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Win-win for Whati student Benzi Nitsiza flashes action at Skills Canada competition
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 10, 2013
WHATI/LAC LA MARTRE
Benzi Nitsiza has an eye for photography. After winning gold at the territorial Skills Canada competition in April, the Grade 11 student at Mezi Community School in Whati was chosen as the official photographer for the NWT teams heading to the nationals.
Benzi Nitsiza, a Grade 11 student at Mezi Community School in Whati, was chosen as the official photographer for the NWT National Skills
Canada teams travelling to Vancouver. - photo courtesy of B.J. Clark-Hurley |
The national competition was held in Vancouver, B.C., from June 5 to June 8.
Before leaving on his trip, Nitsiza said because there is no national Skills Canada photography team representing the territory, he wouldn't be competing, but he would be watching for the perfect photo as other teams try to outdo each other in various events.
Nitsiza said he joined the school's photography class at the beginning of the school year and instantly discovered a new favourite subject.
"I've been fascinated by it," he said.
He uses the school's Nikon D3100 and D3200 to get his shots, including his territorial Skills Canada winning photograph. The theme was "lines," so Nitsiza said he took a photo of the handrails of the school's staircase.
"They were nice, curved lines," he said. "It looked like a good subject for a photo."
Nitsiza has a talent for taking good photographs, said B.J. Clark-Hurley, his teacher.
"Benzi is lucky. He has a natural eye," he said. "He has a natural eye when it comes to composition."
In addition to his natural ability, Nitsiza has worked hard in his program to develop his proficiency, Clark-Hurley said.
"It takes a certain skill set to take a photo," he said. "You have to use the camera on the proper settings to capture it the way you're seeing it."
He said the program's goal is to teach students how to properly work a camera, as well as how to transfer what their eyes see into what makes a good photograph.
"They're also learning how to train their brains to see photos instead of just seeing images," he said.
Nitsiza said he plans to use what he has learned while taking photos in Vancouver.
He also said he has a goal in mind for when he returns - to get a job and earn enough money to buy a camera of his own.
When he's not working this summer, Nitsiza said he knows how he will spend his time.
"The landscape around here is really perfect for photos," he said. "It seems like it would be a decent way to advance my knowledge of photography."
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