F/Stop - October, 2002

Today we all went to the Dallas Farmer's Market, and for the first time this week used Black and White film. This was very exciting for each of us. We created images from fruit, people, and well, anything we could find.

Back at the 'studio' we learned about portraiture and the four main types of studio lighting. We also learned about backgrounds, posing, and even things to avoid as we began taking portraits. Will Thornton gave us instruction in composition and Nathan Davidson helped us with macro photography and use of filters.

All in all this was a fantastic day, and we thank God for His awesome creation.

—IPS Students Sarah Quinnett and Amber Whitman

Tuesday… hmmmm… how should I start? I woke up after dreaming of cameras, hearing cameras, and sometimes even seeing cameras in my sleep. We had a very nourishing breakfast to start the day. And we went to wisdom search, where Cassidy gave us some encouraging words from Colossians 1 on following God’s will.

Off to the photo shoot! We went to downtown Dallas to see the legendary Cattle Drive. "Click, click. Flash, flash." Those were the sounds we heard for the next hour as we aimed to apply all we had learned about exposure on Monday. From there we went to Fountain Place and used tripods to achieve the slow, misty look of the waterfalls and fountains.

During the afternoon, we took in a plethora of overwhelming information on lighting, black & white, and flash photography. It was very informative. Thank you, instructors.

We ended the day with a session critiquing our day’s shots, specifically concerning the different light that we had seen and tried to capture. After an encouraging slide show of awesome photos from the pros, we fell into bed, greatly anticipating the days to come.

—IPS Student David A. Schaus

Seeing the light of morning on October 28th, 2002, we began our day at I.P.S. with a look at I John 1 and looking at the source of light. "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." (I John 1:5)

After Wisdom Search we took out our cleaning supplies and our teachers instructed us how to take apart our cameras and clean them in such a way so as not to damage our camera components.

Then we all packed up our gear, lunches, and coats—heading first to the J.F.K. Museam and the Pulitzer Prize Photography exhibit.

I spent all my time going through the Pulitzer exhibit—so many eras, emotions, and people. How important it is not only that we create images contrasting light and darkness; life and death; but that we set aside fear and seek to do what is right from the images created and the situations we encounter—that He might be glorified.

We then split up in groups and took to the streets of Dallas with our cameras in search of a patriotic photo, a photo depicting time, and a photo containing two construction cones. The camera shutters were clicking as we calculated that we would have to take a photo every 45 seconds to complete our allotted rolls of film.

In the afternoon our knowledgable instructors attempted to convey some of the more technical elements related to taking better photos, such as aperture, f/stops, measuring lighting, shutter speed, exposure, and choosing the right film for the occassion and effect.

After dinner we then had opportunity to view each others' creative images taken at the West End of downtown Dallas. This was followed by a slide show of some stunning photos from around the world, capturing the light of God's creation.

Today, just as we are finally getting to know each other, the class ends. After learning about digital imaging this morning, we went on the most fun photo shoot of the week. Not only did we have no assignments, and so no pressure, but we were also able to put all our newly acquired knowledge to good use.

We got a few pictures around town before going to Fort Worth’s daily cattle drive. This normally included a few horsemen and police cars escorting a small herd of Texas longhorns on a leisure afternoon stroll while tourists observed from the sidewalk. Today, however, there was a western chuck wagon competition also going on. That was a pleasant surprise for everyone, and we all ended up taking a lot more pictures than we had originally planned.

For tonight’s session, instead of critiquing pictures, our instructors surprised us with a lovely slide show of our very own images!

This week has been absolutely incredible. With six wonderful instructors each teaching us about their favorite aspect of photography, we ended up with a great, well-balanced view of professional photography. The light of God shone through each instructor and their lessons.

Every one of them taught us about how light is the single most important element in photography. Through this class I have learned to appreciate more fully the miracle of light, and to understand better the Creator of it.

–IPS Student Irina Yoder