Fine Arts Students of the Week: Seniors tackle school paper's photographs with ease

Brainerd High School senior Kyle Hensel (left) and Michael Bauer pose for a photograph with a Fifth Street Journal in hand. The two seniors are photo editors of the school newspaper and were named this week’s Fine Arts Student of the Week. Brainerd Dispatch/Jennifer Stockinger

By Jennifer Kraus

January 15, 2017 at 7:43 PM

Kyle Hensel and Michael Bauer

Grade: Seniors.

Art focus: Brainerd High School Fifth Street Journal.

Adviser nomination: "Kyle and Michael have done a great job this semester as first-time photo editors. They're prompt and creative in filling our paper with images that compliment the stories and the staff has always been able to count on them. Both Kyle and Michael also write unique, solid, relevant news articles each issue."

Tell me about your roles and how you work together: The seniors, who edit all the photographs for the school newspaper, collaborate on all the photos the students hand in and split up which photos they will do, making sure they both don't do the same photo. They edit the photos in Photoshop to make them look good and then the photos are given to the students who lay out the school newspaper.

"When I don't want to do something he does it and vice versa," they said. The seniors said Bauer is good at doing several photos at one time in a big chunk of time and Hensel is good at working with the students on their photos/projects and good at layering photos on top of each other.

They said, "We do the same job and share our work share."

Hensen said in beginning of semester there were five students who wanted to be a photo editor, so the adviser had the students take a photo and whoever took the best photo will get the job.

Why do you enjoy photography: Bauer said, "It's a way to express yourself." Bauer said he enjoys taking photos of nature. Hensel said, "I like taking photos because I like to see things from a different perspective. I am always looking for a different angle or vantage point, something you can't see without a camera. I like to see the beauty you can capture with a photograph."

Biggest challenge: The seniors said, "Making sure people get their photos in on time. Every once in awhile we have to be mean or pester them to make sure they make the deadline and sometimes if the photo is not good enough we tell them to go get a new one."

Honorable mentions: The debate team. All six members of the debate team qualified for the state tournament. Brainerd has never had all its members qualify before. Students are Kyle Hensel, Patrick Meyer, Luke Norquist, Daniel Stokes, Camryn Schmidt and Maddi Schuld.

Hensel

Age: 18.

Memorable fine arts achievement: "I took a good picture once of the Mississippi River."

Other fine arts activities: Orchestra, plays the cello.

Artist Most Admired: Donald Glover, an actor.

Favorite TV show: "Atlanta."

Favorite book: "I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings."

Favorite subject: Foods.

Favorite movie: "Song of the South."

Favorite band: Migos.

Favorite restaurant: Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Sports/clubs: Debate, Knowledge Bowl, Key Club and Spanish Club.