Lakewood art student transforms shed into photography darkroom

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Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design

May 25, 2020, 10:11 ET

LAKEWOOD, Colo., May 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominic Iacopino has a battery that never runs out of juice. The veteran received his B.S. in Chemistry from the U.S. Naval Academy, served nearly a decade as a helicopter pilot in the Marines and hiked the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail – only to discover his love for photography.

The artist moved to Denver at the beginning of the year to pursue his passion behind the lens at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD). As a photography student, Iacopino had plenty to develop in the darkroom on campus, which came to an abrupt halt when RMCAD was forced to switch to its blended learning environment due to COVID-19.

While RMCAD instructors, staff and faculty were adjusting classes to best serve its students, Iacopino took a challenge into his own hands, literally. That's when the artist decided to renovate his backyard shed into his own photography darkroom. Iacopino says he wants people to know that there is much more to photography than what meets the eye, "the idea isn't just to build a darkroom in my back yard – it's to show people how interesting photography really is. The whole analog process of capturing a moment, preserving it, and watching a print of it develop before your own eyes is really a fascinating concept that I would like to share."

From start to finish, the construction took nearly two weeks. Iacopino credits this personal project to what he learned in his Darkroom I class, "it goes to show how much can be taught in one week. I went from not knowing light-sensitive paper existed, to being able to fully process a roll of film from start to finish," he said. "Professor Dobbs helped out and I relied heavily on his recommendations, which has turned out great."

As you can tell, Iacopino is a quick learner and a true creative, adapting his skills in the classroom to real life. "I've found that I have fewer dedicated work sessions, but when I do work, they are longer and more productive. I accredit this to both the students and faculty putting in an extra effort to make the classes beneficial for all," he said.

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SOURCE Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design