World Cultures & Youth: Amy The Photographer (1978)

Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] My name is Amy Hobby and I'm 13 years old. For almost 3 years now, I've been learning about hard edge photography, which is a whole new way of seeing lines, shadows, and patterns in the world around me. [Music] I live with my father, mother, and younger brother in the southeast corner of the United States in the town of Winter Park, Florida. Winter Park is near Disney World, a very big and famous amusement park. [Music] My brother Jr. comes with me sometimes when I go to take pictures. And although he's a little impatient, mostly he's pretty helpful. >> Hurry up. >> What we call hard edge photography is very different from ordinary photography. We concentrate on shapes and forms and the shadows that they cast. I try to take photographs that show people how to see different patterns in the objects that are in front of us all the time. [Music] [Music] Hey, here. [Music] >> I think they're going to St. Augustine on the 18th, I believe. >> Hi. >> Hi, Amy. The kids just walked in. Can I call you back a little later? My mom's the president of an international museum association and dad's a lawyer. He's also an excellent hardedge photographer and has been the main influence on my work. >> Rockets. >> Yeah, the teacups made me dizzy. >> Did you get any good shots while you were there? >> Yes, I took some. I got some good ones. Hey, do you want some shortcake? >> Sure. >> I'll have some after I go develop my film. >> I want to see your film when you finish it, Amy. >> Okay. [Music] The first step in developing my pictures is unloading the film into a light proof container. This must be done in complete darkness. When the film is in the canister, it's safe to turn the lights back on. The chemicals I use to develop the film must be measured precisely. If the film sits in these chemicals too long, it can be ruined. So, I time the whole operation carefully. [Music] The Disney World negatives look pretty good, but it's hard to tell until I make a contact sheet of small sample prints. Photographic paper gets ruined if it's exposed to normal light. So, I use safe lights until the picture is developed. The paper is first exposed to a measured amount of light shone through the negative. Then, a series of chemical baths cause the picture to appear. First there's developer, then stop bath to stop the developing, then fixer, which preserves the picture, and finally we wash the print with water. For me, this is the most exciting part. I love watching the picture slowly take shape on the white paper. [Music] This is part of a sculpture I found outside a hotel near New Orlando. And I had to crawl inside a huge metal sculpture to get this shot. [Music] Here's a stairway with the shadow of the railing falling across it [Music] and the shadow of my brother's head as he walked around an old fort. [Music] Hey, Dad. I got the contacts from Disney. >> My father and I enter our photographs in several art festivals every year, and the one in St. Augustine later this month is the most important. The whole family is excited about it and we all get involved in choosing prints. >> Well, that's the best show. >> Dad is the expert on the different effects that can be achieved in the dark room. Mom has a good eye for design. Even Jr. helps us choose. >> At first, we used to listen to him mostly out of politeness, but now that he knows what's what, he makes some good suggestions. >> Oh, he's had a stroke of genius here. >> That's the best way. So far, I've won awards at several festivals, but this is the first time I've been invited to St. Augustine. Dad won an award there last year, but he says not to get my hopes up because the competition there is very tough. I got interested in hard edge photography by hanging around with my dad. He started doing it 5 years ago, and right away his photos started winning awards at art competitions in magazines. [Music] [Music] Even though we're both hardedge photographers, we see things differently. Sometimes I think my dad helps me too much and I have to try hard to keep my work independent from his. >> Well, I definitely like this one. I'm going to crop it here and here. >> Amy, I think it's time we got you that new camera we've been talking about. >> Really? [Music] Woo! [Music] [Music] >> It's already got the long lens on it. >> I've been saving up for a new camera for almost a year now, but dad didn't want me to have fancy equipment until I had mastered the basics. Yeah, I really like this camera. [Applause] [Music] I used to be good at gymnastics, but a couple of years ago, my legs were broken in a car accident. I've just started learning to dive again, and I'm not all that good at it yet, but I can feel it getting better. [Music] Where are you? [Applause] [Music] Maybe it might be this side, you know, down like maybe down back over here and pointing up into it and getting more than one slab at a time. >> A sculpture like this is the raw material for our work and there are a thousand pictures here for us to find. Each time I find one, I feel like I'm exploring my ability to see. And it's exhilarating to see things now I never saw before. [Music] What do you want to do with this print, Amy? >> I'm going to dodge it a bit in this area and then I'm going to burn the edges a little. >> I'll turn off the light. >> Okay. >> What kind of film you using, Amy? >> Code of color, too. >> Well, that would be 30 magenta and 40 on yellow. At the St. Augustine Festival, ribbons will be awarded for a whole exhibit. So, I'll need three or four good color prints and six or eight black and white photographs to make a strong presentation. >> It's almost done. >> Good. Want me to help you with here? >> Yeah. >> Hey, I think that's going to make a nice show print. >> So do I. That's super. >> How about this way instead of that way? >> Yeah, that's pretty nice. >> Dad, I think with this next print, I'd like to crop it along this line here. I like to bring the orange color up a bit. [Music] Hey, [Music] D. [Music] There's only a couple of days left before we go to the festival. And I still need one more good color print for my exhibit. [Music] I don't think it's as exciting as this one. [Music] >> The show. Hey, look at here. Amy's been goofing around again. Hey, >> now it's time to make the final choice of prints that Dad and I will take to the show. Later, the prints will be mounted, retouched, and signed before they're ready to be framed. >> I think you can reduce the color of this and keep this dark. >> I don't like the way that's crooked there. >> Well, we could straighten that up. Twist the whole picture. [Music] Hey, that's pretty nice. >> If we touch it up, it'll look even better. >> Yeah, just get just get a frame for it. We'll be all set. [Music] The judges at St. Augustine will be able to spot any tiny defects on my prints. So, I must touch them up with paint that's carefully matched the shade of the background. [Music] Here. Put it down. >> What does that look like? >> Looks pretty good. >> I'm getting excited about St. Augustine. Dad and I have to leave right after supper so we can be there early tomorrow morning to get our stand set up in time for the judging which starts at 900 a.m. [Music] >> Come on Amy. You got to get moving. You got it. All right. [Applause] There we go. [Music] Okay, that's fast. Let's get moving. Bye, mother. >> Bye. Byebye. Well, bye. Bye. [Music] [Music] One of the highlights of the festival is the parade where the people dress up like the Spaniards who founded St. Augustine 400 years ago. [Music] >> The parade ends up in the harbor where the ships of the fishing fleet are blessed for good luck. America, America. God watch every [Music] confirm thy soul in self control. Thy libert see the arts and crafts festival which takes place once a year here around Easter. Usually the weekend before Easter, the various craftsman comes from all over Florida as well as United States [Music] over here. Anyway, [Music] we go. [Music] The words of choices [Music] I sing beneath the windows all along. [Music] I like going to art shows. It's fun. I meet lots of artists and see their work. And it doesn't really matter if I win or not. It's just nice that people can see my pictures. figure out what they are. >> Why do you think the food's always so bad at these art shows? >> You can eat that thing. >> How much is this one? You want to try that? >> That particularly is not my taste. There's no way that's going to go on the wall. >> There's no way. >> But they're so emotional. All we need is a little leaf floating down there and that would make that one. It >> says $40 up there. >> Quite interesting. >> Old palm old palm picture. You see >> it is you know the roll of paper you know you in the store. >> This year there are two judges for the competition and they are both women. >> I never have. >> How do you feel about color? >> I like color. Okay. I just started. It's my newest thing. And >> they will award one blue ribbon of distinction and two yellow ribbons of merit in each category. Jewelry, sculpture, pottery, painting, textiles, graphics, and photography. Close angle and try to get those brown things on the edges. And maybe a piece of building up there, but I get under at a good angle. [Music] boy. Thank you. Thanks. >> What did the judge ask you? >> She said, "What do you like?" Even though the judges were interested in my work, I don't think they liked it very much. Dad says they're more inclined to choose realistic work, not abstract photography like ours. >> Watercolor. >> I mean, she probably won't pick us up. >> Yeah. >> The judges have given you the award of distinction for your work. >> A super. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. [Music] Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. [Applause] number 47. Amy Amy, I'd like to present you with an award of distinction with the value of $500 cash. Okay, Amy, hold still. I want to give one more shot. Heat. Heat. [Music]