Studies in black and white Studies in black and white (January 19, 2005)

Menlo School photography students exhibit their favorites

Before the holiday vacation, the corridor of the new Amanda MacDonald Student Center in Menlo School's Stent Family Hall became an art gallery, showcasing the creativity of the school's 65 photography students.

Students of Kerry Rodgers, photography teacher and artist, chose at least four and up to 10 of their favorite black and white photos for the exhibit. A total of about 300 photos were exhibited. They were taken, developed, printed and mounted individually by the students.

"Some photos reflect the students' response to assignments, but they also have the freedom to choose their own subjects, often working independently," said Ms. Rodgers.

All photos were taken with 35-mm film cameras, except the portraits by the advanced photography students. "They had the challenge of using a medium-format camera," said their teacher.

Galen Avery's photograph of a boardwalk scene was chosen as the "Patron's Selection" by Penny Goldcamp, who gave funds to purchase equipment and build the school's darkroom. Named the Powlen Photo Lab, the darkroom opened in 2001. Ms. Goldcamp's children, Alice and Mark Powlen, are recent Menlo School graduates.

The "Founder's Award" went to Devon Arscott of Atherton for his street scene at night, assembled from multiple photos. This award honors Mary Carlsson, former math teacher at Menlo, who started the photography program and taught photography until last year.

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