Duane Said:

My sister is starting photography...?

We Answered:

Check your city's website. Most communities offer some sort of classes through the city. Photography is generally a class that is offered as it is pretty popular. These classes are offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer.

Karen Said:

Survey help...............................?

We Answered:

I'm a stalker, welfare cheat and shonky builder from Swaziland. I'm here writing my About Me because you coerced me into it.

The things I love most in life are the internet, the oxygen and Uranium. I've been breathing for eternity, and I really love it.

On week days you'll usually find me pining. On the weekends I like to sit and open my mouth in surprise.

My idea of the perfect day would start with a visit to the petting zoo. And then I'd shave my dog. Later I'd drink toilet water. And I'd top it all off by jumping off a cliff.

The kinds of people I enjoy the most are ones who are nonexistent and fragments of my imagination. That's important to me because I am a cannibal.

My dreams for the future are to complete this damned survey, drink water and look at cats. So what am I doing to achieve those dreams? Well, how about sitting on my butt, for starters. And also, listening to 'Rehab' by Amy Winehouse. One thing I need to do more of is eat feta cheese.

Reginald Said:

Doing something with photography or medical?

We Answered:

I love photography as well, and considered making it my career. But the major downside (as opposed to a medical profession) is that it can be very difficult to make a stable living, especially when first starting out and building a client base. So my decision was to pursue a career in the medical field (I am currently a Diagnostic Medical Sonography student) and continue photography in my free time as a hobby. Then hopefully one day I will be able to spend more time on photography and maybe have a small business. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that you can do both. If you start out with a medical career, then you can continue your education, practice, etc. in photography while you have a steady, reliable income.

If that's an option for you, here are some careers in health care that may interest you. You can click the links for info on each:

-Diagnostic Medical Sonographer: 18 mos- 2 yr Associate's degree. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos273.htm. This is what I'm in school for; kind of interesting that this is what I ended up doing since we also "take pictures," only it's of anatomy :)

-Physical Therapy Assistant: 2 year Associate's. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos167.htm

-Echocardiographer: 18 mos - 2 yr Associate's. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos100.htm

-Radiologic Technologist: 2 year Associate's http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos105.htm

-Respiratory Therapist: 2 year Associate's. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos084.htm

-Dental Hygienist: 2 yr Associate's. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm

-Speech-Language Pathologist: Master's degree required. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos099.htm

By the way, another option is to find a photographer you can work with part time. Many prof. photog.s need someone to help them set up equipment, placement of people (like for weddings), etc. This will give you great experience and someone to answer the questions you have about photography as a career.

Clifton Said:

Advanced Digital Photography lesson plans?

We Answered:

Try

http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/MiscTech/…

Esther Said:

Why would a high school photography class want the kids to use a 35mm camera?

We Answered:

I am a photographer who has also taught photography. I've shot both digital and film, and have recently returned to shooting most of my work on film. Digital is great when I'm in a hurry, but....it just does not have the zing!

As to why your son's school teaches in film, my opinion is:

1. Film is now actually cheaper than digital. You can pick up a good condition 35mm film for under $50.

2. Film is relatively inexpensive, and the cost for a term will not exceed the cost of a basic DSLR. The school will probably provide developing and printing chemicals, so there is no cost for this. You may have to spring for a box of paper, $ 50-100.

3. Your son will actually learn more by using film. Black and white in particular will teach him to see the scene as a graphic object, concentrating on shape, and tonality. He will also have a limited number of images to use: the mistakes cannot be deleted. Instead its the bad shots that he will learn to analyze and so begin to develop actual skill. (This is not to say one cannot learn photography from digital, one will simply learn more and better photography by shooting film.)

4. He will learn to really look at a photograph because he is printing it in the darkroom. There is a moment when the film comes out of the tank the very first time and the students don't quite believe what happened - its a little bit of magic in all that science. I've observed this many times in my classes. Watching a print come up in the developer the first time is a sublime experience that no computer can match. Then they get over it and become interested in chemistry.

5. Using film teaches tenacity. To become good at this, he will have to work not just hard, but in a very organized and deliberate manner.

6. He can transfer his skills to digital.

Sounds like a win-win to me.