Illford Photo: Defend The Darkroom

[Brian Ellis]

At the university where I taught a photography course in the fine arts college for a year (1999-2000) there used to be at least three darkrooms, one in the school of journalism, one in the student union for general student use, and one in the college of fine arts. The first two were eliminated right around the time I started. I don't know what happened to the one in the fine arts college. When I left it was still going but was facing a fight from other departements that wanted the space and the money. I think it's going to be a sad day for traditional darkroom printing equipment and materials if most high schools, tech schools, and colleges close their darkrooms. I think students are about the only single major customer group left for traditional darkroom stuff.

[Ted Felton]

All this talk about schools is interesting. I guess we're behind the times here in Arkansas. The community college where I teach photography just expanded the photography program. I just resurrected an unused darkroom so now we have two operating. The school also gave us extra money and bought us a new large-format camera plus other eqipment, and we took over three classrooms in order to expand; one for a new photo studio and two for painting and drawing.

[Nate Battles]

That's awesome! That same college I attended that expelled their darkroom was thinking about a new digital photography class. Get this, while my photo prof. was on sabbatical, he toured a few college photo programs. Some of these schools had completely switched to digital and were actually just emailing photos to the prof. and he would grade them and email them back. The class only met a couple times a semester! My prof. was really thinking of adopting this program, I tried to convince him that a photography class needs group critique. Well I don't know if he ever adopted that program or not, but it raises some interesting discussion.

[paulr]

... I tried to convince him that a photography class needs group critique. Well I don't know if he ever adopted that program or not, but it raises some interesting discussion.

photo class without a group critique sounds pathetic! why not just stay home and take a correspondence course?

[David Spivak-Focus Magazine]

Just as a follow-up to this, Ilford Photo seems to have some kind of new campaign that they want to launch. They recently contacted me to setup an appointment and have scheduled a meeting with me during PhotoPlus to talk to me about this new campaign. It sounds very exciting. I'm looking forward to meeting with their PR reps.

[Mark Sawyer]

As a high school photo teacher, I can offer the following: The state of Arizona changed its standards this year, mandating that all photography courses be digital. The amount of funding allocated to my program to make the change: $0.00.

As I have two older computers, two Rebel XT's, 5 digital point-and-shoots, one scanner and my own personal printer for five classes a day totallling 167 students, we're just keeping the darkroom going out of necessity. The kids don't mind; they sit at computers all day anyway...

BTW, at the high school level, the classes are classified as vocational, although more than 90% of the students are taking it for their fine arts credit. Pretty much a complete disconnect from reality...

[efsawyer]

GREAT.

Keepin' the Faith.

efsawyer

[CG]

the wave of universities ditching their darkrooms strikes me as odd. academia has always embraced the cutting edge, but it's also been a great bastion of historical methods. these same art departments teach lithography and charcoal drawing and stone sculpting!

i can understand the darkrooms shrinking, and maybe becoming "alternative" workspaces for advanced students, but it's surprising to see them vanish from so many institutions.

There's the appearance educational institutions have an impetus to go only to the cutting edge, where the "action" appears to be. Too much trendiness and too many educational fads. Look at the parade of ways math has been taught.

C

[Andrew_4548]

It's great news from Ilford and let's hope it spills over out of just the college arena into other areas. In my local camera club, there's only two out of approx 25 that are still using film and darkrooms. Talking to Richard Ross of RH Designs a while back when I bought some equipment, he was saying that the UK is one of the few places where there's been a massive shift over to digital for both the consumer and pro end so it's become a marketing man's dream location for new / updated / whizzbang electronic "toys." Whereas places like the States are still heavily into the darkroom and film usage.

Let's see if I can find anything out at the upcoming Focus on Imaging show in February...

[Wayne]

As a high school photo teacher, I can offer the following: The state of Arizona changed its standards this year, mandating that all photography courses be digital.

Say what? And why??


Wayne