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1st year students enrolled in Technical Photography 1 under the direction of Prof. Stephen Diehl installed the results of one of their projects on "Cameraless Printing" on one of the 2nd floor hallway display boards on October 7, 2005 just in time for the Brick City Homecoming celebrations scheduled for the weekend.

While above you can see some of the installation related snapshots, here you can see enlarged versions of the individual student's photographs by clicking on their names Jessica Scott,   Aura Broida,   Jake Blumenfell,   Brian Gamm,   Jennifer Castaldi,   Cassandra Fecho,   Shane Kearney,   Jonathan Winkle,   Eric Kerby,   Robert Loud,   Brian Elder,   Chris Ubelacker,   Eric Evans,   Nick Cox,   Anonymous.  
 

A group of Tech students comprising roughly 20% of all students in the program, namely 16 of them, dragged themselves out of bed on Sunday Sept. 11, 2005 and drove singly, in pairs or groups down to Honeoye Falls to partake on an impromptu traditional country breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs, OJ, milk, toast, fruits, cereal plus, additionally, 1st class french toast prepared by Tech Steve Tardiff. Following the repast they hung out on the porch or the more adventuresome went for a short horseback ride in the paddock area. The students were joind by Prof. Thomas Yeh who arrived on a motorbike. Rumor has it he fell off his bike en-route. Unfortunately we don't have photographs of all the activities but animated conversation plus just hanging out in a country (suburban!) location was enjoyed by all.

Most of the 1st year students in the Imaging and Photographic Technology program were able to get together on the Saturday before classes and partake of a dinner out at a local hungarian restaurant where they sampled interesting culinary dishes ranging from chicken paprika with spaetzle to a sausage platter, fish soup, cucumber salad, and various mouth watering deserts accompanied by live accordion music covering an international repertoire but with empahsis on hungarian folkloric and classical themes.

The students were joined by three faculty members in the department, namely Nanette Salvaggio who just this year joined the staff, Thomas Yeh, who is back for his second visiting appointment and Andrew Davidhazy, veteran. Among the students were: Eric K., Chris, Nick, Jennifer, Brian, Jessica, Rob, Chelsea, John, Aura, Eric E., Mike and Cassie. Can you still identify everyone?

Heather Dolan, whose sister is attending RIT at this time dropped in for a whirlwind visit and brought up to date her recent history although in not as great detail as she might had we had more time to pump her for information. Suffice it to say that she is still working at Adobe Corporation in San Jose, California along with Meredith (Payne) Stotzner. As you can see from her picture I think the west coast life style suits her just fine!

Michael Klayman, in town for a graduation, brought his fiancee Heather to Tech Alley and remarked that things don't seem to have changed one bit. He recognized the couch where he spent many hours and remarked that maybe it was time to procure a new one! Michael is also on the west coast and has been moving from one job to another but is doing very well. He is still exploring the music scene and apparently is about to produce his (and his band's) first CD.

Lisa Bozek landed a position at Xerox Corporation and none too soon as her old car was falling apart. So she went out and brought her new acquisition, an Audi Quattro, with a total of 4 miles on it to campus to show it off. I think you will agree she looks smashing next to her new means for locomotion! Matt Swain is trying to explain to her all about the engine but she said all she needed to know was where the accelerator and brake pedals were! :)

CT Yeung sent in this cute photograph of the announcement of the recent arrival of a Tech baby. Nelson Mei-Lee Yeung was born at 8:45 pm on April 5, 2005 at a weight of 8 pounds 4 ounces and 21 inches. You may call the baby Peanut! Congratulations to the parents!!!

And Sheryl Locke (Dunnette) became the mom of James Hunter who was born on May 13th and was 8lbs 9oz. He is very healthy and happy as are his parents. We are sure that James will be on the Shuttle (or replacement vehicle) at the earliest opportunity! :-)!

David Gallagher sent a very nice update. Here is a slightly edited (for brevity) version of his note: Hey Andy, I haven't spoken to you in a long time and haven't given back to the program as much as I would like, so there lies the reason for this e-mail. I have a few digital cameras here in inventory that have a low resale value on the open market but would be great for some students or yourself to test, rip apart, or anything that you might come up with. Send me your shipping address and I will get them out to you.

As you know, I opened my own business last year and could not have dreamed for this kind of initial success. This spring I closed the largest sale in the history of digital camera backs with 50 units at one location. The largest sale before this was 30 at IKEA in Sweden. And we are currently one of the top 5 digital back resellers in the country. So as you can see, I am using my PPHT degree on an everyday basis. (And some of the sales experience of which got me into trouble while at RIT!) I promise that next summer we will start offering a co-op for students as well.

After reading the Tech website, I think it would be valuable to your students to know that there are many Tech grads that are making well into the six figure range and have been for quite some time now. High earnings are absolutely achievable to those who work hard enough, are honest, and treat people with respect.

I speak with every kind of high end imaging professionals in the field. My tech degree was by far the best choice that I ever made at RIT. It prepared and positioned me perfectly when digital photographic input technology emerged in 1992. Now 13 years into it, I use the knowledge gained at RIT and it is that knowledge that sets us ahead of our competition. Thank you for your help and support during those important years at school.

I have included a picture of the most important thing in my life. Her name is Emma and she just turned 4. And she is head and shoulders cuter than I ever was. I have also included my new business card to replace the old one on your website. Send me your address and I will get you a few cameras to play with! Sincerely,

Dave Gallagher, President
Capture Integration
www.captureintegration.com

A flood of memories came rushing back as visits and letters from grads arrived recently.

Dana Fokos stopped in and after a lot of arm twisting talked his way into a dinner at the local Hungarian restaurant where we enjoyed a great meal and exchanged reminiscences. Dana was in town attending a training program on color management. He was on his way to another assignment the following week and is scheduled to return for yet another training program shortly. Before the evening as over though he made it a point to share a photograph of his two wonderful daughters.

Anthony Tanbakuchi sent a surprise letter from Tucsonin which he says, in part: I'm almost finished with my second year of the Optical Sciences PhD program at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The past two years have been very challenging but I have learned a great deal. My research area is microscopic catheters for imaging inside the body. I really enjoy working in the medical imaging area, it makes my experience much more diverse taking classes in the Optics and the Biomedical Engineering departments (I will have a minor in Biomedical Engineering). (snip) What I miss most about RIT are the great teachers. I think it was impossible to realize how lucky I was while attending RIT. Only after you have been at other universities and talked to people who have studied at other schools can you realize that most schools (particularly big ones that do lots of research) are not at all focused on students' learning. (snip) I realize now how much the teachers at RIT were concerned about the students (especially in the photo tech department) and devoted to teaching. (snip) I just want to say thanks to you and nearly every teacher i had at RIT for doing a great job. I am still focused on getting my PhD and finding an institution focused on education where I can hopefully become a good teacher and give back to others that excitement a good teacher can give to a subject. Aside from school I love living in Tucson! A while ago I bought a motorcycle and really enjoy cruising the desert. I am glad to be back out west... - Anthony aka Doktor KuChI ;-)

And Kevin Shoemaker finally connected again and sent this letter along with the photos above that says, in part: Hello Andy: I heard you lost my last letter so I thought I'd send an update to get you back on track. I currently live in Ballston Spa, NY in the town of Milton with my wife Kimberly (formerly Rainville, RIT Biomed grad 89).
We have three children Samantha (10), Tyler (5), and Rebecca (2). Kim works in the Medical Media department of the Samuel S. Stratton VA Medical Center downtown Albany, NY where she has worked for the past 15 years. I continue to work (ironically) at The M&P Lab (M&P as you probably already know stands for Materials and Processes). Weird huh?

Anyway, I work in the Metallography division of the lab shooting digital images of broken generator buckets, copper windings, compressor blades, fracture surfaces, and polished mounts containing cracks, porosity, inclusions and grain structures of various metals and alloys. I work a lot with image analysis quantifying various features of interest. I must say, I have certainly enjoyed this work and have found it very rewarding. When I'm not shooting, I help out sectioning samples, pouring the mounts, polishing mounts, writing reports, and have become the unofficial IT guy.

In my spare time, if any, I sing in the church choir on Sundays, and try to play the piano for fun. Kim and I will be attending a Nikon seminar in NYC this month for digital photo stuff. I have been doing freelance photography and brochure design for US Biometrics (fingerprint recognition software developer headquartered in my hometown of Naperville, Illinois) for the past two years which has been a lot of fun and nice supplemental income. This work prompted me to finish my studio in the basement and invest in some new strobes and Nikon digital camera equipment. Well that's about it. Oh yeah, before I sign off, here's something you will either find amusing or think I'm totally nuts! Two years ago I designed and built a brick patio in my back yard. The arial shot reveals my hidden joke. Does the shape look familiar? Sadly, this will be my enduring legacy! I think it turned out very well, don't you? Sincerely, Kevin M. Shoemaker, PPHT-90

PS: In August 2006 we heard from Kevin again and received his updated email address along with a brief update on doings at home. Essentially things are going well he says and he is enjoying working 2nd shift and solo, in the Metallography division as described above.

The students in the 1st year Technical Photography course, currently overseen by adjunct instructor Don Cochran during the absence of Steve Diehl who is recuperating from surgery on his hands, put on quite a tour-de-force when they displayed on the 2nd floor display board their visual solutions to the week's assignment which was simply METAL. Take a peek at their photographs on this web version of their work: http://www.rit.edu/~tpsawww/2005-metal.html.

On April 10, 2005 the Technical Photography Student Association in conjunction with the joint student chapter of SPIE and the Imaging and Photographic Technology department organized the second of the weekend's Tech barbecues. The first took place the day before in freezing temperatures, blustering winds and threatening snowshowers. This one was held in the Eastman Kodak Quad, just outside the school's building (the Gannett building!) and the occasion was blessed with the first significant sunny and warm spring weekend day of the year. Temperatures in the mid 60s and abundant sunshine marked the occasion. Tech attendance was bolsterd by the visit of three Tech faculty members, namely Yeh, Miller and Davidhazy. The barbecue went off without a hitch with juicy sirloin burgers topped with a special barbecue sauce and plump Rochester made hot-dogs the prime culinary attractions.

Spirited games of bocci ball and a lively raquet ball match provided much needed physical exercise while the more sedentary passed soccer balls and frisbees between each other. VIP alumni also joined the festivities with Alistair Neal dropping in from his studies at the Munsell Color Center while Jeff Detrick stopped in on his way back to Delphi in Kokomo, IN., a 9 hour drive away from Rochester.

The highlight of the afternoon were the deserts that everyone savored, namely ice cream bars for the masses and low calorie natural fruit bars, yum yum, for the rest.

My business is almost 5 years old, www.southbark.com. I love it! I have a great staff, my business is growing tremendously. So you ask, am I doing any photography? I still teach at a local community college. I am only teaching Advanced classes, i.e. lighting, portraiture, color, advanced black and white. I love teaching too, I love the students.

Here' s photo of myself and my newer aquisition, Pete, a Jack Russell/Beagle. I hope you are well. Great to see that the program is still around. Take care, Lisa Vella

Of course, you can see this photograph in greater detail (as well as all the others on this page in larger size) by simply "clicking" on them!

Sometime in mid-February 2005 Ben Pryhoda dropped by Tech Alley and visited for a while. He is still living and prospering in Boulder, Colorado working for Avalon Imaging, a machine vision company, where he is Product Development Manager and where he does a lot of imaging related programming. He is an avid bicycling enthsiast and from the looks of him takes the sport very seriously as he looked like a "lean, mean sports machine"!

Anna (Kobylinska) Hall says: "Hi Andy -- Happy Valentine's Day! Sorry I haven't kept in touch more, and thus that this news is rather late. I w anted to let you know that I got married this past June and thus my name has changed from Anna Kobylinska to Anna Hall. What's more, we're expecting our first child due early June of this year, just in time for our one year wedding anniversary. Attached is a picture from our wedding; stay tuned for more recent family pictures once the baby is born! We're back in Mobile, AL these days. My husband, Eric, is a pilot with a local charter flight company, while I am employed in a technical support capacity by Xante Corporation. All the best, ~Anna"

Danielle (Dittrich) Caro married Wayne Caro on May 16, 2004 (you can see some of their wedding photographs at: http://www.kennydog.net/~wedding/. She says "We're still in Boise and we're both still working for HP. We have a new house. It's a, ummm.... project house, but the location is great and we have an acre of land. Not to mention the neighborhood was around before some pesky city laws, so we are exempt. :) Danielle"

Paula and Trent Siegel who reside in Seattle have a new addition to their family. Paula says: "Sorry it has taken me a month and a half to send word of the new addition to our family. Paige Judith Siegel was born on October 19th. 2004. She weighed more then her brother at birth 8lbs 9oz. and is growing like crazy. Enjoy, Paula"

Karl Williamson is with Goss International in Durham, New Hampshire and send this note and photograph: "Thought I would send along the latest picture of our Daughter Kylie who will be 3 in March. I've been keeping my photographic skills in focus teaching an evening portrait studio class at McIntosh College. Lots of traveling in the coming weeks. First I'm off to Paris this month for a product release meeting. In May I'm headed to Beijing for China Print for two weeks and then from Beijing I'll be in Melbourne for Pac Print for another two weeks. Thank you for keeping in touch. I enjoy hearing from you. Karl"

Although we don't have a photograph to go along with the update, John Hill, PPHT 1987, says: " Hi Andy, I am working for Southern Graphic Systems. Lots of RIT printing grads running this place. I am a retoucher, prepress color dude now. Lots of Mac networking and support too. I still shoot freelance from time to time, but PhotoShop keeps me busy. I live in Danbury, CT and am married to Jennifer MonŽ Hill, a commercial photographer and graduate of SUNY Purchase in photography. I work on site at Kraft Foods in Tarrytown, NY. I saw Todd Minnigh and Loretta Riley Bootle at my NYC wedding in September 2003. Anyone can drop me a a line at john@hillphoto.com.

While NASA was our host for the technical part of the trip, Linda and Martin Fox (Julie's parents) were our hosts for dinner and an overnight stay in their home prior to the group driving back to frigid Rochester the following day.
Thanks for the great dinner and breakfast and hospitality!

At PhotoExpo 2004 that was held in NYC, Paul Reichert, who is working at NASA Johnson Space Center stopped in to the RIT booth to say hi. Also Lisette Ranga who is with Canon Corporation and loving it. She is doing a significant amount of traveling and visiting all kinds of interesting places and events. She is an avid race car photographer getting to use some "big glass" made by Canon not to mention some of their latest cameras!

In addition to the above two, of whom we managed to get these snapshots, several other Techs dropped by the booth. Notably Tom Ashe, Bret Harmen, Rus Doucette, and several others whose name escapes me at the moment but who wil undoubtedly remind me later of their visit!

Jessica Gehlhar, who is working near Philly for Edmund Scientific Corporation has her own cute apartment and is enjoying life. As is Elizabeth Martin, employed by Xerox Corporation here in Webster, NY as a color engineer. Elizabeth and Jessica dropped in to say hi and ended up joining a group of faculty who were relaxing on a Friday afternoon R&R party.

Jeff Detrick has hardly been away from the floor yet he also came back to check out Tech Alley on his way to an assignment for his company (Delphi Corp.) in Toronto, Canada. He is still feeling very privileged by being able to work not only with the latest cars but even those that are planned for future years. Here he is seen with Arthur Chivis wearing leather! Needless to say we did not learn much from him about his work but he was obviously beaming!

Michelle Hill came by Tech Alley just a couple of weeks ago. She works at Apple Corp. in seattle, WA and having a great time there as well. She finished a MS degree from the School of Printing after the IPT degree and found a position also based on the background in color and color measurement that she acquired in the Tech and the Printing programs.

Finally, Rick Behrens, now with the Mitre Corporation in Washington, DC came up to Rochester on business and was talked into meeting with some current Tech students by Emily Antoine, the current president of TPSA. Rick had met some of the students who went out for a brew with him during a field trip that TPSA took to Washington last Spring. Needless to say most of the attending students were fishing for a coop at Mitre this coming summer! In this snapshot you can see, from left to right, Bruce Butkus, Rick, Emily Antoine, Yu Tak Kwok, Mike Muscente and Carl Smith.

Upon her return she invited Tech students to join her for a relaxing time at McGregor's and as some of the group were leaving in the wee hours of the evening a passing photographer caught Carl Smith, Emily Antoine, Kerry and Bruce Butkus in an animated moment.

To add news to this Departmental News Bulletin Board send text and attached images to: Andrew Davidhazy who will gladly add the item to this bulletin board dedicated to the students and faculty of the Imaging and Photgraphic Technology program at RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.