First Day of Classes

September 14

The door of the church in Bonneiux

As always, the first day of classes can be somewhat nerve-wracking, especially when you've never had the professors before. Here, it's a little different because even though I haven't had class with Liz (Darlington) or Jen(Jenkins), we see them everyday, have breakfast lunch and dinner with them, and already have some idea of what they are like. Still, nerves. My very first class was Working Class studio for Printmaking, which is a class that has never been taught before. It's in association with SCAD's Working Class Studio (http://www.workingclassstudio.com/shop.htm) but is still an upper level printmaking class based mostly on relief printing. There are mostly fibers students in my class, because their class schedule got dropped from Lacoste, but our projects seem to be fit for many different majors. After that class, I was talking with Jen and we were looking through the studio and we found a BUNCH of copper plates that have been left in the studio that either have nothing on them at all, or we can use the backside of them. We split them up between us, and Jen pulled out enough for all her intro students to have pieces to play with before they get more serious and start etching. I didn't bring any of my etching tools, but there are some in the studio, and since I've never worked with copper, Jen is going to teach me. Which will be a whole new adventure. Since I was supposed to take Intro to Etching this quarter anyway, this will be a nice way to learn and not have class hours, but just time to work by myself and build a portfolio.
My second class was Project Seminar II (Portfolio class). Liz was easygoing and wonderful to work with, and after critiquing our past work, we all had to present what we wished to shoot this quarter. My plan is to shoot fashion and use the landscape and the fact that I now live in a village in France, as the backdrop. I want to keep the clothes more on the simple side, but stick to two of the major trends for the fall; military and lace. It's going to be a challenge to pick the right models, as well as getting the lighting right. Somewhere on campus there is outdoor lighting equipment, and we have studio lights as well, but since I intend to shoot outside... I'll mostly be using available light and manipulating it. I think the hardest part is going to be figuring out the happy medium between fashion and landscape, and where I draw that line. As well as models. There are certainly many girl here who are beautiful, but I haven't worked with any of them before. That's going to make it a challenge for my directorial skills, as well as picking people I don't know that well. I have a few people in mind, but it's hard (living with all girls) to pick people and not offend anyone else. It's certainly going to be a roller coaster. 
After classes was dinner and then back to my room for sketching for concepts for printmaking, and making lists of compiled outfits and such for my shoots. When I started thinking about it with my roommate, I'm turning in three photography portfolios this quarter (fashion, travel, and out picture story for travel class) and creating two print portfolios as well. :-/
Lots of work! But I know to keep in mind that I'm in France, and not to miss out on that as well... It's just going to be an intense nine weeks, but in the end it will be worth it. Everyone says it changes your life over here, and I certainly think it will.

Gates to a home, with Lacoste on the hillside behind it.