Two students at LHS have taken the art of photography to a whole new level, turning dreams into beautiful visual
representations. Junior Gabi Muñoz and senior Colin Morabito have each excelled through their use of photography in the AP photography class offered at LHS.

Gabi Muñoz

Starting in seventh grade, Muñoz began to develop an interest in photography by experimenting with a camera. She always knew she was interested in art, but the use of a camera was second nature to her. As explained by Muñoz, “I like art a lot, so I tried painting and drawing, but it didn’t work out for me, but when I did photography, it just connected.”

Grabbing inspiration from the world around her, Muñoz focused on people and has taken numerous portraits of everyday life. “I take pictures of people because I think there is a lot to be said in the way a person looks. I want to create art that creates a physical reaction, like when your heart drops or you get the chills,” Muñoz stated.

For Muñoz, it’s not about the 10,000 followers she has on Instagram, @thespoken_, or her photography that inspires her, but the purpose in art itself. “I get my inspiration from everything around me. It mainly comes from people and what I see in them. I think art is created from our experiences of other people. If I find something beautiful, I want to recreate it in my own way, but there is no such thing as being completely original. The real art behind photography is trying to recreate what you perceive the world to be, it’s setting up every aspect of the picture, not pressing the button,” Muñoz explained.

Although Muñoz has won numerous awards, her greatest reward comes from how personal photography is. As Muñoz explained, “I’ve won awards, but I’d say my biggest achievement is taking pictures for myself and not worrying about what other people think of them. It has taken me a long time to get to that point, where I am doing this for myself. I just want to take photos that make me feel something. If they connect with another person that’s great because art is universal but is mainly a personal thing for me.”
Muñoz currently is in AP Portfolio for photography; although she enjoys the class, she believes art is an expression of oneself and should not be graded. As she explains, “It’s a cool class, but I don’t think art is meant to be graded. I think assignments and principles limit creativity and the potential of someone finding themselves through experimentation with art.”

Muñoz can be seen taking photos in various locations throughout Libertyville. Her creativity, experimentation, and ability to keep her eye on the camera are what make this imaginative photographer an artist in every sense of the word.

Colin Morabito

Another student at LHS, senior Colin Morabito, also shares a passion for photography. Morabito first gained an interest in taking photos when he joined Instagram freshman year and began to share his photographs with the community. Morabito now has 588 followers on Instagram at his account, @coligula.

“After joining Instagram, I started submitting pictures to the Daily Herald for photo contests and I actually won a couple of times,” said Morabito.
Morabito has used the same camera since freshman year, a Sony NEX-5N, but most of his photos on Instagram are actually taken with his phone. His photos contain a wide range of subjects like nature, abstract images, portraits and optical illusions. Through his photos, he expresses everyday moments and makes them extraordinary.

“People are probably my favorite thing to take pictures of,” Morabito stated. “I think they add something to the photos.”
Morabito has won multiple awards because of his photography success. As a freshman, Morabito repeatedly won the Daily Herald photo contests. Recently, Morabito was the winning designer for the District 128 Mission Statement Design Contest. The contest was open to all LHS and VHHS students, and Morabito’s winning design will be showcased districtwide and in all printed materials.

Last year, one of his photos was also chosen to be placed in the Perspective Group and Photography Gallery in Evanston. Morabito’s selected photo contained the image of mannequin legs illuminated by light from a window. Morabito’s photo was one of the few selected out of 570 images submitted from 211 students who attend VHHS and LHS.

Morabito has taken multiple photography classes at LHS including Digital Photo 1 and Photo Studio, and he is now currently taking AP Portfolio along with Munoz. In AP portfolio, he is currently experimenting with the concept of taking surreal pictures that look real.