A typical day for Black and White Photography class is working in the dark room and walking around school with a camera,” said Carly Stevens, a senior at ALHS. Black and White Photography is where an image has different hues of light depending on the angle the picture is taken from. Stevens always had a keen interest in photography.
“I heard good things about the class and I also like the teacher – Ms. Dorman,” said Stevens.
Stevens implies the process to be a timely one. First, make sure to take the picture that has the best lighting. But there are challenges that come with taking a good black and white photo. The photos she takes require for the lighting to be natural and sometimes she can’t go outside to take photos due to the weather.
“Since we have to get natural light in our photos, we had to go by really big windows,” said Stevens, who found a solution to resolve the natural-lighting-dilemma.
Once she has captured the desired image, Stevens has to develop the photo in the darkroom to develop the film.
“I found it to be very interesting because we use different chemicals we have to put the photos in,” said Stevens. “Especially since nowadays to take pictures, you can take them on your phone.”
Developing these photos do take time and patience since the process is a meticulous one. Stevens sees it to be a rewarding experience though, especially when she is able to gain new skills she didn’t have before.
Light and Dark Through Art
The work that goes into Black and White Photography.
Senior Carly Stevens calls this art piece “The Hummingbird.” Her grandmother inspired her to make this since she loves hummingbirds. “Once completing it I was glad I was able to make something that looked good,” said Stevens “It was a bit of a struggle to make because I had to make sure everything was in the right spot.”