The re-acclimation to academia.

[a_bit_of_wit_2]

It's very gratifying, going back to school. I'm still getting used to it again, being in an academic setting. Although now, the students are all younger than I am, but not by much. In my Photo I class, I think I'm becoming some sort of unofficial TA, because of the 10 people in this class, 2 of them (myself included) have darkroom know-how. Everyone else has not. And with how fast the professor is moving, he may be unintentionally leaving some of the students new to 35mm film and black and white developing in the dust. 3 weeks in, and we're already making prints, and while I am keeping up with the work, thanks to the recollection of my Photo I class in high school...I kid you not: when I got there last night to do the assignment (create contact sheets using the 3 rolls we should've shot and developed by now), one of the students exclaimed as I entered the darkroom: "our hero has arrived!" I don't mind helping out at all--I mean, I'm not doing the work for them, I'm just offering helpful tips. This is definitely something you learn by doing...but you need the help of someone who's had lots of experience, something you can't have when you only meet your professor twice a week, and then have to spend 6-8 hours outside of class in the darkroom with your classmates who are stumbling and learning as you are. Yes, everything we need is in the textbook we have, but something like this needs to be learned by actually doing, with someone there to help you out in the beginning. I already find myself not agreeing with some of the professor's methods, instead using tactics and techniques in the darkroom I learned while in high school.

So, for those of my friends who are still in New Paltz (or surrounding area), April and I will be in New Paltz this Saturday. The intent was (and still is) to do this weekend's assignment, in which part of it involves shooting 1-2 rolls of film. Seeing friends, though, is always a plus. I know I'll be seeing a Mary and James, and we'll see what else, or who else, pops up.

Sunday afternoon and Monday evening will be spent in the darkroom for the next part of the assignment: developing those rolls I shoot Saturday, making contact sheets, and then with the 4-5 developed rolls, making 10 prints total using a couple from each roll.

The 3 rolls I've developed already for this course, I have scanned, and some of them are now up on my deviantART. I've now officially past the 200-deviation marker, so have a look, let me know, and also let me know if you're interested in buying an image as a print.

And in the meantime, I head for bed, so night, y'all.