Lights, free cameras, and action.
The world of film and photography is about to open its doors to Colonie Central High School students with nearly $50,000 of digital camera equipment that has just landed on the school’s doorstep.
According to the technology education coordinator for Colonie Central High School John Gehres, the district received a phone call last week from Khuram Bhatti, a former student of the high school who graduated in 2002 and now is employed by Canon U.S.A., a manufacturer of camera and camera equipment, saying that his company was looking to donate some equipment and asking whether the high school could use it.
Without hesitation, the school accepted Bhatti’s donation of more than $50,000 of cameras and parts.
The pieces that were donated to the school include: 21 digital single-lens reflex cameras; nearly 60 camera lenses; and a dozen point-and-shoot cameras, according to Bhatti.
Bhatti, now a sales associate specialist for Canon, said that he had made the recommendation that Canon donate the equipment to his former school based on the need he saw for such equipment while he was there.
When I talked to (technology teacher) Jeff Wright, he said that they no longer really teach a formal photography class because, one, they don’t have the money, and two, they don’t have the interest since they don’t have the equipment, Bhatti said.
Lisa Eichholzer, a technology teacher at the high school who currently teaches a television production course where students can earn college credits out of Hudson Valley Community College, said she hopes the donation inspires more students to become interested in videography.
Canon also donated several video cameras. Eichholzer said that video cameras are now used a lot in the high school to air the morning announcements, tape after-school events, and for her course, in which students learn news applications, news coverage and making creative films.
`The more cameras we have, the more efficient we can be,` Eichholzer said.
She said having more cameras means having more students with their hands on the cameras, practicing and learning how they work.
Most importantly, said Eichholzer, with the new equipment, students will be able to efficiently videotape the fall pep rally.
`[With the current equipment] students spend more than 100 hours producing this video that’s 15 minutes long,` Eichholzer said.
She said that the TV production class has struggled in the past because of lack of equipment due to high costs and breakage.
Bhatti said he is hoping that as a result of the donation, not only will existing classes benefit, but new classes that incorporate formal photography will be added to the high school’s list of programs, but Gehres said there are no plans for new classes as a result of the donation at this point.
`There probably won’t be a new class implemented, but [the donation] will be part of our electronic publishing and design classes,` he said.
Still, Gehres said this equipment will be highly useful for students in the high school who are in those classes.
`We’re excited; it’s going to be a big help in our classrooms,` said Gehres. `Lots of kids and lots of teachers will be able to use it.`
Specifically, Gehres said students who had been using canned images taken off of Web sites would now be able to get their own images and modify them themselves.
On behalf of the technology department, Gehres, who called Khuram Bhatti `K` when he was a student, said he is happy about the donation the school has received.“