FID (Film is Dead)

[P. J. Alling]

Paul there's no hope for you.  You truly are Candide.
 
Paul Stenquist wrote:
> There are some minor benefits to teaching photography the old way,  
> but it's quickly becoming an anachronism. For today's photographer  
> learning digital processing is much more important than learning to  
> work with chemicals. That's a dead end. You can teach exposure  
> without having to force students to shoot with antiques. Just set up  
> some heavily weighted exposure compensation situations and make them  
> work for their knowledge. Studying Latin is more productive than  
> studying film photography.
> Paul
> On Aug 4, 2007, at 6:44 PM, P. J. Alling wrote:
>
>   
>> With two darkroom courses this community college has as much resources
>> invested as the University of Rhode Island did 30 years ago,  long
>> before the digital revolution.  Besides given that there's no "basic"
>> digital camera that will force students to learn something about
>> exposure, old film cameras are probably the only way to teach those
>> skills, and if you're using film you might as well learn darkroom,  
>> which
>> also overlaps with fine art lithography.
>>
>> George Sinos wrote:
>>     
>>> If the mission of a community college is to prepare students for the
>>> workplace, training them in the skills of darkroom technique, as
>>> opposed to photoshop and digital phtography really misses the point.
>>>
>>> When resources are scarce, you have to focus on your goals.
>>>
>>> See you later, gs
>>> http://georgesphotos.net
>>>
>>> On 8/3/07, Scott Loveless <pdml at twosixteen.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote:
>>>>
>>>>         
>>>>> Several professors I know who teach photography around the USA  
>>>>> and in
>>>>> Europe at prominent universities/colleges were telling me four/five
>>>>> years ago that their school administration had closed down funding
>>>>> for new film cameras/wet lab equipment and were putting plans in
>>>>> place to replace all of their equipment with digital cameras, image
>>>>> processing workstations, etc. I think film/wet lab courses by  
>>>>> now are
>>>>> the exception rather than the rule in most college photography  
>>>>> programs.
>>>>>
>>>>> Godfrey
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>           
>>>> I think you're probably right.  Very few schools that I've looked  
>>>> into
>>>> lately have had traditional photo courses.  Many have canceled their
>>>> photography courses altogether, or reduced them to one or two  
>>>> electives
>>>> in an arts program.
>>>>
>>>> A few years ago, when we were living in St. Louis, the community  
>>>> college
>>>> offered photo courses that required darkroom work.  These courses  
>>>> often
>>>> filled well before the start of the semester.  They still offer the
>>>> course but I don't know anything about the enrollment anymore.  The
>>>> Harrisburg Community College (near our current home) still offers
>>>> traditional photo courses with darkroom work.  These courses fill to
>>>> capacity often within a few days.  My latest inquiry resulted in an
>>>> offer to be put on a waiting list longer than twice the size  
>>>> limit of
>>>> the class.
>>>>
>>>> There is a publicly available darkroom at an arts center about 20  
>>>> miles
>>>> from here.  They recommend a reservation if you want to use the  
>>>> facility
>>>> on the weekend.
>>>>
>>>> But still, most schools aren't even offering the courses  
>>>> anymore.  With
>>>> the demand around here (not exactly a major metropolitan area), I  
>>>> can't
>>>> help but wonder why not.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Scott Loveless
>>>> http://www.twosixteen.com/fivetoedsloth/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
>>>> PDML at pdml.net
>>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>         
>>>       
>> -- 
>> The difference between Microsoft and 'Jurassic Park':
>> In one, a mad businessman makes a lot of money with beasts that  
>> should be extinct.
>> The other is a film.
>>   -- Unattributed
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
>> PDML at pdml.net
>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
>>     
>
>
>   


-- 
The difference between Microsoft and 'Jurassic Park':
In one, a mad businessman makes a lot of money with beasts that should be extinct.
The other is a film.
  -- Unattributed