In 10 years, when the class of 2003 is planning its first reunion and memories of the faces and fun times of senior year have faded, the school yearbook and its photographs will bring them back to life.

That's a lot of responsibility for young photographers, but one they thankfully take on each year.

This week, we're highlighting some of the best yearbook photographs from across the area and featuring a sampling of some of the student photographers who took them:

Westside High School

Junior Brent Carter, 18, says that when he's taking potential yearbook photos, he looks for the natural angle.

"You don't want a picture that looks posed," he said. "I like to take pictures of people who don't know they're being photographed. They act more natural that way."

Brent says that he looks for everyday students displaying their school spirit in his action shots. He counts photography as one of his favorite pastimes and has taken several classes to improve his skills.Lakeside High School

Patrick Allison, who graduated Saturday and will attend Berry College in the fall, considers aesthetic qualities when taking pictures for the yearbook.

"I didn't take artistic pictures," he said. "I just wanted to get the feeling across and what it was like to be there.

"The yearbook is memories, so I want them to think back and remember how high school was and what they can get out of it."

With only two years of photography experience, Patrick doesn't want to be a photographer. He's more interested in layout and design, something he will pursue at Berry.

Thomson High School

Junior Courtney Wallace 17, has wanted to be a photographer since seventh grade.

"One of my adult friends is a photographer and she took me with her one day and she let me take some pictures with her, and ever since then, I take pictures all the time," Courtney said.

For the yearbook, Courtney prefers photographing people in their natural environment rather than having them pose for the camera. "I just look at something that we can all look back on as a funny time or a memory," Courtney said.

South Aiken High School

Sophomore Jenalyn Ingersoll said her favorite subject matter is sports when taking yearbook photos.

"I think I'm partial to soccer because I play, but track is really fun to take pictures of because with track there are so many things going on," she said.

Jenalyn, who wants to pursue a career in photojournalism, looks for the composition of the photo and tries to follow the subjects and figure out what their next actions will be.

"I want people to be caught in the moment of the picture, as if they are there," Jenalyn said.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

Your high school yearbook will be your key to the past. In years to come, when your memories of classmates are a little fuzzy and football games are almost forgotten, your yearbook will be there to remind you.

But just because it's sentimental doesn't mean it can't be fun. Here are a few of the fun yearbook projects we've heard about:

Harlem High School made its yearbook interactive with a scratch-and-sniff edition.

"We've got a picture of a bus on one page, and it says something like, 'There's nothing like the smell of diesel fuel in the morning,"' said Steve Strickland, the yearbook adviser for Harlem. "We're putting a sticker that smells like diesel fuel there."

Other scratch and sniffs include jelly doughnuts and sweaty gym socks - yuck.

Lakeside High School's theme this year is "Against All Odds." The cover design features a heat-activated sensor in the shape of an "O," which reveals the numbers "2003" when rubbed.

Westside High School this year has its first all-color yearbook. The cover design was drawn by Cassie Ejma, an advanced placement art student.

Reach Jennifer Hilliard or Amy Connell at (706) 724-0851