Primary School Photography Workshop

[Nicole]

Just have to share this with you...

I've been running a photography workshop for 22 primary school students from years 5,6 & 7 over the past 3 months. You may recall my plea for help here to find black & white disposable cameras for my students. I tracked 22 cameras down and the students have all been so keen and dedicated throughout the entire workshop!

I have chosen one (the best) negative from each student and have been busy printing them over the past 2 weeks for an exhibition of their work. I am so excited, because their work is absolutely fantastic! I'm so proud of my young students! They have produced such innovative and excellent photography and I can't wait to see it on display!

Just had to share my quiet leaps of joy...

 

[Fireguy2002]

Will we get to see? I'm rather interested.

 

[MikeSeb]

This is fantastic. They have the patience to forgo digital's instant gratification?

 

[Dan Henderson]

This sounds like a great project. I wish there was something like this in my area that I could volunteer for.

BTW, nice to see you here, Nicole. You've been missed.

Dan

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Hey, Nicole, long time no hear. That's great news about your students. I, too, would love to see what they have done under your tutelage.

 

[blaze-on]

Good for you Nic...very cool project.

 

[benjiboy]

It's a wonderful idea, the sort project that has so many rewards for the teacher and the children, with people like you around Nicole, film photography will never die.

 

[Nicole]

Chris, I'll give an introduction to some of the images once the Opening Night is over, which is this Wed, 28th Oct.
Mike, isn't that just fantastic. It can be done, all we need to do is give young students an opportunity, rather than take the quick'n'easy road.
Dan, hey there, great to see you again, too.
Chris, thank you, same to you. Will post later in the week.
Matt, I'm so not cool... just a happy little dinosaur. Good to see you again.
Ben, thank you. If we can inspire young minds, the future always looks a little brighter. Nice to hear from you.

 

[lxdude]

Reminds me a little of many years ago when I would go to the local elementary school and show them how to make photograms using printing-out paper. I showed them how to make masks and use things like dried grasses and found objects to make shadow images. It was so much fun seeing the kids' reactions as they took their creations out into the sun and watched them develop before their eyes, then brought them indoors to fix them in a big tub. They made oatmeal carton/shoebox cameras next and did some pinhole photography using POP. It was out of pocket and worth every cent.

I'm sure they'll pick up on your delight and enthusiasm for their work.

 

[SuzanneR]

I'm looking forward to seeing the work your students have produced. Sounds awesome!!

 

[papagene]

Nicole - this is great, and I also can't wait to see their photos. And yes, you are coooooooooool!

gene

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

Hi Nicole. Well done, and I look forward to seeing the photos.

 

[Valerie]

Looking forward to seeing the kids' works! Its a great thing you are doing, Nicole.

 

[Nicole]

The open night at the school was a huge success. The room was overflowing with viewers impressed by the student exhibition, a total of 22 matted 6x9" photographs. The students matted their own prints. We had over 250 votes for the People's Choice Award and I presented a Student Award. The prizes were fantastic - a high resolution Sony digital photo frame and a Nikon point & shoot camera. I've attached a snapshot of their work here for you. The exhibition will remain at the school until 11th Nov 09 and then travel to local libraries.

During the workshop, the students were given strict guidelines to only shoot 4 frames covering various genres, such as landscape, environmental portrait, abstract, self portrait, movement, etc... A total of only 27 frames over 9 weeks. They did extremely well, with just a plastic throwaway camera - and film!

 

[polyglot]

Spectacularly good results they got! Interesting that your prizes are digital.

 

[Nicole]

Hi Polyglot, I knew that would come up (fast). My choice of prizes are not open for debate (here on apug). It was a thoughtful, conscious choice though. Until students success rate improves digi is a good practice run. Save the art for when they are serious about creating something unique and Mum & Dad don't mind investing in their craft.

 

[Fireguy2002]

Very nice work. Not that you were accepting criticism on your choice, but I think the prize was a fine one with good thought. Congratulations on the outcome.

 

[polyglot]

Oh I don't disagree with your choice of prizes at all and am sure the winners will get great value from them; I am largely a digital photographer myself. I just found the juxtaposition of the prizes with the process used to win the prizes interesting.

Kudos for not only introducing the kids to photography, but getting them to the point where they've produced work of such quality. Not a trivial task.

 

[Nicole]

Thank you Chris and Plyglot. No offence taken at all. Better not say much since I just got back from a fantastic 40th birthday bash! Have a great night.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Home run, Nicole! Great job on the whole project!

I would LOVE to see these prints as more than thumbnails. Is there any chance that we can see them as individual scans or digisnapped?

 

[Wyno]

Congratulations Nicole and very well done to the students. If only the people running tertiary institutions would do something like this, then maybe they would provide for their own future employment and the future of the insitution. Unfortunately, I think they are all too short sighted for that.
Mike

 

[Nicole]

Thank you Thomas. I'll see what I can do and be back shortly.

Mike, there needs to be MUCH more support in Australia for The Arts.


I wrote to the big media moguls earlier this year asking for more exposure to art in the mainstream. Specifically - to have prime time news, sport and also a few minutes on the latest in The Arts and Science. I received an instant 2 line email response telling me sport was the tradition and there is no room for other stuff that people aren't interested in. Such short sighted views are inconceivable!

The problem is (as my mother so eloquently said), if you stick a bunch of people on a remote island (such as Australia) and only feed them chicken and beef, they'll either love chicken or beef - because they don't know anything else! This is what's happening to Australians through the Australian media. We need to be exposed to more variety (especially The Arts & Science), not just sport and sensationalised news. Sure there is Art on TV and in society, but you have to know what you're looking for and go searching for it.

Art and Science should be mainstream, to encourage more creative thinking, compassion and progress in society. Surely we can be more educated and intellectual than what the shortsighted media determines us viewers want or need.

Art is a creative language for the soul at any age - a language we can all easily learn to appreciate, understand and speak fluently. All this requires is exposure to art in our everyday environment, as a viewer or/and as a creator.

I'll keep sending my letters, run photography workshops (including at primary schools), keep introducing arts festivals in schools and parks and now busy curating a collaboration of collectable fine art photography at a big annual arts event in Perth, WA.

So, the solution is easy: We can ALL do something about this. We can all write to the media, the government, our primary/high/tertiary schools, etc... telling them we want more exposure to The Arts and Science (if that's your cup of tea) - not just one reality tv show after the other, or repeats of the same comedy shows each year. Not just the news, sports and weather report day in and day out. The big guns need to "see and hear" that we no longer want just chicken or beef!

 

[Ross Chambers]

I'm pleased that it worked out so well Nicole. It brought back memories of leading a small group of primary school kids at a tiny rural New Zealand school through the process of making a super 8mm movie.

As alternative life styler crafty types we had been approached to take a craft day in leatherwork, but I thought that my relatively better film making skills might work better (and preserve a few fingers from very sharp knives; they needed them for milking)

I don't know about the kids, but it was a real learning exercise for me, so many personalities to adapt to. We decided that every kid would shoot one shot and it was quite hard to persuade the meeker and less confident ones to do that. I could only reflect on what chance they had in the regular classes--fortunately by virtue of its small size of the school they would not be completely lost in the crowd.

The storytelling part i.e. editing had them lost; they were quite interested in the splicer, but not why two shots followed each other.

We also went seriously over budget, and had to fall back on leatherwork, making 2 belts which, when raffled, brought in ten dollars and put the production back into profit.

The parents loved the result.

My apologies if this isn't quite germane to your post, I hope it's of interest.

I agree vehemently with your appeal for more support for arts in schools, particularly music. There has been some agitiation in the eastern states and a seriously concerning report on ABC RN Background Briefing

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2009/2612176.htm

Regards - Ross

 

[Nicole]

Home run, Nicole! Great job on the whole project!

I would LOVE to see these prints as more than thumbnails. Is there any chance that we can see them as individual scans or digisnapped?

Here are the interpretations for the genres by some of the students in primary school years 5 & 6:
Self Portrait | Abstract | Family Portrait | Landscape | Movement

 

[Fireguy2002]

You can do it!!!