The End

Editor's note: One more in our series of student blog entries.  You will hear and see images from our students themselves: their thoughts and reflections on the course, their work, and the work of others. Come back often to see what is happening in the Lambton Digital Photography program.

The End 
by Sarah DiDonato

Well we are here at the end of our journey together, and I have to say I am so sad to see everyone off. I still remember the first day walking in to the studio and sitting down at one of the tables.  We sat in a circle and Richard introduced himself to us. I was so scared to be back as a student.  I’ve never really done well with school and being in the working force for so long I was a little afraid, but little did I know how amazing these last two years would be and how close we would all become; none of us knew that we would end up becoming a little family.

Sarah (on the right) with some of the
 students from our very first class, during field study in NYC.
photo by Richard Beland

Being the first group to go through this new program at Lambton has been challenging, but we have not let that get us down. We have all done some amazing and unforgettable work. The studio was like our second home. As I said before, school has never been very easy for me, and finding friends has been equally hard. But since day one, everyone was so welcoming, friendly and supportive, it makes me humbled that I was lucky enough to have such wonderful people in my classes.

Now to our teachers: our teachers are so amazing! They are so educated, supportive and compassionate. They would help us any way they could. They pushed us to be better and to make sure we came out of this program ready for real life challenges and they showed us how important it is to be professional at all times. I came in to this program never having touched a DLSR camera before, and now I have a piece of my work forever in Lambton College Art archives. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity to be part of the first round of people through this program and to have had such amazing teachers.

I am so proud to see all my classmates become the amazing photographers we are today.  I’ve enjoyed seeing how much we have all excelled. The work we have all put out is incredible. You can tell there is so much passion, emotion and hard work put in to everyone’s pictures. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us all. It has been a pleasure working with such wonderful teachers and classmates. I wish you all the best for a bright future!

In the Spot Light

Editor's note: One more in our series of student blog entries.  You will hear and see images from our students themselves: their thoughts and reflections on the course, their work, and the work of others. Come back often to see what is happening in the Lambton Digital Photography program.

By Kaitlyn Eastman

When I was thinking about this blog post, a ton of ideas came to mind. As my mind raced through so many ideas, I figured I could sit here and tell you all about how this course has changed my life in the best of ways, how our teachers (more like mentors) have taught and inspired us, but then I thought why not let a first year student tell you her thoughts and experiences. So, I decided to put a first year Digital Photography student in the spotlight!

            Our teachers have always taught us to pay attention to detail: never freeze a moment in time without thinking about what you want the outcome to be. They’ve taught us about composition and quality; they’ve taught us how to store emotion and feeling inside a frame. As I’ve come to really start searching for meaning, composition, lighting, and details in everything I look at, I’ve come to admire a lot of photographers and their work.  

I’m in my fourth semester of the Digital Photography program, and the first years are in their second semester. We have been able to view one another’s works of art. The first year who specifically got my attention was Cheyann. I’ve come to admire her attention to detail, her subject matter and also her compositions.

Photo by Cheyann Howard

          Cheyann Howard is a first- year Digital Photography student. Recently, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with her and getting to know her. Cheyann is 20-years old and a student here at Lambton College from Exeter, Ontario. She found her love for photography when she was around 13 years old. She saved up all her babysitting money for just over 2 years in order to purchase her first point-and-shoot camera. A few years later, in grades 10-12, she took a number of communications technology classes, from animation to photography. When asked how she felt about the Digital Photography program she said, “ I love this program!” 


            When I asked Cheyann what she has learnt so far about the program, without hesitation she said, “One of the biggest things I have learned in the program is how to control light. Over the last several months I have improved both my studio lighting as well as natural light. A great deal of these improvements have come from learning the basic equivalent exposures, sunny 16 rule, as well as how to properly use a light meter.”  After she is done school, Cheyann wants to run and manage her own photography studio, specializing in weddings, new life and family portraiture.

Photo by Cheyann Howard

            While I was talking with her, Cheyann said something that stayed with me: “Choosing Lambton was an easy decision for me, due to the fact I felt so much at home”. I can completely relate! The DPH program is a home away from home and I’m so thankful to have learnt so much from this program and to have a great support system from faculty and my classmates. Being in my last year, it’s bitter sweet, but seeing students like Cheyann (and others) grow because of the program makes it so exciting!

Cheyann’s photography adventure is to be continued…

To all first years as Ernst Haas said;
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”

I wish you the best of luck in your photography journey!

Here are a few of Cheyann’s photographs for you to view and admire.

Photo by Cheyann Howard

Photo by Cheyann Howard

Photo by Cheyann Howard

The journey from Lagos to Lambton

After a quiet summer on the blog you will now start to see regular updates on what is happening in the Lambton College Digital Photography program.

Classes start in just a few days.  The faculty has been preparing and all met yesterday to discuss and plan for an exciting new year.  We are eager to get going!

We were very pleased to see our Oluwasegun Alawode, or as we know him "Bisi" featured in the newest edition of the Sarnia This Week newspaper. http://eedition.sarniathisweek.com/doc/Sarnia-This-Week/swpr_28-08-2014_/2014082701/    Bisi will be starting in the second year of our program next week.

Bisi is a talented and friendly student who has made a big impression around the school and community.

Here is the article, please have a read and visit Bisi's Facebook page to see more of his images:

www.facebook.com/photo.by.bc