End-of-Semester Views in the Art Building at the University of Minnesota

My "fill in" position in the Art Department at the University of Minnesota is over. It was great being back there where I taught 1-2 classes every semester from 2005 through 2011. Here were some views as I was there to return student work in late December:

[click each image to enlarge]

The classroom where we spent the last half of the semester.


The darkroom sink at the U of M.








Outside the darkroom, with the film processing area in the background.


Aperture examples above the entrance to the darkroom.


Drying racks.








Down the hall in the DSB (Digital Service Bureau).


I honestly love working in here.






Large roll printers in the back corner.


View from the back corner.


I've never asked for the backstory regarding these palm trees. But they've been there for years.

Oh, and I had a student turn in some final prints in a manilla envelope, and it's pretty clear that they forgot my last name:

Ha! Here's to a good spring semester!

Re-Framing a '4 a.m.' Print for a Friend

One of my 4 a.m. photos started slipping in it's frame. So I made a house call to correct the issue.

Once I got it unframed. (Or "deframed?")


If either of these sharpie labels mean anything to you,
you know how I first met this person and who this person is! :)


Secured, cleaned, and re-framed!


Getting the wire to grab the hook on the wall...


... and then getting it level.

It should be good as new - maybe better. Loved seeing that bigger piece again!

From 3 years ago, here's a post with every photograph shown in my solo "4 a.m." exhibition, and here are exhibition photos from that solo show where you can see this framed print in some of the first and last images.

Yellowstone with my Canon AE-1

Back in October, my family took a 6-day, 2500 mile road trip through North Dakota, into Yellowstone, down through the Tetons, and back home through South Dakota. I brought some film that expired in 2013, and I shot it with my Canon AE-1 Program that's older than me that I've had since I was 17 years old. The resulting images are somewhere between "art" and "touristy" photos (I think)...

[click each image to enlarge]

Just outside of Yellowstone's east entrance.




Along the shore of Lake Yellowstone.


A classic: Old Faithful.


Walking among the pools in the Upper Geyser Basin.






Moments after a close encounter with a bison!


My boys on a snowy hike...


... working our way to Mystic Falls.




Overlooking Grand Prismatic Spring.


The lower half of the 200' Fairy Falls.


Pulling out of Yellowstone on a snowy morning.


Starting a hike in Grand Teton around Lake Jenny.


Hidden Falls up in the Tetons.


My family starting their way down from Inspiration Point in the Tetons.


A frosty final morning in Grand Teton.


Like the image of Old Faithful, here's another common pic: Sylvan Lake in South Dakota on our way home.

It Must Be Finals Season...

... because I woke up to these 2 texts on my phone:

I love that there was a realization an hour later that I might have been woken up, but then still an embarrassed follow-up text after that realization. Ha!

(Turns out it was a question about processing film - nothing super urgent.)

Film Developer in the Darkroom

When I started teaching at Concordia University just over 2 years ago (and managing their darkroom), the previous photography professor met with me and very kindly went through issues like how fast the classes go through chemistry, how much film and paper to order, etc. It was all all very helpful! Thanks again, Cate!

We've been getting to the end of our "cube" of film developer, and I made sure we had a back-up at the start of the semester. So today I was happy to have used up the final cube of chemistry from my FIRST order:

Labeled "Sept 22."

I got out our back-up, and was shocked to see that it was labeled "Sept 22" as well! When I ordered my first batch of chemistry, I was told we went through it much faster than we actually do, apparently!!

Still some older film developer to use up!!

Note to self: we go through film developer QUITE slowly...

Related: here's the post linked above about starting to teach at Concordia University, and here are some shots of that darkroom from 2+ years ago.

Contact "Sheets" or "Prints" or...

I recently had this Facebook memory pop up from 2 years ago:

Film Processing!

We've had sucess in the darkroom at Concordia so far this semester! Here are 2 pics from processing film a few weeks ago:

Love seeing the happy faces when images appear!

We will be shooting and processing film in a MUCH BIGGER CLASS at the University of Minnesota here shortly. That class started as half of the semester in the digital lab, and has just transitioned over to the last half of the semester in the darkroom. My students have a quick photogram project due on Monday before we jump to film cameras. Stay tuned!!

Springsteen on Frank

I've always wished I could write songs the way he takes pictures.

- Bruce Springsteen on Robert Frank

(Supposedly, Springsteen has multiple copies of Frank's photo book The Americans).