(Chronicle photo by Kelly Cambrel) Senior photography student Rachel Molenda uses digital media for her Extended Image art project. Students will showcase their work tonight in Hagerstown.

Shepherd University photography students will present work in the Extended Image exhibition this evening from 6 to 9 p.m., a one night event.

According to Stephanie Robbins, professor of photography and computer imagery, the show is the culmination of the semester’s work for a class that allows students an unorthodox learning experience.

“The focus of the class is presentation. The presentation that you choose will help communicate your message to a viewer more effectively. Sometimes that’s a frame but maybe not,” she said

Robbins said the class was originally intended to be a fun alternative to traditional art classes but has become an opportunity to give students the experience of approaching the art-making process in a more real-life way.

“Year by the year the students have turned it into what it is. They’ve defined the process. It’s become more professional, and I’m happy about what it has become,” she said

Though the students report experiencing stress and anxiety over producing an art exhibition for the first time, they express enthusiasm for the event.

Ashley Hoffman, a senior photography student, will present a representational self-portrait through digital collage and “environmental factors,” including her own office furniture. The final product being shown tonight is the end result of a whole art-making process that began with an idea.

“Extended Image is about the process of taking an idea and experimenting with different ways to present it and ultimately discovering the best way to show it in a space,” Hoffman said.

According to Rachel Molenda, another senior photography student, the show’s venue is an important aspect of the art being shown and has offered the class an opportunity to contribute to the local community.

“One of the goals of Extended Image is to take art out of the gallery and put it in an alternative exhibition space like the Grand and other abandoned warehouse spaces. The space affects the way your work is perceived,” Molenda said

The space will showcase the individual work of 15 photographers and includes the use of video, performance, sound, installation and photography.

Extended Image is a one night event, free to all members of the public and will begin at 6 p.m. at The Grand, 20 W. Washington St. in downtown Hagerstown.