Some will say it is dated, but I say this is the classic book on "The Camera" see http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Ansel-Adams-Photography-Book/dp/0821221841

Then pick up "The Negative" see http://www.amazon.com/Negative-Ansel-Adams-Photography-Book/dp/0821221868

And lastly, "The Print" see http://www.amazon.com/Print-Ansel-Adams-Photography-Book/dp/0821221876


If you are heading toward film and traditional printing, this set of books is the ultimate.

(Ask your instructor about them, and see if you can acquire or borrow a 4" x 5" view camera.)

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/

It looksto me that if all negatives were thin that you are doing the metering right but your meter is one or two stops off. I would take a roll of film and meter and then bracket three shots the one the meter reads - the next slower stop and then one more at the next slower stop. You can then adjust the meter by setting the asa on the camera to match your bwest negative. For example if if you are shooting 400 film set the asa on your camera at 200 and if you want to go down another stop set it at 100. Just a thought do you have your camera set at 400 asa and are you using asa 100 film. That just may be your problem. - Dave

Mogul- I am sorry for this delayed response, but I work long days, Art classes, 9AM-4PM, Mon. through Fri., Photography class, 7-10 PM, Mon. through Fri. I usually spend an additional hour or more with individual students to help them with any difficulties. So, I do not get back to quarters until well after 11PM.

Recognizing that this is a Photography Forum and not an Education Forum, I will try to be brief.

The overall tenor of the OP's post indicates to me, at least, that he does not enjoy a good relationship with his instructor. In the recent past, he has asked several questions which could have readily been answered by any decent instructor.

Like you, I tend to doubt that a full-fledged, tenured, "professor" would be teaching a photography class. It matters not who teaches a class, but the quality of the instruction is paramount.

Three years ago, when my college was trying to develop a worthwhile class in photographic basics, I sat in on classes at other institutions. I was often appalled at the poor quality of instruction being offered. Clearly, it was difficult to find instructors who knew the subject matter and also had the necessary communication skills to impart their knowledge to others. That may be part of the problem our OP is encountering.

I have no problem with the OP studying how to use film, as long as the subject matter was preceded by a good grounding in basic optics and other fundamentals of photography. Too many courses do not provide a sufficient foundation. Also, too many courses tend to emphasize "digital" rather than "photography."

My short, seven-year career at a small, conservative, basically liberal arts college, does not qualify me to engage in a detailed dissertation regarding the status of many of our educational institutions. I understand most of your concerns and share some of your observations. I would be happy to engage you in such a discussion via PM if you so desire, taking into account my heavy work schedule.

I am barred by college policy from mentioning the name of the institution on the Web, so please do not ask.

Have a nice day.

If all your negs are thin then I would be seriously looking to you had processed them correctly.
If you are sure that the ISO is set correctly and that the meter is working correctly and you have set the shutter speed and f-stop correctly then its the processing. All this crap about the zone system etc will just confuse you. You need to become totally familiar with the Law of Reciprocity in regards to exposure.
To check if your processing is correct have a look at the printed numbers on the edge of the negs if they look correctly exposed then your processing is correct assuming you are exposing and processing the film as per the manufacturer's standard instructions and are not pushing or pulling the film speed.
You can tell if a film has on the whole been correctly exposed because it will look that way. this doesn't mean that you have the exposure spot on for your subject matter and that where experience comes in. Depending on the age of your camera exposing from a grey card could mean that you are half a stop underexposed.
And before anyone jumps down my throat about this I suggest you google it.