A Look Back at Photography Teaching at EMBA Lleida (1985-1989)

The photographer recalls his time as a professor of the Advanced Course, introducing the Zone System method to students.

Image of a large format technical camera or an old black and white photographic darkroom.
IA

Image of a large format technical camera or an old black and white photographic darkroom.

A veteran photographer from Lleida recalls his time as a teacher at the Escola Municipal de Belles Arts (EMBA), where he taught the Advanced Photography Course between 1985 and 1989.

The author began his self-taught journey in photography in 1969, gaining experience at the Centre Excursionista de Lleida (CEL) and later working at the Ibce store, owned by brothers Celso and Emilio Clariana, starting in 1974. This job, which included sales, lab work, and commissions, was his "great school".
The need to legalize the profession, which was controlled by the Sindicato del Papel y las Artes Gráficas during the dictatorship, led the author to take official exams in 1975 at the Escola Industrial de Barcelona. That same year, along with Josep Baró and Josep Talamonte, he founded the studio Imatge 4.
With the arrival of democracy, the Paeria, under Antoni Siurana and driven by Culture Councillor Jaume Magre, founded the Escola Municipal de Belles Arts (EMBA) in 1980. Photography was introduced as a subject, initially with an Introductory Course taught by photographer Ramon Gabriel.
At the request of the students, the author was invited to design and teach the Advanced Course, which focused on the black and white capture, development, and printing protocol known as the Zone System. This method required students to "pre-visualize the scene" and use the light meter as a basic control tool.
To facilitate immediate understanding and visualization of results, the classes, initially on Tallada street and later in the Roser building, utilized a large format technical camera and Polaroid instant film. The teaching experience concluded in 1989 due to the increased workload at Imatge 4.