COMMACK HIGH SCHOOL

Photographer Carlos Morales used a cell phone camera to create stunning black-and-white images of Long Island Rail Road commuters for one of his collections, La Ruta.

And on Wednesday, Morales shared technical insights from that project and his other collections with Robert Raheile’s photography students at CHS.

Morales, an immigrant from Mexico City, who learned English and photography while a student at Suffolk Community College, is now a Hunter College professor in addition to a practicing photographer.

He told the students that he prides himself on getting to know his subjects.

In fact, one of his early collections of photographs spawned from riding the bus from his home in Port Jefferson to Suffolk Community College as a student. The same set of people seemed to ride the bus with him daily, and he gained their trust and eventually photographed them.

Morales encouraged students to visit New York City for inspiration for photos. He also showed examples in his work of how balances natural and artificial light and how he relishes incorporating architectural and other lines into his work.

You can see his work at LINK.