Off to a Real Life Experience for Students

Christine Flavin is a photography professor at Kirkwood Community College. She teaches photography using both digital and traditional technology. Students in her class experience working in the traditional chemical darkroom. They process film and make black and white silver gelatin prints. They also do a lot of digital photography and use imaging programs like Lightroom and Photoshop.

In this video, Christine and her students share their experience in their photography class. Students explore and actively learn new techniques in and outside of the classroom. They learn different techniques but are free to explore and be as creative as they want to be. They keep their work in a portfolio which helps them showcase their expertise when they are looking for jobs.

Christine’s specialties are both commercial studio photography and the history of photography. She is especially interested in historic photography processes. She spent some time doing research at the George Eastman House in Rochester New York with the engineers at Kodak. Christine also traveled to Europe and completed an artist-in-residency at Lacock Abbey in England, where photography was invented in 1839.

Not only does she provide experience for her students to practice photography techniques, but Christine also arranges trips to commercial studios in different states. She believes there is nothing better than going out and seeing the actual working commercial studios, talking to the people who are in that business, and understanding what it is like to be an assistant in one of those studios or having their own business.

Christine’s goal is to create worthwhile experiences by improving available resources for students who are taking photography classes at Kirkwood.