410 Forum — Opinion
Photo Program Mixes Old, New
By Travis Heuser
Lindsay Walker’s degree sits idle while she works as a dental assistant.
Walker graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from the University of Northern Colorado. Like many graduates, Walker, who had an emphasis in graphic arts and a concentration in photographic imaging, is not in the profession she imagined as she sat in the classroom and spent hours in the darkroom.
While some students emerging from the photography program at UNC are prepared to enter the work force, others say that they have not learned the skills they need to work as artists because of the program’s emphasis on artistic skill over commercial training.
The world of professional photography is extremely competitive, especially these days. In order for graduates to get ahead they need to have an understanding of commercial techniques and experience working with digital files. As the technology continues to improve, constant updating should be made to the photography program so that its graduates not only know the basics skills they will need but also are able to quickly learn about new trends and developments.
Dennis Morimoto, director of the School of Art and Design and a photography professor at UNC, says he recognizes that although it is important for the school to teach the skills that will make graduates competitive in the professional arena, it is imperative that they are taught traditional techniques.
“We still have a wet darkroom because we are an art school. If we were commercial we would be using all digital,” Morimoto said.
Of the seven undergraduate courses offered in the photographic imaging program, only one focuses solely on digital photography. One other course encompasses digital photography along with slide film. The other classes are all film based.
“I feel that we are using outdated techniques and should be learning the skills that are needed outside of the classroom,” said Jessie Schoepflin, a student in the studying photography.
In nearly every profession, film is an outdated technology. Digital offers a quicker, cheaper and better alternative that has been almost universally adopted over the past decade. Therefore it should be a main emphasis of any photography program. That being said, the students should have the opportunity to learn to shoot and develop film and then work in a dark room to produce prints. As these techniques are becoming more and more outdated, they are being removed from both high school and university curriculums, so it is great that at UNC film-based photography still has a strong foothold.
Although it is important for traditional skills to be passed on so that they are not lost and new students have a grasp on what made their predecessors special, this should not come at the expense of the commercial marketability of graduating students.
There is certainly a balance that can be found between teaching commercial viability and artistic skills. As digital photographic technology becomes increasingly important in every professional arena, teaching students how to avoid becoming the proverbial “starving artist” after graduation should be an important focus for the photography program.
