Today, I was training young students, using curriculum from my series on “The Art and Techniques of Digital Photography.”
The students in attendance were part of a special program provided to them, free, by the Fresno County Library system. I traveled to three various branch libraries during the past month to conduct a few classes each. Nearly a few hundred miles of driving later the training programs were complete. The seeds of creativity and opportunity to do great work were planted, watered and even budding – as you’ll see in this article.
FLOWER: I explained that in composition (which is this thing artists get all tied up with) you want to place horizons 1/3 or 2/3 up the page not in the middle. “Don’t [always] center your objects,” I told my class. The image above is one student’s fine example of careful composition, taking advantage of solid color backgrounds, repeated shapes, lights and shadows (luminosity) and advantageous angles.
So here I am at another library today, sitting at my laptop with 15 kids (students) around engrossed in the session as we analyzed the 1200+ photographs they took a week earlier. I asked, “Can people fly like you see in the movies?”
They answered, “Nooooo!”
“Can they send powerful rays from the palms of their hands?”
“Nooooo!”
“Well then, students, how do they do that in the movies?”
“Special effects,” even the youngest ones answered.
“Exactly,” I responded and went on to let them know that we can do that kind of special effect stuff in the computer with our still photographs – which was my lead-in to the post-production side of digital photography. You should have heard them giggling and “oohhing” as I modified some of their images with Photoshop.
NOTE: The images in this article were taken by my students, not me. On Day-One I taught them “how to see” with an artistic eye and how to do something as simple as change angles to avoid taking snapshots in exchange for creating artistic images.
I turned around to one rather small child and asked him how old he was. Not shyly he said, “Four.”
“You are my youngest photo student in my entire history of teaching… high five!” We slapped palms and my energy level went up 200%. Other students were seven, eight, eleven, some fifteen. I put several $500+ Nikon’s into their young hands explaining [my] first rule is the strap goes around your neck. Big kids helped little kids.
OKAY, DON’T MOVE WHEN YOU CLICK” As proud as I am with my young students, this boy is NOT holding the lens the correct way. I made it clear that you need to hold your hand the other way so you can lock your elbow against your body for a more stable grab! I bet he was eating some of the cookies or chips the library provided during that part of my lecture.
I want to talk about being open and receptive to things around you – some very obvious. These young kids helped me learn, or relearn perhaps, some things that become shadowed in one’s day to day routine. People do things to help us and once in a while we think it is intrusive. I put out a new web site the other day to help our community. It’s a free service that offers listings of creative talent for the entertainment industry focusing, for now, on the Fresno area. One person responded with a message that was just shy of a reprimand for my trying to do this. The message went on to indicate that Fresno already has resources listed elsewhere. Why am I wasting my time with this “local yokel” project? I was surprised.
I have numerous places to choose from for much of what I do, eat, watch, read and more. All I am doing is offering up a web site that will cost no one, but me, a dime or a dollar in hopes that someone, not me, will benefit.
In another situation, you might see someone struggling with something, anything. You might try to offer help, advise, or whatever else you can that could lighten their load. In the midst of their pain, you are condemned by them. Again, somehow this must be an intrusion.
My young and now youngest students taught me that before all the #$%@! burdens us down we are willing and anxious to receive help, guidance, advise and even some occasional strong love.
My little-kid students are way smarter than I because they want to learn and are receptive. I’m too often set in my ways and ready to be defensive in the face of uninvited advice.
Therefore, I hereby pledge that from this moment on (and likely for only about 24 hours) I am prepared to accept your unsolicited wise words – that might help light my world and lighten my load.
MOVING CELL: You do not always have to hold the camera steady and these students asked me how to adjust their shutter and aperture to create some fluid-like motion. Great job!
VAYA USTED NIÑA: This young girl decided to use a flash fill to help minimized the harsh shadows caused by the bright afternoon sunlight.
DUTCH ANGLE: Keep your horizons straight and vertical lines VERTICAL is my credo.
The above photo is a perfect demonstration of my students not following my credo about holding the camera straight. It’s too bad I’m not more open to unwanted advise and wisdom from others because, truth be told, this image by one of my rebellious students would help me be a much better photographer.
Okay, so the 24 hours of my new “open-minded” attitude has not lapsed yet. So what? It’s my blog and I don’t care what you think… and don’t want to hear it!
