The City College Photography department has announced its annual photo trip and students are invited to join Professor David Eichinger for a week long exploration of New York City!
Typically the professor takes students, professionals and anyone with a serious love for photography to other countries around the world, but due to the current economic crises he has decided to stay here in the U.S. for this trip.
“We selected NYC this year because it costs less than going to Europe,” said Eichinger. “However, NYC is also an ‘international hub’ of photography! There are enough photo galleries and exhibits to keep us busy everyday leaving no time to photograph this amazing city, so we will balance everything and do a lot of ‘shooting’ and a lot of ‘seeing’. I know the students will learn so much from this trip and it is such a great city to photograph!”
While the trip is designed with the serious photographer in mind, anyone interested is welcome to join. In the past people have joined simply because they admire photography and liked the itinerary.
The tentative itinerary lasts from June 3 to June 10 with a break until June 18, when the group will return to campus to learn how to develop, process and create a portfolio with their photographs.
During the break students are welcome to stay in NYC to explore or to head to other nearby east coast cities.
The trip and class time are designed to give participants college credit for three or more photography classes. The cost is $1695 and qualifying students could use financial aid to assist with the program fee.
For more information visit www.eurofoto.info.
In a Q-and-A between a City Times correspondent and Eichinger, the professor answered the following questions:
City Times: You seem very committed to the study of photography and education. What is your favorite part of taking these Photo excursions all over the world?
DE: “Few people realize that each of these trips requires about 14 months of planning and paperwork, but I see the long-term benefit the students gain from traveling and being immersed in their passion. That makes all the work pay off. Most students ‘grow’ years within the few weeks that we are gone. I recommend study abroad or travel-study to anyone who can possibly make it happen. Many of the benefits and the growth may not be realized until years later, but foreign travel helps us become a citizen of Earth, not merely the U.S. Your global vision is widened exponentially. If you can, do it!”
CT: Do interested students have to bring their own equipment?
DE: “Each student brings whatever they choose. We have beginning students working alongside advanced and even professional photographers each year. Many shoot digital. Some bring fun cameras like Lomos, Holgas, etc. Many love the darkroom so they shoot only B&W. We meet before we leave to discuss all the options, and many digital shooters end up buying toy cameras to shoot film.”
CT: Do you encourage students to use both digital and film to be able to compare and contrast when back on campus?
DE: “Yes, especially if they haven’t done much of one or the other. I see my primary job as helping them grow and improve. And I try to raise the bar for each of them individually… as rapidly as I possibly can.”
CT: Any advise you can offer students considering the trip? What feedback have you gotten from past students that have gone?
DE: “Make it happen! It’s not a vacation. You will see and experience more in a week than you can possibly experience staying close to home. I think all the[past] students will tell you this. And some students join me for other trips, year after year.”
