Inside Photo

Posted by Amanda Tyler in Photography

Chris Nail begins to give instructions to the group of enrollment advisors.

On April 29, the Marion Center for Photographic Arts was filled with a group of approximately 20 adults, many of whom had never before seen the inner-workings of SFUAD’s photography department. The first of three interactive seminars allowed this group of SFUAD enrollment staff and recruiters access to photo faculty Chris Nail’s extensive alternative photographic process knowledge, and Marion Center’s technological resources. During this first workshop, the cyanotype process, which dates back to the 1800s, was taught. Paper, chemistry and materials were provided; the staff only needed enthusiasm and a desire to learn.

When set loose after Nail had explained the basic steps for creating their own cyanotypes, attendees tapped into their artistic sides. Leslie Sakal, a field representative for North Texas, got creative with her cyanotype when she decided to literally let her hair down on the paper. Two of her fellow associates searched for a piece of plexiglass and held her hair in place, to ensure her finished work would be successful.

“It was great to have an artistic venue that encouraged colleagues from varying backgrounds to collaborate in something other than our shared work,” Sakal says.

Over the next few weeks, the Photography Department will be hosting a variety of workshops for SFUAD’s enrollment administration staff. The goal of these sessions is to open the eyes of the people who are representing the department when they share its perks and objectives with prospective students.

“The photo department is more of a mystery than we realized,” Nail says. Having been placed in charge of hosting the series of three workshops, Nail hopes to gives a hands-on, inside look at what goes on behind  Marion Center doors. By showing exactly some of the processes and knowledge a photography student gains by attending SFUAD, these sessions are a simple, fun solution to providing prospective students with accurate information regarding the department.