Linville schools Centre students on 19th century photography
Published 8:54 pm Tuesday, April 9, 2019
- Travis Brian Linville, formerly of Danville, shows Centre College students how a camera made by Rochester Optical Works. It dates to 1896 and has a brass lens made by Voightlander & Sons which dates to the mid-1870s. Photo by Robin Hart.
Photographer Travis Linville, formerly of Danville, gave a workshop and demonstration to Centre College students of how
Travis Linville shows students a film camera that he also uses for some of his photography projects, as his antique cameras on tripods are set up in the background. Linville is currently teaching photography courses at Belgin Community College near Chicago. Photo by Robin Hart.
he creates tintypes and ambrotypes using 19th century cameras, lenses and the photographic chemical processes involved in making these images on Monday and Tuesday.
Linville is a 1995 graduate of Danville High School and said after taking his first photography class under John Zinner, he decided to pursue photography and teaching photography as a career.
“I always liked working in the darkroom. That’s how I got my start in photography,” Linville said. “I have an interest in the history as well. It’s nice to be able to practice the processes that you lecture.”
Linville earned his bachelor’s of fine arts degree in photography at Miami University in Ohio and his master’s of fine arts in photography at Clemson University. He is currently teaching photography courses at Elgin Community College which is located just outside of Chicago, he said.
“One of the main cameras I use was made by Rochester Optical and dates to 1896. The brass lens was made by Voightlander & Sons and dates to the mid-1870s,” Linville said.
“None of this is practical by modern standards. The only reason that people would be doing this is because they enjoy the process and the artistry of it,” Linville said.
“I compare it to cooking. There are faster, easier ways to get a meal. But if you enjoy cooking, things can go very, very right and things can go wrong. But you just get enjoyment out of the process.”
