Director of Library Services Heidi Spencer approached Professor John Nordell with an idea of recreating historical images taken in the library for an exhibition of the then and now photographs. Professor Nordell's Digital Photography 2 students rose to the challenge. Along with mastering photographic and Photoshop skills, project management (developing timelines, writing proposals, meeting deadlines, and so on) is a key aspect of the Photo 2 curriculum. In this vein, a week before the library shoot, with print outs of the historical images in hand, the students scouted the locations to be as prepared as possible. Upon completing the project, students wrote reflections to assess the experience and to solidify their learning. Click on an image to enlarge it.
 |
| "I did feel prepared to take the photos because we location scouted the class beforehand, and I was confident in what I was going to do come shoot day." Photo by Hunter Urbanski |
Professor Nordell put out a call for diverse models and the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, along with the College Steps program, reached out as well.
 |
| "I learned that you have to patient with the people you are photographing, because not everyone is going to pose exactly how you want or be in the perfect spot that fits your vision. So taking multiple photos and being patient was something I learned." Photo by Javon Flynn |
 |
| "I felt prepared to take my images for today's assignment in the library. The only thing I was worried about was having enough people to sit in the flag room for my image in there, but it worked out." Photo by Kayla Decaro |
It worked out because Saima Kahn, who not only showed up to model, also recruited other students to be models and helped organize the shots. One of the student photographers said of Saima: "She was so helpful finding people. She is really outgoing!"
 |
| "Overall, I'm not going to lie. I was not prepared and I didn't feel prepared, but luckily Professor Nordell was there to save the day. I forgot my camera which was such a bone headed move: how on earth did I think I was going to take photos without camera?" Photo by Javon Flynn |
Nayelimar Poventud, one the of the photographers, also modeled in the above image. She later wrote, "I really loved it when my friend from class took an amazing picture of me and the other guys, while we were sitting on the grass."
 |
Hunter Urbanski photographed his classmate Javon Flynn at work. Hunter reflected, "I thought it was a good experience to be in a “professional” environment and also shoot random subjects. Overall I thought it was a great learning experience."
|
 |
| "I felt excited because I saw one of my classmates and we were working together." Photo by Nayelimar Poventud |
 |
| "I felt a little stressed because the professor was asking me to do new things." Photo by Nayelimar Poventud |
 |
| "Something I learned about photographing people is that you need to be a little bit more outgoing and talk to different people to get them to pose a certain way, or just to engage in conversation with them." Photo by Kayla Decaro |
 |
| "I learned that photographing people for this project took time and effort. I didn't rush through it to get it done and over with, I took multiple pictures with different angles. I also noticed how I had to direct my models to pose a certain way like how the original looked like." Photo by Eric Blase |
 |
| Javon Flynn photographed classmate Eric Blase going over camera settings with Professor Nordell |
 |
| "With the help from my professor and students I was focused and ready to take pictures without any excuses. The only thing that I wasn't prepared on was knowing if my camera was fully charged or not. Next time I'll check the night before to see if it is fully charged." Photo by Eric Blase |
 |
Kayla Decaro photographed her classmate Eric Blase in action. She wrote, "I thought that photographing Eric as he took pictures of the president was cool. I think the behind the scenes pictures I took really show a lot and documented the experience for him."
|
 |
| "You have to be transparent with your subjects about what shot you need to get and also make them feel comfortable. It is also good to get to know them so the photographing isn’t awkward." Photo by Hunter Urbanski
|
A big thanks to the models: Saima Kahn, Althea Michel, Jennifer Fuller, Brooke Szafran, Emilee David, Javon Flynn, Nayelimar Poventud, Isaiah Darden, Aleksandra Ivanovic, along with President Benetiz and his Cabinet.
After the shoot, we heard from the Director of Library Services:
Dear Professor Nordell,
Please share this message with your class.
It was a pleasure to have you photograph people and places in and around James J. Shea Sr. Memorial Library. You took your assignment seriously and with respect. Your enthusiasm for the project was a joy to watch. I hope you are pleased with your photographs as they will be a part of AIC’s rich history! Who knows? Maybe fifty years from now another class will recreate your photographs! I look forward to seeing your creativity shine.
Best,
Heidi
No comments:
Post a Comment