusiasm and the valuable lessons she learned, such as working different angles and ensuring photos have “grammar” that tells a visual story with a subject, verb and adjectives.

“Photography is about how you see, how you frame, how you choose what’s in (or not in) your photo,” Fietzer said.

She noted that the homework assignments and Cooney’s feedback helped her master her new camera. She said Cooney helped students optimize their settings regardless of whether they were using a cell phone, a point-and-shoot, or an expensive professional camera.

“My favorite type of photography is landscape and nature, and Waupaca County is ideally suited for that,” Fietzer said. “We are literally surrounded by gorgeous, interesting places to photograph. My daily walk takes me past a stretch of the Waupaca River, which supplies endless opportunities for pictures of marsh marigolds, water and kayaks rushing under the bridge, snapping turtles sunning by the road.”

Dean and Randi Sommerfeld of Iola also joined the course to learn new skills, bringing along their granddaughter, Hazel, to share the experience as a family activity.

Randi said she enjoyed capturing natural, unposed moments, which includes some impressive shots of staff working at Little Wolf Automotive in Waupaca. Dean, on the other hand, said his favorite place to photograph is out in the woods.

“I took a photo of a little turtle on our driveway, and I got right down in front of him, and when he was cropped to fill the photo you can really see his attitude,” he said. “I did another of a snapping turtle in our woods and laid down in front of him and used the zoom lens so I could be a little ways back, in case he charged at me.”

Randi used a cell phone camera for the class, while Dean used both a traditional camera and a cell phone camera.

“I really enjoyed going to the Symco Union Thresheree grounds for a field trip and shooting photos there with the antiques and old buildings and learning how to shoot with models,” he said.

Randi encouraged anyone interested to try the class, regardless of their current skill level or equipment.

“No experience is necessary,” she said. “Grab your camera, even the one on your phone, and use it.”

The photography course is part of FVTC’s community education classes, offered for personal enrichment or career development. The People, Nature and Landscape Photography class is held twice a year in Waupaca, with the next session this fall.

For both seasoned hobbyists and beginners, the course offers a unique opportunity to learn new techniques and see Waupaca County through a brand new lens.