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Must have lost my mind!
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 4:47 pm    Post subject: Must have lost my mind! Reply with quote
I've lurked and read this forum for quite some time since I cut my teeth in photography back in the 60's using my dad's Voigtlander Bessamatic.

Anyway, I'm a teacher in a Texas Middle School who's been teaching our yearbook photographers the "craft" during our extra period. I have a group that is ready for the more advanced aspects of photography other than composition, camera handling etc. Therefore, I'm about to teach them about light and how to handle it relative to the factors available to them through a camera. I know it's backwards from how it used to be done, but I can only work with what I have.

Anyway, in order to accomplish this I've decided to make them use old manual cameras and hand-held light meters. To that end, I just picked up 4 cameras from a Craig's List ad yesterday. So now, I've gone from 1 old SLR (Miranda Sensorex II) to 5 in one fell swoop! A Nikon FM, a Pentax Spotmatic SP1000, a Miranda Sensorex (1st series) and a tempermental Konica Autoreflex A!

I'm about to have a bunch of 14 year olds running around shooting film with manual cameras and Weston meters! Am I a teacher or a relic!?!

Last edited by schen on Mon May 10, 2010 6:10 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Welcome to the forum and good for you in passing the interest on.


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
We will see when you post their photos!


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
welcome schen
have a nice stay with us


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Welcome to the board and have a fun with manual lenses ..

We also appreciate that you're a teacher Wink

tf


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Welcome and enjoy your stay!


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Welcome aboard!!

Cheers, M.-


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
So who told him about his thread title? Laughing Never mind.

Welcome!


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
They'll love it... retro is very in at the moment, or so I am led to believe by young folk. Very Happy

K.


PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've found that an understanding of the film process has helped me tremendously in digital photography.

Kudos to you for your initiative, and best of luck to your students. Cool Let us know if there is anything we can do to help!


PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2010 3:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Scheimpflug wrote:
I've found that an understanding of the film process has helped me tremendously in digital photography.

Kudos to you for your initiative, and best of luck to your students. Cool Let us know if there is anything we can do to help!


I agree completely. In fact, I credit much of my generally seamless conversion to digital comes from the basic experience learned from handling the pretty basic Bessamatic.

As a matter of fact, some of the first photographs I remember were slides taken in New Zealand by my father when he worked there. Your country had such an impact on him that he named me for his Kiwi friend from Auckland!

I'll definitely use this forum as a resource as necessary. I appreciate everyone's warm welcomes.


PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2010 3:52 am    Post subject: Welcome Reply with quote
As an ex teacher I applaud your efforts, good luck Smile

Doug


PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2010 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Teach them and keep them using film Wink
Sure they won't have that instant gratification (IMO is a good thing when learning, it won't allow them to become lazy and take a shot of 'everything' until they land a good one, they actually have to pick and choose a good shot!) but they'll get better results too. Meaning you won't have to teach them the in's and out's of photoshop as well Very Happy

Film is regaining its popularity slowly


PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2010 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Neare wrote:
Teach them and keep them using film Wink
Sure they won't have that instant gratification (IMO is a good thing when learning, it won't allow them to become lazy and take a shot of 'everything' until they land a good one, they actually have to pick and choose a good shot!) but they'll get better results too. Meaning you won't have to teach them the in's and out's of photoshop as well Very Happy

Film is regaining its popularity slowly


I completely agree with you on the use of film slowing them down and making them think about the picture instead of snapping away. It's just so hard for them since they've known nothing but instant gratification their entire life.

Just getting them to understand that "light" is the thing that they work with the most vs. the subject is challenging in and of itself. There's just so much more that kids of my generation (I'm 49 now) knew about photography because our cameras didn't do as much, that it's been kind of difficult to try and figure out what they don't know. I remember so many times that I stood there with the camera to my eye and hearing my father's voice in my ear talking me through the process of what I was seeing. There was time to hear him since there wasn't a microprocessor instantaneously making all the calculations and adjustments already without my intervention. Then knowing that when I pressed the shutter that it was permanent and I'd have to live with the results vs. being able to simply delete it.

I told them that we were in the process of teaching them to become "photographers" instead of "snap-shooters". Photography by intention vs. photography by accident!


PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2010 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Smile Smile Smile Smile

Painting with light indeed, not heading for a masters in digital manipulation!

Doug

Painting with light indeed, not heading for a masters in digital manipulation!

schen wrote:
Neare wrote:
Teach them and keep them using film Wink
Sure they won't have that instant gratification (IMO is a good thing when learning, it won't allow them to become lazy and take a shot of 'everything' until they land a good one, they actually have to pick and choose a good shot!) but they'll get better results too. Meaning you won't have to teach them the in's and out's of photoshop as well Very Happy

Film is regaining its popularity slowly


I completely agree with you on the use of film slowing them down and making them think about the picture instead of snapping away. It's just so hard for them since they've known nothing but instant gratification their entire life.

Just getting them to understand that "light" is the thing that they work with the most vs. the subject is challenging in and of itself. There's just so much more that kids of my generation (I'm 49 now) knew about photography because our cameras didn't do as much, that it's been kind of difficult to try and figure out what they don't know. I remember so many times that I stood there with the camera to my eye and hearing my father's voice in my ear talking me through the process of what I was seeing. There was time to hear him since there wasn't a microprocessor instantaneously making all the calculations and adjustments already without my intervention. Then knowing that when I pressed the shutter that it was permanent and I'd have to live with the results vs. being able to simply delete it.

I told them that we were in the process of teaching them to become "photographers" instead of "snap-shooters". Photography by intention vs. photography by accident!


PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2010 12:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
I'm about to have a bunch of 14 year olds running around shooting film with manual cameras and Weston meters! Am I a teacher or a relic!?!

You are a visionary!! Very Happy So much more thought needed in film photography...good on you...I hope you make it come alive to them.
Will you be teaching film development next?? Wink


PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
mo wrote:
Will you be teaching film development next?? Wink


I wish I could, however; gone are the days that every school was built with a darkroom! I would love to be able to do at least Black & White. At least for me, there was nothing quite as magical as watching an image appear on the paper in a tray of developer! All through High School, I had a darkroom attached to my room and would often stay up much of the night after a school football game processing the film and printing.

Let me throw out my first lesson and see if anyone has input before its slated to be taught on Monday.

Lesson 1: Overview of Factors in the Control of Light
* Film speed
* Shutter speed
* Lens speed/f-stops
adendum- "Sunny 16" rule

After which they will be sent out with film and manual cameras with either no or non-functioning meters to shoot a roll. And a pad to record their settings.


PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2010 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Neare wrote:
Teach them and keep them using film Wink


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pphVs8bF0 Wink


PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2010 7:45 pm    Post subject: They're loose! Reply with quote
So, I've just set 4, 14 year old 8th graders loose on the world with 45 year old film cameras! They are equiped with nothing but the "Sunny 16" rule.

The two cameras with batteries in them (Nikon FM & Pentax SP1000) have had them removed. The other 2 have Mirandas, a Sensorex & a Sensorex II.

They've been taught the rudimentaries of understanding the concept of "a stop" of light and how the progressions of "f stops" & shutter speeds work, as well as the concept of film speed.

So now they have an assignment to shoot half a roll of 24exp. ISO 200 film outside on largely static subjects and make adjustments to the controls based on changes in light, DOF needs and or subject matter.

Next, week, we'll move on to more dynamic subjects and see how they do.


PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2010 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Would you be allowed to show the results here??


PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 1:32 am    Post subject: Re: Results Reply with quote
mo wrote:
Would you be allowed to show the results here??


I'll look into that. I'd really like to do that if possible.


PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I would love to see the results, every frame ( if that was possible without using all the bandwidth ) just to see if the concept is easily grasped by young people who accept digital media as the norm.

My guess is they will, 'digital' makes no real difference to those basics.
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