The New School Summer Programme

Jiaqin from SSEES undertook a summer course at The New School to develop her photography skills. Click here to read more about her time in New York.

Jiaqin Liu, SSEES

Thinking about what to do for my summer, I always want to do something I enjoy. This time, after months of applying and preparation, I finally got the chance to study photography in Parsons in NYC. Those memories of three weeks are so vivid in my mind that I still think these just happened yesterday. 

Actually before the start of the programme, I encountered some many issues, which also came through the whole programme. The Visa application was much more complicated than I expected based on my experience of UK study Visa and Schengen Visa. Since I applied quite last minute, I had to go through lots of stage of the US student Visa and other Visas I needed to apply before I left London during the exam season. Prioritizing and not panicking made such importance when coming to make things done. When I eventually made it to my apartment in NYC after delayed flight and missing the transfer flight, I was told I had to move out in 10 days and look for another apartment. Indeed, living in NYC by oneself is already a challenge for myself, not to mention any photography-related stuff. On a good side, studying abroad helps me grow not only academically but also living wise. I appreciated this opportunity because it makes me a person who is able to handle unexpected difficulties in time. 

As for the programme itself, I was blown away. I was into photography but didn’t really dig in the professional details. With a small class of around 10 people, I was able to study and work with my classmates and professor, Michael Grimaldi, closely. Our class began at 9am and finished at 4pm each day. By gaining a comprehensive knowledge of digital and analogue film, I am even more interested in photography. The programme is not all about principles. Despite the ISO, shutter speed, white balance and other plain points, our professor also brought us to different locations for photo shooting, such as Times Square, High Line, Coney Island and studios. We made the best use of the city and wandered around. This is unforgettable. 

For me, getting into the darkroom is the most exciting thing during the study. I had never been to a room that’s completely dark. We tried so hard to open our eyes but still saw nothing, not even a single streak of light. While overcoming the darkness in this confined space, we still had to work on taking the films out of the camera and put them into a specific container without touching the sides with all the images. Then more hours and hours were still needed for washing the developing films. That was indeed a sophisticated and tedious process but I enjoyed the making of a film. 

For the last weeks, we worked on our own projects according to all the images we took. It was quite interesting to see others’ work and thoughts. We went to pretty similar places but all of us had strong personal styles for our work. I love how creative we were. Without Michael’s teaching, I wouldn’t make it because he let us to freely develop our potentials instead of just teaching us what should be the best angle or the best composition. We learned through experience and he always helped us when we wanted to achieve something. At the end of the programme, we had a massive show together with all the other students from different summer programmes taking place in Parsons. I couldn’t tell you how impressed I was at that time, all the students from the globe came to this place and created some valuable ideas and presented to all of us. We are truly the creators and the sense of achievement is far more than any good grade on paper. 

After all, it is the best decision I made this summer. I am so grateful for this chance that helps me figure out one possible pathway in my future career. All the experience and friends I made will be remembered. Thus, I truly recommend you to go study abroad if possible. It may be a life-changing experience and surly you will gain a lot.