Studying photography at college in the 1970s was a lot different to what I’d expected. The three year course was science based to produce photographers for the industrial, scientific, engineering and manufacturing type environments. Photographers from the college went on to work in research institutes, forensics, military, laboratories and commercial companies.
The first days were spent in practicing loading darkslides with 5×4 inch sheet film, the dark slide being the thin wooden box that holds the film in place in a view type camera. The idea being that you set up the camera shot using the ground glass viewing screen (Which gives you an upside down and back to front image) using the darkcloth over your head and a magnifying loupe to check focus. You then insert the darkslide and pull out the baffle and fire the shutter to expose the film, replace the baffle and remove the darkslide. Then you go and develop the film. This was an expensive and time consuming operation to take a single photo so you had to get everything right first time.
Once we’d got the basics, which included a lot of the science to do with light, lens design, chemical formulas for developing etc, we were taught how to photograph virtually anyything. It was a great course with superb lecturers and much better than the “photography art” courses in terms of learning the craft. Note: at my college there were two photography courses – Scientific Photography and Communication and Design. We shared many facilities which lead to various conflicts and the frustrations were expressed here as a Mad Primer – ( these mimicked the writing style of Dick and Jane and satirised a wide variety of subjects). Also WAY before digital photography!
I am a Communication and Design Student.
(with apolgies to Mad Magazine)
I am a Communication and Design Student
I am into Existententialism, Marxism, Buddism and Nudism
I know nothing about Photography
I am creative
I create with a camera although I do not know how a camera works
I was once shown how to use a camera by one of my lecturers but it was a long time ago
I create photographs with the lens cap on the camera
I create photographs with huge grain, dust marks and camera shake
I think my photographs are out of sight
My lecturers think my photographs are out of sight
I like my lecturers
For my assignment I will produce many photographs
Most of them will be unsharp
Most of them will be overprinted and underdeveloped
But my lecturers will like them
They will give 90% for my work
I will leave college with a degree
I will get a job designing cornflake packets
I will become rich and famous
I will have many friends
One day my work will appear in The Observer Magazine
One day I will get a job as a lecturer
I will lecture to students
I will teach them all I know about Photography, Existententialism, Marxism, Buddism and Nudism.
One lecturer had a unique way to produce architectural exteriors at night using his own special flash flares. These were a mixture of suet fat and flash powder that gave a steady, very bright burn. We set up the camera in front of the college building and placed the flares, then opened the shutter and lit them. The resulting print was absolutely gorgeous and to think we only made one exposure.
We did move on to roll film cameras and (gasp) even 35mm cameras but do I miss those days of darkrooms, noxious chemicals and waiting for negs to dry? Nope, I want my instant tree, I love my digital camera and computer.
