Snapping Up Images and Turning Them Into Art Pieces

"I like photography," she said. "It's something I'm interested in, and they don't have access to. I thought it would be something fun to expose them to."

Using five cameras owned by the commission, basic instruction provided by Ritz Camera and library books to study composition, the students took field trips to places such as Needwood Mansion, Glen Echo Park and Black Rock Mill in Seneca Creek State Park.

"We would just take pictures everywhere we went," Buttrey said.

Scott Minton, the commission's executive director and an avid photographer, donated five more new cameras to the clubs.

"I thought it was a really great idea. It's a chance to learn without really realizing that you're learning," he said, adding that taking and editing photos was also teaching the students about such subjects as chemistry and math.

It was Minton's idea to hold the photo competition, in which one boy and one girl were chosen winners by the panel of six judges. "Anytime you do artwork, you have to have some kind of venue to show it off," he said. "It's an opportunity to get recognized for something you do."

In the exhibition are photos of animals, objects including license plates and a propeller, scenes from the field trips and self-portraits of club members. Using the editing software, students played with color, creating black-and-white images that looked like photo negatives and splashing neon colors across some prints.

As he walked around judging the photos, Auerbach was particularly struck by the composition of Kodjo's "Battery Power."

"This is so far beyond what most people would think of taking a picture of," he said. "There's a kid with talent."

The titles of the photos are as intriguing as the artwork itself. Francis Jackson, 17, who attends an alternative high school in Wheaton, named his still life -- a dust-covered green bottle and old cardboard box -- "Moonshine." Another photo that he took of an old pitchfork leaning in the corner of a cabin was titled "Labor."

"It's turned out to be a real self-esteem builder for these kids," said Susan Krimer Yancy, spokeswoman for the commission. "It's exposed them to a lot more things that they may not have been exposed to."

The Housing Opportunities Commission headquarters is at 10400 Detrick Ave. in Kensington. The photo exhibition will be on display from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through August.