US High Schools: Why so much good gear?

[mr kipling]

Whenever I read through threads, I often come across statements such as, "my high school lets me borrow their 70-200 F2.8L" or "my school has a couple 1D MkIIn I can use any time"

When I studied photography at school, (not that long ago!) the provided photographic equipment totalled a broken Canon T90 without a lens, and a pinhole camera made from a shoebox. Our darkroom was a flimsy MDF built space partitioned off in a prefabricated classroom. It would move noticeably when you touched the wall, and I was never convinced the ventilation fan was working properly. this was the fifth largest school in the UK. It was also one of the few schools still teaching photography below college level.

The darkroom was often used just as much by people wanting some ahem, "quiet time" to discuss photographic printing techniques with the opposite sex, then people wanting to use it for those more mundane reasons.. :lol:

So, why are these US schools so stuffed full of good gear, and how come there hasn't been a huge global rush of famous photographers from the US, with it's superior equipment at education level? :twisted:

Anyone else also want to share their stories of what their school facilities were like?

[Cross_X]

Maybe the times just keep changing=)
My dad's a pro photographer, been like that for 30+ years, and when I rose to a certain level of experience, he allowed me to use any of his equipment before I can afford to buy my own. That served me either ways: of course, I was happy to use the 70-200 2.8 IS and 100-400, then I've gotten 70-200 2.8 IS it for myself, so I was no longer allowed to use his tele zoom lens. I used his 85L, and then bought my own 50mm 1.4, so that barred me from the 85L.-) There are tons of equipment in his storage room, and It's all open for me under certain regulations: a)If I have mine, I use mine, and b) If i take anything, I put it back as soon as I'm not needing anymore..
The school I studied at was in Russia, and we hardly had a couple of p&s cameras, though they only arrived over my last years there;) But we did have the dark room;) 100% agreed with you on the usability

[asysin2leads]

When I was in high school yearbook (almost 20 years ago), we had pretty decent cameras (film, of course). I think we had about 10 cameras. We were a medium size high school. A shooter could sign them out provided they were using them for yearbook purposes. Our school didn't have a newspaper. We had a small darkroom (about 10x10). I was only 1 of 2 people who was permitted to use the darkroom and knew what we were doing. Other than the yearbook adviser, of course. Schools are eligible for all sorts of grants and free money for things. I read an article a few weeks back about a local newspaper that gave all of their camera gear to a local school. It was a contest which consisted of several schools and the winner got the used gear, plus some $$ for new gear. Keep in mind that the money saved on film chemicals, enlargers and other film/darkroom gear can be used to purchase digital SLRs. Schools always have those type of funds budgeted.

[snyderman]

I shot my son's JV game this past Saturday. A HS girl was shooting the opposing team with a 40D and a 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens. Curious, I asked if the gear was hers. It was her boss's gear who is the editor of the school newspaper. Guess, this IS the type of gear some high schools have to offer students who choose to participate in yearbook and school newspaper as an extracurricular activity.

At least they provide GOOD gear capable of good results!

dave

[mr kipling]

Some more memories:

I remember when my teacher bought in her Minolta bridge cam (an eyewateringly expensive piece of kit at the time) for us to all try out, we all sat there in complete wonderment, like we'd just witnessed the creation of sliced bread. :lol:

We would all buy our cameras from a guy in the market, who had a stall every Thursday. The amount of awful Prakticas with gummed up shutters and obscure Russian SLR's with dodgy light seals he managed to shift onto us was outrageous..

I also managed to ruin a large proportion of my clothes with developer stains, but that's just par for the course..

[yogestee]

Ask that question to students who attend schools in not so affluent areas..

[birdfromboat]

I have heard of programs that put good gear in the hands of young inner city "at risk" kids and seen some amazing results from them. It's not just high schools, it's grade schools in some places.
I think you have to realise that good gear is not only capable of producing better images, it is also more durable, and might even be donated by the mfg. in hopes of sparking future sales. I work for a company that practically custom builds free equipment for colleges, hoping that graduates will be buying our stuff 'automatically'. I don't know this, but I would bet canon and Nikon would at least discount sales to schools that will put their gear in the hands of future customers, if not 'donate' them and take a tax deduction at MSRP for what is actually an advertisement.

[Shootfilm]

I think my kids photography teacher had the right idea. The school had no gear except a few light meters. The kids had to buy their own. The camera of choice was and still is a elcheapo Seagull TLR with 120 slide B&W only. NO DR just changing bags and light tables.

SF

[chopperdave]

in 1991 I was in the last photography class my highschool had. But maybe now with digital they have brought it back.

[Village_Idiot]

The local Boys and Girls club has a butt load of medium format film cameras and a huge darkroom.

[Bumgardnern]

When I was in high school the year book and newspaper staff were provided with cheap point and shoot cameras. I went to a high school that is pretty well know for having outstanding academics and is pretty well off financially. After I graduated though I heard that a commercial photographer in the area that had retired gave his equipment to the school. I know of several local pros that will donate their gear to schools after they finish using it.

[JHunter]

My school had nearly no gear. A couple nikon D40 with kit lenses for the photo classes to borrow, the yearbook had a 5 year old point and shoot. And we were a very affluent school. I think it varies across the country.

[krb]

When I was in HS we had a very nicely equipped but cramped darkroom for the photography classes but no cameras or other gear were provided. Yearbook and newspaper had a couple of older, all-manual cameras that collected dust on shelves because everybody just used their own cameras form home.

[Depth]

My school just has some older film bodies and lenses(like Canon A-1's). But we have a good B&W darkroom.

Also, the program/academy I'm in at my school for filming has Mac Pro's for editing on (Final Cut Studio and a few other apps). And for cameras we have two A1's and two HMC150's (also a bunch of GL2's and GL1's).

[mr kipling]

Hmm, so these well-stocked schools seem to be the exception to the norm then.. And there was I thinking schools in the US had shelves of 1ds and L glass all lined up!

[FlyingPhotog]

Hmm, so these well-stocked schools seem to be the exception to the norm then.. And there was I thinking schools in the US had shelves of 1ds and L glass all lined up!

There seem to be many misconceptions about the ol' USofA in the last few years...

[DennisW1]

The local Boys and Girls club has a butt load of medium format film cameras and a huge darkroom.

probably donated by studios no longer using MF film cameras for the tax writeoffs. still, a good learning experience for the kids.

[computerguru3190]

My high school was very well stocked. D200s and some nice glass (70-200s, etc.). Our advisor had a 300 2.8 he would lend the responsible students along with some other glass and lighting equipment. We never had to forgo something because of a lack of equipment. But we slowly built to the point of using the nice equipment. You had to earn that chance.

[FinalCut747]

YEAH!!!! Well last year my school's yearbook had a crapload of Kodak P&S's and a 300D and XT, with kit lenses and a broken tamron!!! I hated that class!!

[Nate P.]

My high school has 2-3 XTI's with kit lenses and 430EX's to go with them for yearbook use. The photo class is all film and students must provide their own equipment.

[sheawyatt]

Back in HS I wasn't in the Arts and never took any of the school's photography classes because, well, they were garbage. The gear they had for students to use was limited, but perfectly fine (K1000 SLR, couple of lenses, plus some newer pentax MZ series 35mm SLRS. Small darkroom too.) – the photos that came out for the newspaper and yearbook were blurry, out of focus, poorly exposed, straight-to-the-bin shots that I would have been ashamed to have my name attached to. But Hey! It was Art!

[yogestee]

Back in HS I wasn't in the Arts and never took any of the school's photography classes because, well, they were garbage. The gear they had for students to use was limited, but perfectly fine (K1000 SLR, couple of lenses, plus some newer pentax MZ series 35mm SLRS. Small darkroom too.) – the photos that came out for the newspaper and yearbook were blurry, out of focus, poorly exposed, straight-to-the-bin shots that I would have been ashamed to have my name attached to. But Hey! It was Art!

The high schools in my area in Australia, photography is taught as a science subject..

[Television]

high school here have XTI's as well as D40's with all of the nice glass 70-200/2.8

money was donated to the programs specifically though

[CliffordPhotography]

We had a 28 enlarger darkroom, custom built for the photography class. 4 developing trays, 4 stops, and a wash and dry setup that would blow your mind. We all had to provide our own cameras. There was one medium format mamiya that couldnt leave the school. A stock room filled with 5 years worth of developer, stop, and anything else that may have been needed.

Then on the second floor we had a private dark room for our yearbook and news magazine. Year book didnt use it. So it was just another student and myself on the magazine staff that used it anytime we wanted. It had 4 enlargers, and everything right where we needed. I was told that it used to be a storage room, but it had plumbing and all. Very nice cabinets that wrapped the room. If I had to guess, Id say it was 10X16. There was plenty of room in it. I know we had people in there that werent supposed to be in there all the time.

[cujo_gone_mad]

I just graduated hs last june and my school was horrible when it came to camera selection. There was none. Whatever you had was all you'll get.

[BroncoAZ]

My HS photo experience was some ancient film cameras. They killed the program to support the sports budget the year after I took the class.

[Jill-of-all-Trades]

My highschool never had a photography program. The yearbook club had a couple of film cameras, but everything was sent out for developing. They really weren't into photography that much anyways. I learned on my Dad's old SLR and used it for years. Still do. All manual controls.

[nphsbuckeye]

Ask that question to students who attend schools in not so affluent areas..
Indeed. The people shooting at my HS used their own gear.

[The Moose]

My high school (albeit Australian) have a couple of 350D's and 400D's, as well as one or two 500D's. All with the kit lenses, maybe one or two 75-300's or a 55-250. Not much and they barely get used. I have my own gear that I use for whatever (for class or for the school) and there's a teacher who has his own 1000D for use with general school things, and another who has a 5D. Photography isn't overly popular at my school (or should I say, there aren't many kids into photography seriously) but we have the entry level gear. We have a darkroom too but it's used for maybe 2 weeks of the school year because photography isn't taught by itself, it's a subject within a subject for us.