Acclaimed photographer helps Wyandanch students find new focus
Kimberly Griffin rarely leaves home without her camera these days.
“I have like a third eye now where I see everything differently,” said Griffin, 18, a Wyandanch Memorial High School senior.
That's because since January, Griffin and seven other high school students have taken a weekly class from Al Bello, a longtime, award-winning sports photographer at Getty Images — except for the few weeks in February when Bello covered the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
Photographer Al Bello speaks with Wyandanch sophomore Hailey Cruz at the gallery show at the high school last week.
Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
The new program, called the Getty Initiative, is meant to spark student interest in photography, possibly as a career option. The cameras were donated by Canon through Getty, and the Suffolk County Police Department paid for the camera bags. There’s no cost to the school district, Bello and school officials said.
Bello, a graduate of Stony Brook University, has covered 14 Olympic Games and photographed athletes from Olympic champion Michael Phelps to former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. He was also part of a Getty Images team that was a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Photography covering the pandemic.
“It was getting these kids to go out there and to explore what they can do with their talents and capabilities that they didn't even know they had,” said Bello, of Merrick, who created the program along with Gerren Nixon, a 1994 graduate of the Wyandanch high school.
Sophomore Hailey Cruz gets a high-five from Wyandanch school district clerk Christian Code at the photography show. At right is Daa'ud Abdullah. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
The program culminated in a show last week where student photos were mounted on stands at the school library for view. They included photos of landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, celebrations, scenic views of nature, and athletes crouching at the starting line before a sprint.
Hailey Cruz, 17, said she learned something about herself through photography.
“Before, I used to think: ‘Oh, I can't do it,’” the high school sophomore said. “I would just give up right away, but now I know that anything's possible. You could do anything if you really put your mind to it.”
Students and faculty view the work on display at the gallery show last week.
Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Rosa Melendez, 17, felt empowered by her newly acquired skill and put it to use outside school. In late May, she photographed the ceremony of a friend graduating from Farmingdale State College.
“She is like a sister to me,” the high school senior said. “I like being able to give the opportunity to someone to take pictures [for them so they are] able to cherish the moment. … The pictures are going to be there forever.”
Paul Sibblies, principal of the high school, said he welcomed the program because it opened a door of possibilities for the students.
“When that camera was placed into their hands, it's like it opened up a vision and a dream for the students,” Sibblies said at the gallery. “These pictures … allow me to see their creativity and to know that they have a vision that they can do anything. And that's important for our kids here at Wyandanch high school.”
Sibblies and others said they want to continue the program and offer more.
“Next year, we want to do this again,” said Risco Mention-Lewis, Suffolk County deputy police commissioner. “The idea is to put as many kids as possible with opportunities to do whatever they want to do. And photography is just the beginning.”
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
