The Bellaire HS PTO generously awarded us the grant money I asked for again this fall semester. With the money this year, I was able to buy us a few more DSLRs and tripods for students to use as well as an Epson Perfection V800 pro scanner for my Photo 3 and AP level students to scan in the 120 Holga film they have have been shooting this school year. Some of them have their own 35mm film cameras they're experimenting with as well. I showed them how to develop their black and white film in the classroom and many have grown to be completely fascinated by the analog process.
I wish we had, at the very least, a small darkroom with enlargers for them to use, buuuut I'm also not complaining about our iMac lab I never dreamed of having in a classroom at my previous schools... As part of my interview with the principal at Bellaire, I made it aware that I had done some basic research and knew that there were plans for plans to remodel or rebuild the school sometime soon and asked for a small darkroom to be worked into the plans. I was told yes-ish and I'm holding someone to that when that time comes.
ANYWAYS, seeing how excited some of my AP students were to learn how to scan in their negatives and get to use them digitally, really inspired me to take some time over spring break during my staycation to go back through some of my old work and finally get it digitally documented. I've always been somewhat reluctant to go back to old work, but I know some of it deserves to exist beyond negatives in a binder that moves from one apartment to the next every couple of years.
I knew one of the first images I wanted to scan in came from probably something around 2006 - I believe my sophomore year of college at UH. It was a black and white 120 image I took with my Mamiya C330 when I was at a craft show in Brenham, TX with my mom. I saw this little boy walking around with these plastic fangs and I stopped him and his mom and asked them both if I could take his picture. They both agreed and this is exactly how he chose to pose for the shot.
Boy with Fangs, Brenham, TX 2006
Immediately, I was reminded of one of my favorite images from one of my favorite photographers from high school, Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C. by Diane Arbus.
Not to say that I am or will ever be on Diane Arbus's level, I just am greatly aware of the subconscious influence her work has had on me and my work since I was probably 16 years old. I own quite a few photo books, but hers from Aperture, by far, has more little yellow tabs on more pages than any of the others I own. I looked at these so many time that I feel as if I have many of her images visually etched into my brain.