Carbon County Career & Technical students put their lenses in practice recently with a daylong educational trip to the famed Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square

Mark Barthel, the graphic design instructor at the Carbon Career & Technical Institute, addressed the Joint Operating Committee and reported on the trip.

Fifteen students as well as Barthel and Christine Trovato, CCTI’s facilitator of special education, took the trip. “The kids got to use the school’s professional DSLR cameras and take photographs for their portfolios,” Barthel said.

Two CCTI students, Gabryelle Barnett, a senior from the Lehighton Area School District, and Leah Knappenberger, a junior from the Palmerton Area School District, joined Barthel in talking about the trip.

They spoke about how they were able to try different settings and angles to take photos.

“We got to try out different settings to get the perfect picture with the right amount of light,” Barnett said. “The first week of October, they turn off all the fountains; but, when we went, they had all the fountains on. We got to take pictures at different angles. We spent a really long time at the water section.

“Generally, Longwood Gardens is a great experience for graphic design students, because it shows off what it takes to edit photos, and to take them and make them very pretty for people to view.”

Altogether, the students took about 700 photos, some of which were used to create a tri-fold brochure about Longwood Gardens, which was shared at the JOC meeting.

“The photos are theirs, and the design is theirs, too,” Barthel said.

Barthel thanked the JOC members; David Reinbold, administrative director; Michelle Connors, CCTI principal; Christine Trovato, who attended the trip; and Maritza Reinbold, for helping set up the trip; and AA Limo for the limo bus.

“It was very appreciative, everything was excellent,” Barthel said. “We got in for free, and you (JOC) paid for the limo. We really appreciate that. It was awesome, a great time.”