Telling Stories Workshop - Cairo - Day 2

9 April 2013

Getting out of the car at FACE Salam Center (FSC) is akin to arriving at a movie premier (I'm guessing). Young men ready to carry your bags, help you from the car, and walk you inside as you shake hands with others who seemingly materialize out of the steps leading to the building. (Shaking hands in Egypt is not the usual USA clasp hands, pump up-and-down 3 times. It's a slap, lightly grasp, and pump-down-once affair).

Then there are the kids who make FSC their home (some for a few hours a day, some 24/7... it's their choice). They want to know your name, they want to shake hands, they want to practice the English they are learning. They want a hug. Or a kiss on the cheek. They want to be treated with respect. 

And as I found out in our first classroom session with the resident students (those still living on the streets will meet tomorrow), they return the respect with attentiveness and participation I would never expect from young teenagers.

I think one of their favorite slides from the lesson was Eadweard Muybridge's stop-motion of a galloping horse. (Which is, by the way, the first-ever motion picture!). 

After going over composition and basic techniques, it was off to Azhar Park for an afternoon of shooting. 

Each student was paired with a staffer who had a list of shots to take. 

Did the follow the list? Did they even try? I won't know until tomorrow afternoon, but even if they didn't, each one shot two disposable cameras of 27 shots each. So.. they did something!

And what a wonderful day. The sandstorm enveloping Cairo for the past two weeks had dissipated. Breezy, low 80's, sunshine with a meandering cloud or two. Perfect for observing changing light on a scene, and perfect for walking through a stunning park making friends with Egyptians enjoying a delightful day with their friends and families.

The day was void of whining, fighting, disruptive behavior, disciplinary measures — truly remarkable for 4 teenage boys aged 12-16. When I let Kashif try out my camera, the other boys waited to be asked if they wanted a turn. They never grabbed at it or resented giving it up to another. And that perhaps, was the biggest surprise... that they treated one another with affection and respect. I think it is the work FACE has done that has given them a framework of famly.

Telling Stories Workshop - Cairo - Day 1

8 April 2013

Yesterday I left Leipzig in a literal fog and arrived in Cairo in a sandstorm. With special thanks to The Palmer Foundation for funding the equipment and training, I have come to teach documentary photography to some street youth through the non-profit, FACE, as well as to train their staff in self-documenting the organization's endeavors. Hala McIver, Director for FACE USA, and I are spending our evenings in a humble, yet charming hotel in Heliopolis, near Korba - a popular shopping area. It's best perk is the fantastic Indian restaurant just off the small lobby... perfect for this vegan blogger.

Each day we will be traveling out to Salam City where we are based at FACE Salam Children's Center (FACE stands for Foundation to Aid Children in Egypt).

The first day is always a crapshoot. I try to expect nothing, which in turn (I feel) makes everything interesting. And today did not disappoint. We did a run-through with the staff so:

• the could get familiar with the material and to aid in translation
• I could ensure there was nothing untoward or offensive in the images in my presentation.

After a con-call for the top staff took away three of my audience, we found ourselves with what would prove to be our core group of four guys: Mohamed, Mohamed Hassanein, Ahmad, and Hassan. All are full-time staff with FACE (having studied social work in their schooling). Each has a remarkable grace about them: you feel it when you meet them and you see it in the way they interact with the boys.

Forget about rigid plans and processes. In a foreign country with a language barrier, things can quickly take a life of their own. And so, having finished a basic overview of composition and lighting in photography, I was tricked into launching an introduction to Lightroom, something not scheduled until the second week. But hey, as an avowed techno-geek who views any day with a BH Photo-Video box at the door as holiday — I can understand their impatience to know everything. NOW! (And there's not only the verbal language barrier, there's the operating system barrier as well – PC vs. Mac. And Arabic keyboard vs. English.

Loving challenges as I do... this is Heaven!