CHRISSY OHLINGER / Special to the PVT Ashleigh Anderson and Kirsten Billman display their digital photographs during the recent Great Basin College exhibit. Advertisement

The digital photograph class at Great Basin College held its annual exhibition and artist reception last Friday.

Each student was present at a panel of framed photos to talk about and explain his or her work.

The class involved in the exhibition was instructor Alex Compton's advanced, second-semester class, which was mostly made up of high school students earning double credit at the college.

Of the 20 students entered in the exhibition, only five were adults.

Over the two semesters, students learned the basics of taking digital pictures and using computer programs like Adobe Photoshop for basic and more complicated photograph enhancement.

First-semester students had specific assignments but second semester or advanced students were free to pursue their own interests. Some focused on scenic pictures of Death Valley and the surrounding desert, while others liked taking wedding photos.

One student, reports Compton, likes taking fashion photographs.

Some students really had fun with their work.

The class is listed under art rather than technology, so many of the photos being displayed were retouched, and sometimes drastically changed artistically.

Sometimes, if a student likes a photo he or she can salvage it by turning it into an interpretive piece. "It's OK if it's blurry," said Compton of her student's work, "because now it's an art form."