Part 3
In the fall of 1979 my parents helped me move into my dorm and drove away leaving me in a strange place where I knew nobody! The next day we started class and were all given a lens from a view camera. Our first assignment was to get to know that lens. We learned about f stops and shutter speeds and what they did and also how they worked together. We then learned how to load 4×5 film holders and the functions of a view camera. From there we learned about exposure and how to expose the perfect negative, and how to make a good image with a not so perfect negative. It went on and on until we were finally photographing buildings, products, people, events and multi media presentations.
Towards the end of the two year program we had classes in business and guest speakers would come in and speak to us and take us out on photography assignments. One of those speakers told us that within a year after graduating that half of us would not be doing photography and within five years almost all of us would be doing something else. Of course we were all taken aback by his statements and were sure that he was wrong. I was a little hard headed and that motivated me to prove him wrong. Looking back now I see he was right on the money. Out of all of the students in the program at the time I am the only one that I know of that has stuck it out this long.
Group of photography students at GPPA convention in Helen, Georgia 1982
I'm on the far right in the white shirt, if you couldn't find me.
More to come about school days, the Navy, my first job and where Chance was during all of this.