While the children waited for their film to be developed, they got right to work on designing and creating their journals. Their work was so exceptional, it attracted many admirers. Notice photos here of Headmaster Benson visiting the classroom and JoAnn sharing student work with the Headmaster and the Parent Council chairperson, Mr. Francis Mboya.
Once each student completed a final draft of his or her narrative, it was time to move on to the photography lessons. The children were so eager to begin. After teaching the basic parts and functions of the camera (view finder, film advance gear, frame counter, lens, actuating button, shutter, flash), they were ready to “experience” photography. Many of the children had never held or used a camera before and others were the class “experts”, modeling proper form and technique.
The students’ assignment was to document their home and school lives via photomedia and to correlate their photos with their narrative stories. It was so much fun for us to observe the students as they experimented with their cameras and to photograph them photographing their world. Each day, the students reported back about their experiences. We were impressed with how seriously each child took his or her assignment, exercising special care of the materials given. At the end of the week, every single camera was returned and the film was ready for developing!
Enjoy the photos of the children with their cameras!
