LOL! :lol:
Think about that question for a second.
Are you taking a "photography" course, or a "learn how to use a digital camera" course.
Starting with film teaches you more than just how to use the controls on the camera. It teaches you how the camera works. All you really need for a "camera" is any box with a hole in it and a piece of film. That's some cool shit right there. And it's AMAZING what you can do with that box. You will also learn to "see". Again, it's more than just learning what all the little buttons and dials do. Like you said, film and chemicals are not cheap and it's not easy to develop yourself. So you are going to learn to THINK about the shot before you take it. It will slow you down. You will think about your subject, your composition, your lighting. And a lot of these things are easier to teach with b/w instead of color. Again you're stripping things down to the most basic. These are all the basis of photography and if you jump right to digital you're throwing too many other things into the mix and it becomes more like fast food. Learn the history, learn the traditional ways, and then you'll take those experiences with you to the digital side of things. Lastly, it lets the instructor level the playing field a bit. No one needs to worry about resolution or how many shot per second their camera can take. You'll all pretty much be using the same tools.
So relax, and enjoy the class. ;)
I'm just glad to see that there are instructors that have the SENSE to start you on b/w film.
It's like graphic design courses that don't teach people how to draw and paint first but instead teach them how to use computer software instead. Just because you can use a computer doesn't make you a designer.
