Teaching HS DarkRoom Photo Need imput

[HS teacher]

First a little background; I was hired to teach several classes of darkroom photo just a few weeks ago when the regular teacher got ill and retired. I have had some experience in with B&W photo but not a lot. The regular teacher has been doing it for so long he didn’t need any notes or books. I now have a poor textbook but that’s not the issue. Today I would like to teach these kids about what a good/great B&W print is. I know I can show examples of Adams, Weston, Strand, but I was searching for some type of written criteria on what makes a great B&W photo when I ran upon this sites discussion/tread “So, what makes a great black & white photograph?” I thought it was good enough to join and ask for help. I have 9-12 and have just finished their first print and now I want to teach from the image back. We are one of the few districts that still teach darkroom photo in the whole metropolitan area in which I live. I hope you all will bear with this old guy trying to reconnect to both photo and teaching photo. Thanks to all before hand!

[Peter McLennan]

To generalize your question a little, in my photography classes, I ask "What's the best photograph you've ever seen?  And why?"  Usually that promotes enough discussion that the principles of good imagery are well demonstrated.

I further generalize it to include motion imagery as well as stills, but specifically exclude edited motion media sequences from the discussion.

Or are you specifically focused  on the final image?  The print?


I'll leave the discussion of "Why teach chemical photography?" for others.