If I’m doing my math right, there’s only two weeks of school left. I really can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. My involvements with class, assignments and the photography department, as well as my recent illness, have telescoped time and disoriented me. I still have a lot left to do, and not much time to work with.
I think it’s time for me to report a little bit more about Shoreline’s photo club (officially known as, “Photo Forum”). It’s a subject I have been intentionally avoiding in this blog, but, as you know, I don’t like the thought of censoring myself like that. I’ve had some time to think about things now, so hopefully I can articulate things clearly.
Thursday
Thursday evening was the Photo Forum’s Infrared Outing, which gave us the opportunity to experiment with this extremely unusual and sensitive kind of film. I did my homework on this before the meeting, but I still have no idea what the results will be. Infrared film is not the same as normal film. For example, due to its sensitivity to non-visible light, you have to load infrared film into your camera in total darkness. Also, unlike normal Panchromatic black and white films, infrared film has no speed description, which makes an odd kind of sense, when you consider that it takes pictures of invisible light. There’s more, but I think you get the picture.
Anyhoo, I think that there were about ten of us that got together at the school and then headed out, individually, to Carkeek Park (which is local) to take photos. I rode out there with a student I’d met several weeks earlier, named Star.
Star’s cool. She just a little younger than me, tattooed, and sparkling with positive energy. She’s a photography major that’s been in the program at Shoreline since last quarter, but she’d found out about the photo club from me during a random exchange in the Photo Lab. The infrared outing was her first time with Photo Forum, so she didn’t get any of the emails about infrared film. I caught her up on the concept on the concpt of IR film to the best of my ability en route to the park.
A good group of us started to congregate around the parking lot towards the end of the outing, with the sun starting to set over the water. Star and I had been asking Christopher Nelson, the president of the club (who is now graduating), all kinds of questions about the club and offering to get involved. The conversation was deep, and Star and I had a very serious heart-to-heart on the drive back to the school. We were very seriously considering Chris’ direction, which included clear instruction on how to take over the club for the upcoming school year.
Friday
Deciding that it would be far better to be proactive, I called Star’s cell phone early on Friday. It made sense to me. There were only two weeks left in spring quarter, and the Student Advisor Manual Christopher had given me (which I read first thing Friday morning) clearly stated deadlines–requiring paperwork to be turned in before spring quarter was out. Sure, Star and I would have preferred the convenience of postponing our investigation, but we agreed that it was better to move forward immediately. We needed to have a clearer understanding of what we were talking about, and we needed that knowledge as soon as possible.
Star and I met on campus at 11:45 Friday morning and, following Christopher’s instructions, started to inquire officially about keeping the existing incarnation of the photography club alive. As you can well imagine, it came as no small shock to us to learn that the deadline for the requisite paperwork was, in fact, the end of that very day! (Can you say, “deadline”?)
Now, there’s a lot more to it than this, but I’m going to skip over the details regarding all of the red tape. I’ll just share that we did get all of the paperwork signed, and all of the signatures we needed from active students, and got that paperwork turned in by the end of the day. We were very relieved about this, too. There had been absolutely no warning of the pending problems, so Star and I felt pretty damn good about pulling a rabbit out of our hat like this.
Saturday
I went into the photography lab shortly after it opened on Saturday, but I was far more interested in asking questions than in developing film. From what I understood at that moment, there had been a massive miscommunication in the existing government of the photo club, and Star and I, with the President’s clear blessing and instruction, had been delivered to a place that put us, potentially and uncomfortably, in charge of something we knew little or noting about. At very least, we’d contributed to the club’s preservation. (One point of clarification: Christopher was not the only person involved in that lengthy conversation that led us to considering club leadership.) I’d sent Christopher (the President) and Jennifer (the Vice President, who had also been at that meeting) a lengthy email updating them on our activities and asking for further advice. Not having a reply to my email, going to the school and trying to ask more questions of any of the existing club members seemed like the most logical step…
You know, we didn’t mean any harm. We just wanted to participate; to get involved. We honestly thought the club officers would be happy to learn that we were so serious and proactive with our involvement and our follow up on our conversation. I don’t know how we could have come to any other conclusion, which I probably should have taken as the first sign of danger.
OK, so there I am, at the photography lab. Walking in, I approach the lab attendant and a photo club member I’d recognized, and start to explain the whole sordid little situation. Wuh. The club member, who I’d always seen as one of the most cheerful and positive students on campus, suddenly looked like I’d kicked her. Not funny. “I’d been telling Christopher for months that I want to be a club officer,” and, “I’ve not missed a club meeting in (X) months! This is so unfair!”
Meanwhile, it turns out that the lab attendant also happens to be not only the club Treasurer, but also one of the club founders. And, boy, is she on the defensive, and there’s no talking her out of it. (This is another one of those situations where I really shouldn’t have tried.) She can’t even hear me, and uttterly fails to appreciate or empathize the awkward situation I suddenly found myself in. I know she didn’t mean to, but every time I tried to clarify the situation and the conversations she’d now heard, she just kinda’ took it personally,
OK. I know I’m gong to regret this, but it gotta’ be said: My favorite part of our exchange came much later, when she passionately looked me in the eye and says, “You see? Right there. I would NEVER vote for you for President!” Wow. Now, that sure was personal. What the fuck was that about? There’s nothing quite as nice as the implied threat of someone harboring a hidden resentment over an imagined slight, going out of their way to impede your good efforts, and secreting away some level of passive-aggression based entirely on actions you considered to be both Christian and good.
Anyway, there’s a lot more to it than that, but I really don’t need to get into all of the details. Believe it or not, I really don’t care that much about the negativity, and I don’t want to give it any more of my energy. It’s just not worth it.
For this moment, Christopher, the club Treasurer, that (rightfully and understandably) offended Photo Forum member, Star and I are all kina’ on the same page. Then again, maybe not. The Treasure said she was going to send out an email to the club members so an election can be held, but it’s been two days, and we’ve yet to see any email. We’re flying blind again. Since there’ now less than two weeks left in this quarter, Star and I are not very happy about this lack of communication, either. I think we’re just going to have to see how today play out, just keep it touch-and-go.
The funniest thing about this situation is that Star and I met for coffee last night and talked about the whole thing, and decided that we’d like to support that offended club member’s bid for club presidency. We’re not even sure, at this point, if she’s interested, but we recognize that she’s been with the club for five quarters, has apparently been an extremely active member, actually wants to participate in a leadership role, is about as serious about photography as you can get (I learned that she’s a Photography and Graphic Arts double major), and has an amazingly sunny disposition, to boot! I think she’d be a blast to work with, that she must have a lot of ideas already (from her five quarters of experience with the club), and that she’d be open to new ideas. I sure hope that Star and I get the chance to talk with her soon.
As for everything else, well, it’s just so nice to feel welcome….