larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Here's hopefully a little bit of good news for those of you who have been pretty openly despairing and disparaging the state of young people and dedicated photography.

Next semester, the junior students at the high school where I spend as much time as possible will be working through a project called "Turning Points." They will be researching and writing a research paper on a notable discovery, invention, breakthrough, event,, or development of the last 200 years or so, then creating an interactive museum exhibit demonstrating, communicating, and educating about that thing. It's one of my favorite projects, and I always look forward to working with the kids on it.

I just got a text from the art teacher of this group that one of the students (who I really don't know particularly well) has selected the Digital Single Lens Reflex camera as the "turning point" that she wants to use as the topic of her research and work. I've been asked to guide, coach, and encourage this student through the project. This will involve extensive face-to-face interaction, as well as significant practical work and learning as the research and exhibit design progress.

This level of commitment to a subject on the part of a student does not come unless there is significant interest and willingness to stick with the effort for an extended time. Significantly, she was born just about the same time that the D200 was introduced. I'm hoping that we can work a D200 into her exhibit.

Bottom line...this obviously isn't a mad rush pf the entire class rushing out to buy a dedicated camera. But if she can do an effective job, her interest might just spread to some other kids.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Her project could lead to not just a contagious interest but also a contagious appreciation of what's now available to photographers. Even a few hundred dollars can get us image quality that surpasses the best of what film had to offer. We now have at our disposal the means to achieve better, easier and faster results. I suspect that appreciation of good image quality is a key factor in our development of our skills set.

jjanovy Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

I think that for a beginner, what the DSLR provides is an easy and time-cheap instrument for exploring composition, different subjects, etc., in other words, learning, through doing, what kind of a photographer/artist a person wants to be. Image quality concerns will come, as will a desire to learn post-processing, but I find that the real benefit of my DSLR cameras was the easy and rewarding ability to eventually decide what kind of an artist I was trying to become.

Bubbee Loc: Aventura, Florida

Kudos to you both! Would love to know the results!

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

That sounds pretty cool. I would be interested in seeing how the project develops.

Bill_de Loc: US

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larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I will provide updates as I am allowed and able.

MJPerini

Great project, and there is nothing better than the kind of 'hands on' educational project you describe.
Look forward to hearing about progress.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Who can be silent and allow a child to be turned into a DSLRinosaur?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Let me be clear. They are researching and writing about path-changing developments, not evolutions to get more money from the consumer. Although we will look at that also. A couple of our focuses will be the Kodak DCS-1 and the D200. If you want to know why, you will just have to come to class with us.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The 1+ million units sold of the Canon AE1 would be an important topic to cover, followed by the 1987 'bet' of the entire company on EOS technology, using the revenue of the AE1 sales.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Im sure we will mention the AE-1as a very important enabler. I made the integrated circuits that were used in that camera. They made my company a whole lot of money.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

You might want to add the D30 as the first DSLR with a CMOS sensor that set the stage for all subsequent DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to present.
Previously they were CCDs which sucked power and were dropped shortly after the D30 was introduced.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

Probably not the idly rich who seemingly can't understand the whole world is not drooling to live in the discontent of the elites.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

If you don't have a D200 for the project, PM me!