By Jeffrey Abbott
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – After 22 years, Linda Klingler keeps Camden County College’s photo lab in pristine condition so students can expect film and pictures to develop in a reliable and consistent manner.
Klingler was born in Cooper Hospital in December 1951. Shortly after, she moved to Delaware Township, which later became Cherry Hill. She recalls living in the rural area of Cherry Hill before it became developed but remembers it as a hot spot in the areas where the nightclubs and race track were.
She started her college career at CCC. “I was in the first photo class. The lab hadn’t even been set up, and once the lab was set up we started working over there in that lab (in the basement of Jefferson Hall, the lab now resides in Lincoln Hall),” Klingler said.
For Klingler, a typical day includes setting up the lab by doing various tasks. “When I come in the first thing I do is go into that lab and turn on the safe lights and set up the trays. And then I come back out here and mix chemicals to go into the trays and set it all up. I pull the prints off the screens and then I turn on the washers, make sure I turn on the faucets too, make sure all the water’s the right temperature and then I usually start mixing some chemicals. Sometimes I’ll clean before students start coming in too,” said Klingler.
Klingler calls the CCC photo lab “the best photo lab in New Jersey.” As the photo lab attendant, Klingler combines knowledge of the facility with a passion for the job, the students who use the lab and producing quality negatives and prints.
“I like the students, they have some really nice work this semester,” said Klingler.
Frederick Herr, who is the assistant professor of photography and has been at CCC for 15 years, said, “She does a great job at keeping the lab in order. She really does a good job, her and I have worked very well together. I just tell her I don’t care how you do it just make sure the lab runs smoothly and she does. She really has been a great asset to the photo program. She’s very helpful with the students, she’s very helpful all the time.”
Linda Klingler of the CCC photo lab shows the various film carriers with which students can make prints. By Jeffrey Abbott, CCC Journalism Program