PhotoTeach, Day #2

October 15, 2008
Today was the second day that Miriam and I taught our photography class. It was such a good feeling...as soon as we walked into the school, stepping over a concrete step, onto the dirt-floor common area, our students ran up to us and crowded around us, yelling "C","Ccccc" and "Miriammm" (I had temporarily forgotten that "C" was the name that I told them to use for me, as "Carly" very difficult for most Ghanaians to pronounce).

Originally, Miriam and I had only enough funds to buy 4 cameras (for a class of 8), but since last week, we have been so blessed and have received enough in generous donations to buy cameras for all 8 students! Such a blessing. So, this week, we gave the other 4 students their own personal cameras.

Last week, we gave each of the children a journal and a pencil (to write down their assignments, thoughts, ideas, questions, inspiration, etc.), and we gave 4 of the children cameras. I couldn't believe it--7 out of the 8 students brought back their journals and pencils, and all 4 brought their cameras back (perfectly placed in his/her own box). We are so fortunate to be working with such a responsible and respectful group of kids.

The journal assignment for last week was to write down "3 Things that are Important to you". I was taken aback by how thorough and how well thought out the children's responses were. They shared about their family, friends, one boy even wrote about a "terrible mark on his forehead", and others wrote about "their black complexions." The journal entries more or less turned into paragraphs introducing and describing themselves to us, which was very enjoyable to learn about.

Last week's photography assignment (for the 4 that had cameras) was for each student to photograph his or her life in 18 frames. We went around in a circle, as those who photographed last week mentioned some of the things/places/people that they photographed. The task for the students without cameras last week was to look around and to take note of the things he/she would photograph this week, and they too shared about what they saw and encountered since last week.

All of the students were extremely attentive and willing to participate. This week's lesson was all about ANGLES. As you can see in the picture above, my "Explorers" learned all about various camera angles--they stood up, squatted down, looked up, and hunched over, as they learned and demonstrated different angles. Miriam and I flipped through examples taken from National Geographic, asking the students to identify the camera angles used in each photo. After much practice and discussion on angles, we briefed our class on "Things to Avoid When Taking/Making Photos". We talked about clutter, backgrounds, etc.

I have observed that the students are already absorbing the material, as they all repeated information from last week's lesson back to Miriam or me. The students who were the photographers last week came to class this week with this increased sense of confidence and self-worth--it was beautiful to witness.

Miriam and I are going to get the first batch of filmed developed soon, and I cannot wait to see my Explorers' pictures! The second batch of photographers has the same assignment as the first batch, this week, and next week the entire group will receive a new assignment. I hope to continue to see the students' knowledge of photography and their appreciation for taking photos develop as the weeks progress.