...And What We Can Learn From Them
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| MA Student Photogram |
Last week I was bowled over by the intelligent students at
Marin Academy, a high school in San Rafael, California. I visited to talk about
my alternative photography work to
students who, up until that point, were used to treating film and photo paper with
a traditional approach.
I walked them through the process and concepts behind the
photos, van dyke prints, glow-o-grams and photograms
that I’ve made over the years. As I moved along, the students really engaged,
asked smart questions and with each new project we discussed, I could see a
whole new world of photography was being revealed to them.
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MA Student Photogram - Detail
I love the catalog kid image and interesting folds/shadows. |
LESSON #1: Express Enthusiasm
As they visibly leaned forward in their seats, I could see
virtual light bulbs glow brighter and brighter over their heads as the new
ideas entered their thought process. They were excited about learning and they
weren’t afraid to show it. The interest was infectious and could be felt by the whole room. By sharing and
expressing their enthusiasm, they showed a genuine
side which was positively received by the larger group.
So adults, the next time you see something you really like, I
dare you to share your excitement about it with your family and friends. It
will spread positivity and help you to
connect with like-minded people.
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| Photogram Packages Out of the Changing Bag |
The concept of taking a piece of photo paper, crumpling it
and exposing it to light without a negative to create art was new to them. For
many this was out of bounds (I lived in fear of ripping photos for a long time)
but I could see the students would be able to embrace the new idea and try it without the idea ruining their world.
LESSON #2: Embrace Change
Photography has always been a medium with many transitions
from one format to another. Changes in technology constantly modify the medium and
migrate the popular concept of what it means to make a photograph.
When you get what I call a “technology smack down” that totally changes your art process, say
your camera dies or you can no longer get the materials you are used to, I
suggest you grieve it but find a way
to move on and embrace the possibilities of the new. Adults have a harder time
letting go of what they learned in the past than kids do but if we all allow our
minds to be a little more tolerant towards the change that comes at us each
day, including art making changes, I assure you, you will feel happier and less stressed.
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| Photogram Packages Head Off, into the Wild PO Yonder |
We all headed into
the darkroom and gave making photograms a chance. The project: put light sensitive, unexposed photo paper in a
package and send it through the mail. When you get it back, develop the paper
to see the resulting photogram. This is one of my example projects I shared
with them in the talk so we decided to try it.
The students manipulated the images by creating unique packages with many layers of
paper that allowed the light to pass through to produce a photogram. Everyone
put one chunky envelope in the mail hoping it would come back and be developed
into a photogram. Usually, there are a good number of papers that are fully
black and over exposed or just didn’t create an image that you like. If you are
lucky, you get one that looks good. A lot is left up to chance in this process but that’s part of the fun.
LESSON #3: Experiment More
If you are thinking about doing something new or a little
different from what you normally do, approach
it as an experiment where you give yourself the leeway to review the
results, determine if you want to do it again, if it was helpful or if you can
simply cross it off the list now that you’ve tried it. Also, consider if you
discovered something informative during the process of experimenting that may
apply to an entirely different project than the one where you were working.
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| MA Student's Photogram Freshly Developed |
After several days traveling through the mail, fingers
crossed, the students developed the images with much success. Now that they’ve tried their hand at an alternative
photography process, they will always have it in their tool box as a way to
express themselves. The experiment may have steeled some students against
alternative photography, aiming them to stay with the use of a camera and negatives
but for some it has opened up a new way of making. In either case it has
assuredly broadened their art making horizons.
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MA Student's Photogram Detail
Really nice how the kid image and text left marks. |
Thank you to the Marin Academy students and to their
teacher, Jenny Rosenberg, for having me visit and share my art with the group. While
they may have learned from me, I certainly came away with a few lessons learned
from them:
Express Enthusiasm
Embrace
Change
Experiment More
Cheers,
Kate
