This semester, Palo Alto College moved its photography classes to the new Photo Lab in the newly renovated Performing Arts Building.

The new Photo Lab includes a developing room, two film processing rooms and a walk-in darkroom that can hold up to 20 enlargers. The lab has received mostly positive feedback from students and instructors.

“I was in awe when I walked into the big new darkroom,” said Terrie Lopez, the Photo Lab technician and an Administrative Computer Technology major. “The old darkroom was a tight fit for the amount of students.”

The old Photo Lab, previously located in the Social Science Building, had eight enlargers cramped into the small darkroom and one film processing room. Instead of a separate developing room, students had to develop their film in the classroom.

Photography instructors Karen Hogenson and Lloyd Walsh have been anxious to use the new Photo Lab since they caught a peek at it last semester.

“When I snuck into the Photo Lab last semester, I was just amazed at the size and everything was new and clean,” said Hogenson, the Photography I and II instructor. “It’s really a luxury to have such a nice facility.”

The Photo Lab is not the only thing that was improved. The photography classroom next to the darkroom received new Mac computers. Although the photography classes at Palo Alto mainly use film, the computers have become a necessity now that the world has gone digital.

“We’re aware that photography’s gone digital, so now that we have access to computers, we can cover both film and digital in our classes,” said Lloyd Walsh, Photo I instructor. “It’ll better prepare students should they decide to pursue photography as an education or job.”

All the Photography II students have come to really appreciate the new and bigger darkroom more than other students since they’ve previously had to use the old darkroom in their Photography I class.

“It’s so much more advanced and has better working conditions for students,” said Sherry Moran, a Photography II student and Fine Arts major.

The new darkroom is located in PA, Room 124. Lab hours are on Mondays from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:05 p.m. to 7:05 p.m.