In her eighth grade year, senior Gabriella Specchierla began her journey in photography. Now, Specchierla has refined and practiced her skills through photography class at school and taking photos on her digital camera.
The Oracle sat down with Specchierla to discuss her journey in photography while she was preparing for her senior show. She opened her show, “Fragments of the Archive,” with Rachel Chung (’25) on April 23.
What are you planning for your senior show?
Gabriella Specchierla [GS]: My senior show is two weeks, after we get back from spring break, and all the photos I’m doing are film because that’s my favorite medium. I also started working with color film, which we can’t process at Archer, so I have to do that outside of school. But I do color film because I like it. Ms. Alford encouraged me to get into film — video film — with Super 8, which is also something I wanted to do and want to incorporate in my senior show. So, even though it’s not exactly photography, it’s still something that she taught me how to do.
How did you first get interested in photography?
[GS]: I started Archer in sixth grade, and [photography] wasn’t one of our options you could take. But my dad was really interested in photography, so he was always telling me that it was something I should do. And then, in eighth grade, I took my first photo class at Archer, and it was just a semester. I really enjoyed it. It was over Covid, so it was just digital, but when we were able to come [to campus] ninth grade, I took Ms. Alford’s film class. We got to actually work with film, and that has just become my favorite art form.
Do you often take photos outside of school?
[GS]: Yeah, I do. I have a little film camera that my dad gave me, so I just take it wherever I go. I definitely [take photos] on trips or when I’m hanging out with my friends. I don’t do as many projects — I just take candid photos. I do it on my own and have my own developed photos in my room.
Can you describe the creative process you go through when taking photos?
[GS]: I like to sketchbook a lot. We are definitely encouraged to do that in photography class, and I like to clear my thoughts as well. I like to think of movies I like and the vibe that they give off, or if that relates to a project, I might try and do something inspired by that. I try to connect it to other art forms as well. Sometimes, it will be a specific photo that I want to take or a location I want to go to, and it all kind of comes together.
Do you think there is a deeper meaning behind the photos you take?
[GS]: I think it’s up to the artist’s interpretation. It can be whatever you want it to be. If you want it to have a deeper meaning, there are so many ways you can showcase that. I mean, definitely, we are prompted to think deeper within our photos in each project that we are given, but I think that’s what I like about photography. You can take it in any direction you want. It has as much meaning as you give it. The amount of time and effort you put into it and really try to think it through, it can have more meaning. You can also just take a photo of a leaf, and it’s just a leaf. So it’s up for interpretation.
