seeing the world with no agenda . . . .
I've been working on our upcoming Contrast show today. Our official deadline for submissions was this past Friday, but if any of you would still like to send a few things in, please do. We'd love to see them.
It's really shaping up to be a wonderfully diverse event, with over 30 photographers invited to participate so far. We have 15 states represented and 3 countries. It's been a blast looking at all the personal work everyone is submitting. Very inspiring for me.
After lunch today my wife came by the studio and gallery with two of our nieces and two of our nephews. Ages 9, 7, 7, and 7. (the nephews are twins). They were looking for something to do, so I decided to put a camera in their hands and put them to work. I wanted to see what they would come up with regarding our theme of "Contrast".
None of them really understood the term, so, one at a time, I had them in my office. I didn't want them all teaming up to solve this problem. I was curious as to how they would do on their own. Thus, I met with them each individually to talk about "Contrast", then let them run around our gallery and downtown area for 15 minutes each, exploring with my gear.
We then all sat down and went through the images. Uncle Will did the editing, of course, but I really didn't do much more than convert them to black and white. This is what they came up with, and I have to admit, I'm a proud uncle.
Are these technically sound? No. Barely close. But that's not always the point. These children, with only a 5 minute conversation about what contrast means, and with no understanding of the technique involved in creating a photograph, saw the world around them in some very interesting ways. Mainly, because they were unencumbered by what they thought they should be doing, and therefore, did only what they felt like doing.
Here are a few of the images. I know they aren't for everyone. But when you look at them, consider what might be inside these images that is more than technique. Ask yourself if just maybe there might be a bit more here than what you see at a glance.
There might not be. But just as possibly, there may be tons of knowledge we can gain as well.
~wj
Labels: artists, black and white, children, Delta, Mississippi
posted by wiljax at 4:38 PM
4 Comments:
Will, I love your posts, and I especially loved this one.
I often wish I could go back to the days of being a child with a camera in my hand and not caring so much what type of images I produced.
Living with wonderment and fascination was so much easier back then... and while I am begin to ease up with my own photography and just have fun with it, it's hard to break the rules once they have been drilled into your head.
This post has inspired me to be even more bold and really play!
And I am loving it!!
And I LOVE the images the kids captured, they are so fantastic. I am thinking your next show should be photographs taken only by children.
You are not only a gifted photographer, but also a wonderful story teller. Thank you for your ever inspiring work.
What lucky nieces and nephews to have their Uncle Will inspire their creative force. What a beautiful story and I love the images. They will all take that day and what they learned with them into their lives forever. My grandmother was an intense and amazing artist who got her MFA at Chouinard (now Cal Arts) in the 60's and some of my happiest childhood moments are when she encouraged me to draw the funny faces I saw with her pastels on random pieces of cardboard, or make funny animals out of her different kinds of clay. She made her own groovy clothes all in bright shades of orange, purple, chartreuse green. She laughed at everything. I loved the days she took my favorite cousin (who is now a graphic designer) and I on simple excursions just to go browse fun stores, and meander and be delighted with the exploration process. I loved curling up on her "davenport" and drifting off into a mid-summer-day nap, listening to the coo of the doves outside in the big avocado tree, with the smell of her oil paints and my grandfathers stale cigarette smoke lingering in the living room air, one of her Siamese cats curled against me. Ahh, thank you for inspiring me to revisit my favorite memories - - and the genesis of my own creative adventure. You are so wonderful Will!
i used to teach a b/w pinhole camera class to elementary & middle school aged kids. it was fun to teach them an element of photography & see what they could find. did you teach them much about your equipment? i should have a play with mom's camera day. thanks for sharing.
Thank you Pamela.
Nope. I didn't teach them a thing about the equipment. As a matter of fact, the only instruction i gave them, was don't even worry about the equipment. Don't worry if it's "perfect". Don't worry if the image is centered. Don't worry if it's in focus. Just go explore. See. Interact. Go out in the world and then let it come to you.
This is what they created.
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