by Rhonda Naylor
Staff Writer
“The hardest job you’ll ever love.” That’s what Lex Youngman , professor of art, tells his new photography students. It’s a slogan he got from the Peace Corps but applies to photography as well. Even the best photographers have to learn from their mistakes. A good photographer must develop patience.
“There’s a lot to learn and you have to work hard, but once you know what you’re doing, you start having fun,” he said.
With his humorous attitude and positive outlook on life, Young imparts his experience to Wingate’s beginning photographers. He inspires his students to be creative and think “beyond the box.” Assignments are given with that aspect in mind. On one such assignment, he accompanied students to down town Charlotte and allowed them to take pictures of anything they wanted to.
Photography can’t all be taught in the classroom. To get everything done, the students have access to the classroom and darkroom whenever they need it, which is quite often!
Even in today’s digital world, learning the basics of photography and the “old school” methods of developing film and prints are essential for a student’s future success.
Youngman said, “The best part of my job is the students and watching them grow. It’s so rewarding to see people get excited. Not everybody gets excited about photography, but when I see students who are getting something out of it and learning a lifetime skill, that’s worth it. That makes it all worthwhile!”
A typical day for Youngman at Wingate begins about 9 a.m. In between the classes he teaches, he makes himself available for students, does photo projects for faculty events and advises the yearbook staff. The classroom is often a chaotic yet creative scene, with students all asking for advice. It’s up to Youngman to troubleshoot all the problems that arise. He handles it with a patient calm. “That’s why I’m here,” he said.
Growing up in 1950s Toledo, Ohio didn’t inspire photography to Youngman. His dream then was to be an astronaut. In his youth, he realized that most astronauts had to have excellent vision and Youngman, who wore glasses since the third grade, wasn’t a good candidate. “Outer space fascinates me. I really thought I would go into the science field,” he said.
It wasn’t until his junior year of high school that photography became a passion for him. As a member of the yearbook staff, he was asked to take some candid pictures at the football game. Armed with an old Polaroid camera, he began to take pictures of the crowd and realized he loved it! From there, he learned everything he could from his yearbook photography advisor who had his own darkroom and lived about a mile from Youngman’s house.
After high school, he headed off to Denison University in Ohio, where he obtained a degree in English. He also met the love of his life, Karen. They married after graduation and joined the Peace Corps five days later. Together they traveled to Turkey, where they taught English as a second language. Youngman loved Turkey and enjoyed his experience with the Peace Corps, though he initially had wanted to go to the South Seas and live like the natives.
He still gets emails from one of his former students in Turkey. The young man is now an electrical engineer on an oil rig in the Caspian Sea. His ability to speak English allowed him to gain a career. One of his former photography students also now works in New York as an associate editor for ‘Outdoor Life’ magazine.
Youngman said, “When you realize you’ve helped people gain skills they can use later in life, it’s kind of neat. It does my heart good.”
He returned to school to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics and began his teaching career at Wingate 30 years ago by teaching art appreciation classes.
Teaching photography was a lucky accident. Someone heard about this photography background and suggested he develop a course in photography to meet the needs of Communication majors. He was happy to, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Although a photography teacher, he has little time to take pictures himself. The summer break offers him a chance, as well as the professional conference he attends every year in Las Vegas. In 2003, he published a book of photography entitled, “The People of Route 601; Life in the Slow Lane.” He also enjoyed a photo shoot in Africa this past summer.
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