"We have high quality students here," says Simmons, pointing out the fact that North Georgia Tech's photography students have developed a solid reputation in the Professional Photographer's Association. "I learned a lot about photography when I was a student here, and I see a lot of these students with the same desire to learn."

Simmons learned his lessons well. In 1988, striking out on his own after earning a diploma in commercial photography at North Georgia Tech, he started his own photography business in Atlanta.

He ended up selling that business to a partner and returning to the North Georgia mountains to care for his parents' 110-acre farm, a move that allowed him to escape the hectic pace of Atlanta for the beauty of the mountains.

Selling the Atlanta business did not end Simmons' career in photography, however. Inspired by his surroundings, he produced a calendar featuring his own black-and-white photographs of North Georgia waterfalls, and he opened a gallery in Dahlonega to showcase his black-and-white landscape prints that, along with some of his other works, have drawn wide acclaim.

These successes eventually led Simmons to his real joy, the thing that excites him the most — his return to North Georgia Tech as an instructor. "This is the job I really wanted," says Simmons. "I came back and filled in for Bob Williams (an instructor who eventually retired in 1995) when he took some time off, and I loved it."

Original photos by Kenny Simmons

His enthusiasm for teaching and his expertise in the field made him an easy choice for Richard Smith, who heads the photography department at North Georgia Tech.

Over the past five years, Simmons has happily labored as an instructor in the photography department. His class schedule includes the entire range of photography offerings at North Georgia Tech, from a basic introductory-level course in black-and-white photography to classes covering portraits, photojournalism, photographic labs, commercial photography, portfolio development, and other phases of photography. In fact, Simmons says that he is learning the latest advances in computer digital images as quickly as possible so he can institute the process in the photography sequence at the school.

"There is never a dull moment around here," claims Simmons, and the atmosphere in his office is anything but dull. The old North Georgia Tech building that houses the photography department has nooks and crannies even the building's architect has forgotten. But Simmon's photographic prints, along with those of his students, fill every space. Even during our interview, endless streams of students came in for advice, submitting dripping trays of developed black-and-white photos for Simmons' approval (and, quite often, disapproval).

"The biggest misconception about this class is, 'this is going to be easy,'" Simmons explains. "There is nothing easy about these courses. About 50 percent of a class that comes into the sequence graduates. It isn't just taking pictures. We read books; we study theory. We have go-getters here."

Simmons demonstrates portraiture techniques to students