Students filled into the photo room once again as yearbook staff reshot all freshman, sophomore, junior, and staff portraits due to quality issues that impacted production. Retakes took place Jan. 7 and 8 during English and Social Studies classes, with a final makeup session on Jan. 14. Despite the setback, the yearbook remains on track for its scheduled release. Yearbook advisor Emmet Cullen’s mission is to produce the highest quality yearbooks possible.

The decision to retake photos was left to Cullen, but was also a collaboration with him and Assistant principal Tina Perez who helped to schedule the time when English and Social Studies classes were in session to retake their photos. 

“[Perez] was very helpful in sending out call slips and then tracking who did and didn’t take their pictures,” Cullen said.

The decision to reshoot yearbook photos stemmed from the excessive editing required to fix the original images. Rather than submitting lower-quality photos that students might be unhappy with, yearbook adviser Cullen opted for a full retake. Seniors were unaffected by the decision, as their portraits-taken by Legend Sports Photography at an off-campus studio-were of significantly higher quality compared to those shot on campus.

Originally yearbook had a contract with Legend Sports Photography, but weren’t satisfied with the outcome of the photos, so they decided to switch companies to the Camarillo based Monarch Photography. This company has worked with Buena in the past, along with Ventura High School and Foothill Technology High School.

“I think it’s good that we went through the process of replacing [a majority of the photos], so we didn’t have a bad yearbook,” senior Bella Bruno said. “I’m excited, I think it’s going to be a good yearbook.”