My History With Photography

I went to a photography studio lighting class about a week ago. It was the first time I have taken any photography classes since my University days, and I thought I would use the local community class to learn some new things. As many of you already know, I worked as a darkroom technician in high school at the local newspaper. My job was developing film, printing halftones (the process of printing photos made up of tiny little dots for printing in the paper) and printing photos that the community members would buy if there was a picture in the paper they wanted for themselves.

I became very familiar with the solitary life of a photographer, spending my time in the complete darkness opening film canisters and winding film onto little metal reels and then loading several reels into a metal container with a heavy plastic lid. I could then turn on the lights and add the developing chemicals and stand and shake the container periodically as I watched the clock. Once the film was finished I would rinse it thoroughly and hang it to dry. I would then use the enlarging machine to make contact sheets from the negatives for the photographer, which they would use to pick the photos they wanted to use in the paper that week. (I already feel like a bit of a dinosaur because now with digital cameras, printing is done so much more efficiently. I’m barely into my thirties and already saying, “back in my day…”)

Once the photos were chosen I would print the photos on an enlarger using a special screen to create the little dots that made up the picture. I would then inspect the picture to make sure that none of the dots were too big or too little, too close together or too far apart. If they were, I would go back and use the dodge and burn technique to increase or decrease the amount of light hitting the paper until I would get it right and send it off for use by the printer. This is how I became interested in photography and decided to major in it at school.

I applied to the photography department and was accepted. I only made it through the first year though, before deciding that it wasn’t for me. Partly because I felt very out of place among the others in my classes. There is a certain amount of arrogance among the creative types, and a greater amount of competition. All of our projects were critiqued by the class, and having really no training in taking photos, I was just plain overwhelmed. I changed my major and decided that it would make a better hobby.

I have still kept an interest in photography, and although I also worked as a photographer’s assistant, I mostly did weddings which are a completely different genre than studio work. So this is why I signed up for the class last week. I went there expecting a bunch of novices and found myself feeling just as I did when I was a freshman— in over my head. These people all had their awesome cameras with the huge lenses and many were making their livings as photographers. I really enjoyed the class, and learned a lot about studio lighting and equipment. I would now know what to do in a studio if I ever get the chance to use one, and there are many lighting techniques that will be useful in the photos I’m taking now of the kids etc. I decided to play the role of the “clueless one” in class, and asked a lot of questions and observed. Of course there was that guy that thought he needed to tell me everything he knows about photography. I expect there is a guy, or girl, like that in every class. In many ways I miss being a student, but in so many other ways I don’t miss it at all!

I followed Banna’s guidelines for alternate headlines (it was hard!):

“Amateur Photographer Bores Many With History”, “Lighting, and Cameras, and Classes,…oh my!”, “Chicken Out And Blame it on Arrogant Artists”

Enjoy, you may not see this again 🙂