Kids Capture Their World with Cameras

(below is an article I helped to write for the Cultural Center newsletter about the photo class and above are some of my favorite student self-portrait photos that will be in the exposition this Saturday)

During October and November, 10 third- and fourth-grade students had the opportunity to see their world with new eyes—through the lens of a camera. Twice a week students came to photography classes at CCBN and explored such themes as family, self-portrait, community, symbol, story and dreams. For each topic they talked about how to portray it using images and took cameras home each week to capture their ideas on film.

“I had never had a camera in my hands before,” says Karelia de los Angeles Pravia Espinoza, 11. “It felt quite impressive!”

After learning about some basic elements of photography and how to use a point-and-shoot camera, students were handed point-and-shoot cameras to begin their first assignment: to take pictures of the strange – to look for interesting lines, perspectives, shapes, shadows and reflections. With eyes glowing and smiles of anticipation on their faces, the children learned how to insert their first roll of film and took off to experiment with their new tool.

“I like photography because when I take photos I am left with a memory that I will never forget,” says Ramsaliu Rivas Zamorra, 10, who says that she would like to be a photographer one day.

Not only did students learn technical skills like when to use flash and how to keep their finger from peeking in front of the lens, they also learned how to express themselves through their photos. Karelia describes how it’s possible to portray emotions in photographs. “For example, to show peace and unity you could take a photo of a child holding hands with another child”, she says.

Volunteer instructor Melissa Engle encouraged students to incorporate creative and reflective writing about their photos. For one assignment, children had to choose their favorite body part and write about why they liked it using description and metaphor. Then they paired up and used digital cameras to photograph one another’s favorite part.

Abraham Ordeñana, 10, says that what he liked most of the writing assignments was learning about metaphors, because they offer a way to compare things and it was something new that he hadn’t learned in school.

For another project students chose a self-portrait and wrote a Bio Poem about themselves, which was then exchanged with children from St. Jean Vianney School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Because the children in the class come from families with limited resources, taking photographs that they could keep and share with their family meant a lot to them. Most said their favorite theme was family. “My aunt asked me if I could make enlargements of the photos I took of her daughter,” says Karelia, “and that made me feel very blessed.”