TEACHING PHOTOGRAPHY WITHOUT A DARKROOM
CD_Thomas L. McDole, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of
Business .and Industrial Education, Eastern Michigan University,Ypsilanti, Michigan.
(NJcn1..1JPhotography is a valuable communication skill desirable
in many vocations.As the communication world relies increa-singly on visual communication, photographic skills arefrequently used to record, document, and communicate;At thesame time schools and institutions are frequently hard pressedto provide the requisite facilities for teaching photography;Darkrooms are expensive to construct, equip, and maintain.Providing or expanding the physical facilities to accomodatestudent demand.is often beyond the school's resources;However, by using alternative curriculum strategies, it ispossible to conduct an effective photography program withoutthe expense usually associated with a darkroom,In fact,teaching a non-darkroom course may offer more flexibility tothe curriculum than having a darkroom facility available,When a darkroom is present, continued use is required tojustify its existence;Pressure is present to include darkroomexperiences in the curriculum whether appropriate or not;Theability to alter the program to meet the diverse and changingneeds of the students can be more difficult;