By Brianna Maestas:
At age 65, Roger Chumney enrolled in an Amarillo College studio management class. “The class teaches us how to set up a photography business,” Chumney said.
Chumney joined the class after taking continuing education courses at AC. When he heard that a course about studio management was being offered and decided to start taking academic credit classes.
Chumney is a retired civil structural engineer. He designed buildings and structures for 40 years. After retirement, Chumney took up photography as a “part time hobby\business.” He specializes in digital tintype.
“I like to go up into Colorado and Kansas to these mountain man rendezvous events and what I like to do is take a digital photo and make it look like an old tintype,” said Chumney. “It’s kind of a different twist on an old black and white or sepia.”
“I process all of the photos myself. The old tintypes that they made back in the 1850’s, none of them are alike. The color or tone was a little different for each. And then over the years most of them had faded around the edges, got scratches on them,” Chumney said. He hopes to open his own photography business. “Maybe after this class,” he said.
Chumney said he sees his being an older college student as an advantage. “I look at it as an opportunity. I was in college many years ago. I see this as more of a learning opportunity now rather than something I have to do,” Chumney said.
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