18 April 2013

Telling Stories Workshop - Cairo - Day 4

Our fourth day we began the documentary portion of the class with the 4 resident boys. I had picked up some photo books of works by photographers such as Berenice Abbot, Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Our first discussion required them to choose a photo and using the clues in the photo make up a story about what they thought was happening in the photo. 



Henri Cartier-Bresson
We went up to the fourth floor and sat in a circle on a rug in an empty room. They loved the assignment, and I loved hearing their stories. Interesting with these boys, a few of the selections had to do with a person or persons (perceived as poor) needing to get away from the stress in their life to have a quiet place to think. It was so satisfying to watch them pore intently over an image and then focus on the most minute details in the photo to formulate their stories. 

After a break, we reviewed their images from El Azhar Park. They really took the composition and technique lesson to heart! And they were proud of the results, and talked about which techniques they used in their photos. We reviewed all of their images with the entire group huddled around my laptop. Everyone was allowed to weigh-in on an image, but the photographer had final say if they wanted to keep it. Some were more critical than others, needless to say!

Ali
Hussein
To introduce them to their assignment of documenting each other's day-to-day lives, we reviewed images from a project I did with HURINET, a human rights group in Uganda. It was about the Bat'wa Pygmies whom the Ugandan government has forced out of their native lands and habitat for the sake of eco-tourism (as in silver back gorillas and the westerners who want to see them). 



The boys related to the issue of homelessness that these people faced. I provided a selection of 14 images, and they had to narrow them down to the six they best felt told the story. (Of course they had to defend their selections)! 

Afterward, we discussed what types of images might tell the story of their own daily lives at the Center. They were excited to hear they would get to use the digital point-and-shoots FACE USA and The Palmer Foundation had donated.

Did I mention these kids ranged in age from 11 - 15? They stayed focused and engaged the entire day... more so than many college-age students in university classes I've taken!

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