The spring semester of 2020 will be one to remember for sure.  Everyone has been stepping up and helping to make the students education and their safety a top priority.  In the photography dept our classes run only 9 weeks, half of the normal semester.  This way our 2 credit classes are more conducive for part time students who don’t have to make a long term commitment.  Another benefit is that each class has very specific knowledge and skills set; therefore we can concentrate on that topic for the entire class.

Well Covid-19 decided to put all of that to the test.   Starting mid March was a new set of classes for photo students, including a class called ON-LOCATION PORTRAITS, taught by Lisa Cline.  The problem, how to teach a equipment intensive, hands-on course while NOT meeting in person, or having access to the depts equipment??  The dept had 5 portable light kits that were designed to be shared…..but by 9 students?  That wasn’t going to work well.

So the PHOTONS stepped up.  Members and leadership took a vote and decided to use some of our Holiday Portraits Fund raising money and buy 4 more lights kits, so each student in class could take a kit home….for the entire 9 weeks and work on their projects.  Lisa created a video demo from her house each week, showing the students how to use the light and take portraits on location ( which was in or near the students homes). Thank you Lisa!!!

We had fantastic results!!  Students actually got to learn under nearly the same conditions as if they were running their own portrait business out of their house.  Everyone put a awesome effort into the results and really applied some great skills with the light kits.

A BIG THANKS to the PHOTONS for coming through for the students and our dept!!  Thanks to Lisa for bringing her video demo skills and creating realistic demos and posting online.  Thanks to the students for coming up with this idea.  Not only did we make the best of a poor situation but I think we came out way ahead on this one.

Below are some of the image taken by the students using the light kit provided by the school/PHOTONS. Enjoy…

Nuff from me, here are comments from a student in the class: Emily L.

“This semester, during this Covid-19 Pandemic, I was in a on-location photography class. At the start of the class I was not sure how this class would happen due to not having it in person. The lights we were required to use were very expensive. Graciously the member of the Photons Club agreed to purchase more so that each student would have a light to use. Last semester I had experienced the light to use for DSLR video, but I had not used it for photography aspect. It was helpful to have Lisa’s video and zoom demonstrations. The lights are simple to use and lightweight. I liked how I could adjust the lights setting with he pocket wizard. I did photograph someone from outside my family and it was not difficult to maintain the 6-foot social distancing. If I did not have {access to} this light the class would have been difficult for me. This class is important for my degree because most photographers do not know how to use a light outside of their studio. This way if I need to use the light, I will have the knowledge and the experience to do so.”

Thank you Emily!

And thanks to Sarah J, Emily L, and Miranda M for sharing the examples above.