Today was the first day of my Tuesday/ Thursday class, which is on digital photography. I consider it kind of frustrating that I have to take this class, not because I think I know everything there is to know about digital photo (far from it) but because 1. the class is very, very basic; as in, “what is a memory card,” and 2. because it’s required to complete my minor, but it’s in substitution of a much more fun class that I really wanted to take, which unfortunately isn’t being held this semester. That particular class was Alt Methods – all the crazy and outdated dangerously chemical methods that can be used to produce strange photographs. Part of me is really sad I missed out on that, but I have to admit too that a larger part of me is relieved not to have to be in the darkroom this semester. Last semester, between working there and completing my Ilfochrome portfolio, I spent at least 20 hours a week in that room. A break from it will be nice.
Anyhow, digital photo. Thank goodness I own a camera, since there are 15-odd people in the class, and they have to partner up and share. Thank goodness I own a computer and Photoshop, so I can get things done at home. I’m so much more productive at home.
The fire alarm went off during the second half of class, incidentally. If it was a joke, it was a cruel one, because it is precisely 20 below zero outside right now. That’s temperature, not wind chill. Luckily the professor was pretty much done anyhow so we were allowed to just split.
On today’s to-do list:
-Write proposal for photo independent study
-Work on fiction for fiction independent study
-Organize prints for Etsy (hopefully my portfolio comes today!)
-Clean office (I can’t think straight when it’s trashed in here)
-Read for Poetry Movements class
Re: the portfolio… I am trying to separate the prints I’m selling on Etsy from the ones I’m going to keep, and so I ordered a portfolio online to store the ones I want to hang onto. Specifically, I ordered The Itoya Evolution, and I’m hoping it gives me what I want, which is the ability to include prints that aren’t 8.5 x 11 size, although that’s how big the pages are. I’m hoping the glassine is tight enough so that you can slide in smaller prints without having them slide right back out. If not, I suppose what I can do is use a sheet of acid-free paper with some photo corners, “mount” the photo to the paper, then slide the paper into the portfolio. That sounds like a lot of work, to be honest, though!
Weddings. I keep getting an exorbitant amount of wedding requests for the weekends on and around May 16 2010. I might or might not have a very major event in my life happening that weekend, and afterwards, so unfortunately I have to keep it open. I’ve already seen five different leads (and had two separate requests to shoot) for that identical weekend. It would be less frustrating if I knew for sure whether or not that weekend was open, but better to be safe than sorry.
Today’s image brought to you by zero sleep, a new sweater, and a dirty bathroom mirror:
Happy Tuesday!
