“You can’t teach talent, but you can nurture it.And Bainbridge High School is reaping the rewards, in the form of Washington State High School Photography Competition prizes.(Photography teacher) Linda Holsman is always encouraging, and that’s what counts, says 17-year-old Alysha Perisho, whose photo secured first place in the competition’s Abstract division. Maggie Walter came in third in the same division, and their photos will be exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum during June.The photos on display are surprisingly sophisticated, said Kelly Atkinson, co-ordinator for the competition.This is the second year BHS has entered the photography competition, with markedly improved results. Last year, island students came in seventh in the overall competition and fifth in the abstract division. This year, Bainbridge was fifth in team scoring, with Brooke Faltermeier securing fifth in handcoloring, Andy Yeckler sixth in the computer category, and several students receiving honorable mention. Holsman said she encourages her students to photograph whatever matters to them, from skateboarders to boats. I tell them to play, to have fun, to take risks and push beyond the traditional, she said.”