Student Blog – Day 1.

By Duarte Campos Olivier d’Oliveira

Today was the arrival day of our Bern Trip. Our class organised their stay at a charming Airbnb outside the city of Spiez, situated near the Thun lake, although sometimes it could feel like the middle of nowhere. After our road trip of approximately 2 hours from Webster, we arrived at the chalet. Once arriving there, we first decided who would stay in which rooms, and after unpacking our bags, we all had lunch together outside. The chalet was cozy and large with 6 rooms, 3 bathrooms and 4 floors with a fantastic view of the mountains. However, the view came with the price of the house being situated, literally at the edge of a cliff. During lunch, Francesco and Keith started giving instructions on our assignments and coursework for the next week. 

After lunch, we started setting up the photography equipment and started our first photography class. Francesco explained to us the basics of opening the two large format cameras, how to use a reflector, a light meter, and how to load 8 by 10 negatives in the film changing tent. The tent looked funny, almost like a piece of spaceship equipment. It had double zippered doors providing double protection and elastic sleeves long enough to fit over elbows. However, it was necessary to prevent light from leaking on the negatives.

After our photo class, it was already 8 pm, so we went straight to have dinner, which Marina, our professional chef, cooked. The dinner was fantastic, and it gave us an excellent opportunity to get to know each other. Everyone told their own stories and experiences with photography and filmmaking. We quickly all became friends and did not hesitate to open up to each other, which set a positive precedent for the rest of the trip.

 Enjoy the photo documentation of the road trip and the arrival day in the gallery below: