The loss of High School Photography Classes

VaughnA · 03-02-2010, 11:27 AM

Originally posted by little laker

That's because you didn't have a darkroom to make out in

I think that was part of the punchline.

The high school where I spent most of my time didn't have a darkroom. My father was an X-Ray Tech in a small doctors office so I could develop my film in his darkroom. It was a pretty nice setup as I could run my film through is x-ray film processor to develop the film. I'd then go home with the negatives for enlarging. Ilford was his supplier and they gave me a lot of free film as well.

Blue · 03-02-2010, 01:55 PM

Our darkroom was reserved for the photographer for the school paper. There were about 3 of us and we had the "In use" light on a lot.

We never had any teachers that were into photography and it was passed down from "class" to "class" so to speak. The funny part is it was next door to the Principal's office. Sadly, I don't have many of those images left and I'm guessing a lot of the archives has gotten lost over the years. I need to get hold of my partner in crime and see if he has anything left. The existence of the dark room was unknown to most students except for a few young ladies.

The lines would go something like: "Do you want to go down and crank a knob in the dark?"

How juvenile . . . oh wait we were.

Its amazing how many times it worked.

Edit: The interesting thing is that we were doing medium format and no 135.

little laker · 03-02-2010, 03:49 PM

I spoke to a forensic photographer earlier today, and she was saying that she really misses the darkroom. Some arts of her job were easier, especially dealing with ultraviolet photography.. which they still have to do from time to time.
When the art is lost it'll be a sad day.

Blue · 03-02-2010, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by little laker

I spoke to a forensic photographer earlier today, and she was saying that she really misses the darkroom. Some arts of her job were easier, especially dealing with ultraviolet photography.. which they still have to do from time to time.
When the art is lost it'll be a sad day.

I'd really like to try out the Pentax 85mm U.V. lens but can't justify $4K even if I had the money laying around. It would actually be interesting in pollination studies. That would be my only hope of ever being able to justify getting one.

little laker · 03-02-2010, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by Blue

I'd really like to try out the Pentax 85mm U.V. lens but can't justify $4K even if I had the money laying around. It would actually be interesting in pollination studies. That would be my only hope of ever being able to justify getting one.

I know that she shoots Nikon gear, while working. However I don't know what lenses, or anything else she uses are.
It might be interesting taking a look at her kit, they probably have some cool lenses and what not.
I was surprised that they were shooting consumer grade film, before the change to digital. I somehow ended up with a few rolls of it

**ChrisPlatt** · 03-02-2010, 07:04 PM

My New York City junior high school photography shop had small darkroom with an Omega B66 enlarger.
Each student made a pinhole camera and developed the 126 film in a daylight tank with an apron reel.
We must have printed some photos but I have no recollection of doing so.

In 1975, the year I entered high school, New York City was in the midst of a major fiscal crisis.
No New Yorker will forget the NY Daily News headline that Fall FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD

My high school had no photography class, and no working darkroom that I was aware of.
These were no doubt victims of budget cuts.

It wasn't until college in the early 1980's that I got into a real, fully-equipped darkroom.

Chris

Das Boot · 03-02-2010, 08:07 PM

Believe it or not, my middle school had a dark room, but my high school didn't. The HS had a low power radio station, a swimming pool, automobile shop with 4 racks, etc. but they couldn't find a closet for a dark room.

lithos · 03-02-2010, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by Das Boot

Believe it or not, my middle school had a dark room, but my high school didn't. The HS had a low power radio station, a swimming pool, automobile shop with 4 racks, etc. but they couldn't find a closet for a dark room.

Ah, yes. My school spent $10,000 getting new uniforms for the rugby team, one year. The teacher/coach (had to coach something to teach at my school, which probably explains why so many of 'em just copied out lessons verbatim from their textbooks, and we lost that cool history teacher who actually knew stuff,) then spent the rest of his days swanning about in the gear he'd bought. Started calling him Mr. Kooga.

Too bad by then we'd lost all the PNG students who could actually play rugby, and we got booted down into the loser league.

This was about the same time we lost the registered nurse the law required us to have on hand 24 hours a day...

reeftool · 03-03-2010, 09:54 AM

Originally posted by little laker

I spoke to a forensic photographer earlier today, and she was saying that she really misses the darkroom. Some arts of her job were easier, especially dealing with ultraviolet photography.. which they still have to do from time to time.
When the art is lost it'll be a sad day.

When that big solar flare hits during the 2012 sunspot cycle and fries all the electronics, I'll have my Spotmatic loaded and ready to record all the fun.

Wheatfield · 03-03-2010, 12:10 PM

We had two darkrooms at my school. One was an IA lab for grade 8 and 9 kids, the other was the SRC lab and was used primarily for printing yearbook pictures and making out with the girls.
It's sad that these things are passing, but the harsh reality is, film has had it's day and is on the way out.
Teaching the technical end of photography these days is better left as an adjunct of the computer science program.

Leaf Fan · 03-03-2010, 02:24 PM

I went to a highschool that had two separate buildings. Long before my time one building was for the boys and one building was for the girls. The darkroom was in the girls building......what a waste (at least from a guy's perspective).

perception-of-light · 03-06-2010, 08:37 PM

I am currently in High School and I have been begging my school to even offer a photography class... i to love film and i am trying to build my own dark room..... The closest thing i have to a photography class is from my Honors English III teacher and he has taken my friend and i under his wing and we are making our way to the top

lithos · 03-07-2010, 02:38 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

Teaching the technical end of photography these days is better left as an adjunct of the computer science program.

So what you're saying is that photography's f*cked, right?

Man, if it gets into the hands of the IT nerds...madre de dios.

"All right, class, listen up. Today, we're going to be going over our photographic theory. Now, repeat after me: 'I'm a better photographer than you because I have a 5D and the 24-70mm f2.8 L USM, because it's what all the pros use.' Yes, I will be marking you down severely if you use anything else, and you WILL fail if you use something other than a Canon."

Wheatfield · 03-07-2010, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by lithos

So what you're saying is that photography's f*cked, right?

No, but it has changed.
I don't really know how anyone can compare digital photography to silver based photography with a straight face.
They are two different animals.

er1kksen · 03-08-2010, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

No, but it has changed.
I don't really know how anyone can compare digital photography to silver based photography with a straight face.
They are two different animals.

Well, they're both based around lighting, composition, and subject to produce a good image via exposure of a medium through a lens, aperture, and shutter with good technique (which is largely the same).

So yeah, different animals, like a tiger and a jaguar. One has stripes, and the other has spots, but they do pretty much the same thing when it comes down to it.

03-02-2010, 07:04 PM	#21
ChrisPlatt Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Rockaway Beach NYC Posts: 7,693	My New York City junior high school photography shop had small darkroom with an Omega B66 enlarger. Each student made a pinhole camera and developed the 126 film in a daylight tank with an apron reel. We must have printed some photos but I have no recollection of doing so. In 1975, the year I entered high school, New York City was in the midst of a major fiscal crisis. No New Yorker will forget the NY Daily News headline that Fall FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD My high school had no photography class, and no working darkroom that I was aware of. These were no doubt victims of budget cuts. It wasn't until college in the early 1980's that I got into a real, fully-equipped darkroom. Chris Last edited by ChrisPlatt; 03-06-2010 at 09:21 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Recommendations for Online Photography Classes	Gchumway	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	2	09-13-2010 07:25 AM
Photography classes	Naturenut	Photographic Technique	18	05-28-2010 12:34 PM
Sports High School Soccer	Scottnorwo	Post Your Photos!	2	09-28-2009 07:41 PM
Online Photography Classes?	poochie99	General Talk	4	12-10-2008 02:30 PM
photography leisure classes	ronald_durst	General Talk	4	02-24-2008 06:15 PM

03-02-2010, 11:27 AM	#16
VaughnA Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,363 Original Poster	Originally posted by little laker That's because you didn't have a darkroom to make out in I think that was part of the punchline. The high school where I spent most of my time didn't have a darkroom. My father was an X-Ray Tech in a small doctors office so I could develop my film in his darkroom. It was a pretty nice setup as I could run my film through is x-ray film processor to develop the film. I'd then go home with the negatives for enlarging. Ilford was his supplier and they gave me a lot of free film as well.

03-02-2010, 01:55 PM	#17
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Our darkroom was reserved for the photographer for the school paper. There were about 3 of us and we had the "In use" light on a lot. We never had any teachers that were into photography and it was passed down from "class" to "class" so to speak. The funny part is it was next door to the Principal's office. Sadly, I don't have many of those images left and I'm guessing a lot of the archives has gotten lost over the years. I need to get hold of my partner in crime and see if he has anything left. The existence of the dark room was unknown to most students except for a few young ladies. The lines would go something like: "Do you want to go down and crank a knob in the dark?" How juvenile . . . oh wait we were. Its amazing how many times it worked. Edit: The interesting thing is that we were doing medium format and no 135.

03-02-2010, 03:49 PM	#18
little laker Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,697	I spoke to a forensic photographer earlier today, and she was saying that she really misses the darkroom. Some arts of her job were easier, especially dealing with ultraviolet photography.. which they still have to do from time to time. When the art is lost it'll be a sad day.

03-02-2010, 05:26 PM	#19
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by little laker I spoke to a forensic photographer earlier today, and she was saying that she really misses the darkroom. Some arts of her job were easier, especially dealing with ultraviolet photography.. which they still have to do from time to time. When the art is lost it'll be a sad day. I'd really like to try out the Pentax 85mm U.V. lens but can't justify $4K even if I had the money laying around. It would actually be interesting in pollination studies. That would be my only hope of ever being able to justify getting one.

03-02-2010, 05:54 PM	#20
little laker Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,697	Originally posted by Blue I'd really like to try out the Pentax 85mm U.V. lens but can't justify $4K even if I had the money laying around. It would actually be interesting in pollination studies. That would be my only hope of ever being able to justify getting one. I know that she shoots Nikon gear, while working. However I don't know what lenses, or anything else she uses are. It might be interesting taking a look at her kit, they probably have some cool lenses and what not. I was surprised that they were shooting consumer grade film, before the change to digital. I somehow ended up with a few rolls of it

03-02-2010, 08:07 PM	#22
Das Boot Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sparkle City, South Cackalacky Photos: Gallery Posts: 689	Believe it or not, my middle school had a dark room, but my high school didn't. The HS had a low power radio station, a swimming pool, automobile shop with 4 racks, etc. but they couldn't find a closet for a dark room.

03-02-2010, 09:33 PM	#23
lithos Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brisbane, QLD, AUS Posts: 3,261	Originally posted by Das Boot Believe it or not, my middle school had a dark room, but my high school didn't. The HS had a low power radio station, a swimming pool, automobile shop with 4 racks, etc. but they couldn't find a closet for a dark room. Ah, yes. My school spent $10,000 getting new uniforms for the rugby team, one year. The teacher/coach (had to coach something to teach at my school, which probably explains why so many of 'em just copied out lessons verbatim from their textbooks, and we lost that cool history teacher who actually knew stuff,) then spent the rest of his days swanning about in the gear he'd bought. Started calling him Mr. Kooga. Too bad by then we'd lost all the PNG students who could actually play rugby, and we got booted down into the loser league. This was about the same time we lost the registered nurse the law required us to have on hand 24 hours a day...

03-03-2010, 09:54 AM	#24
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,554	Originally posted by little laker I spoke to a forensic photographer earlier today, and she was saying that she really misses the darkroom. Some arts of her job were easier, especially dealing with ultraviolet photography.. which they still have to do from time to time. When the art is lost it'll be a sad day. When that big solar flare hits during the 2012 sunspot cycle and fries all the electronics, I'll have my Spotmatic loaded and ready to record all the fun.

03-03-2010, 12:10 PM	#25
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	We had two darkrooms at my school. One was an IA lab for grade 8 and 9 kids, the other was the SRC lab and was used primarily for printing yearbook pictures and making out with the girls. It's sad that these things are passing, but the harsh reality is, film has had it's day and is on the way out. Teaching the technical end of photography these days is better left as an adjunct of the computer science program.

03-03-2010, 02:24 PM	#26
Leaf Fan Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada eh! Photos: Gallery Posts: 673	I went to a highschool that had two separate buildings. Long before my time one building was for the boys and one building was for the girls. The darkroom was in the girls building......what a waste (at least from a guy's perspective).

03-06-2010, 08:37 PM	#27
perception-of-light Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Charlotte NC Posts: 50	I am currently in High School and I have been begging my school to even offer a photography class... i to love film and i am trying to build my own dark room..... The closest thing i have to a photography class is from my Honors English III teacher and he has taken my friend and i under his wing and we are making our way to the top

03-07-2010, 02:38 AM	#28
lithos Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brisbane, QLD, AUS Posts: 3,261	Originally posted by Wheatfield Teaching the technical end of photography these days is better left as an adjunct of the computer science program. So what you're saying is that photography's f*cked, right? Man, if it gets into the hands of the IT nerds...madre de dios. "All right, class, listen up. Today, we're going to be going over our photographic theory. Now, repeat after me: 'I'm a better photographer than you because I have a 5D and the 24-70mm f2.8 L USM, because it's what all the pros use.' Yes, I will be marking you down severely if you use anything else, and you WILL fail if you use something other than a Canon."

03-07-2010, 08:33 PM	#29
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by lithos So what you're saying is that photography's f*cked, right? No, but it has changed. I don't really know how anyone can compare digital photography to silver based photography with a straight face. They are two different animals.

03-08-2010, 07:11 AM	#30
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	Originally posted by Wheatfield No, but it has changed. I don't really know how anyone can compare digital photography to silver based photography with a straight face. They are two different animals. Well, they're both based around lighting, composition, and subject to produce a good image via exposure of a medium through a lens, aperture, and shutter with good technique (which is largely the same). So yeah, different animals, like a tiger and a jaguar. One has stripes, and the other has spots, but they do pretty much the same thing when it comes down to it.