Field Trip Scheming

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            Today is nearing the end of the first round of the workshops. The kids I have had in my class have been exposed to a lot just in the short time that I have had with them. I have seen them go from unenthused to chomping at the bit to get their hands on the cameras at the ends of the lessons. Getting to teach what I love most has only reinforced my understanding of how I was just made to do media. Going to the basics, explaining the building blocks of photography, having to think about those things in a way that I can convey them easily and inspire these students has just given me more vigor for what I already love.

I had done my best to display things visually and I ended the real instruction of the workshop by setting all the cameras to black and white. The hope is that if they really learned anything then they will use the fundamentals of aesthetics to make more interesting photographs. Considering the fact that all of these kids a week ago had never used a camera in their whole life they have come a long way. I have been using the late nights to look at their pictures. They still take selfies and group photos from time to time, but there has been a major drop in the amount. I see them using the rule of thirds, composing shots with leading lines, controlling their light and looking for interesting angles. I love seeing their growth. Since they have started I have made folders in my computer with their names on them and I can’t help but be tear up by the progress I see that some of them have made.

These kids are great and I want to do something special for them, so I’m doing something a little unorthodox by planning a field trip. It has been a little tricky pulling together, lots of logistics to work through, but the leadership on my summer project and at The Mamelodi Initiative was more than happy to enable me to make it happen.  On the SA’n end some contacts I was fortunate to make took care of the finances by talking with the owner. When it was all said and done, the kids from Mamelodi would be welcome for free, pretty much the only way I was going to get them to the Mothong Heritage Nature Preserve. I handed out slips to go home to their parents at the end of class today and I got to see the wonder and confusion on their faces. They were excited, though apparently they have never heard of the preserve that’s right in their own backyard.

Please pray that:

Everything will go smoothly for the field trip tomorrow and that the logistics would fall into place, esp. since some of them still hang in the balance.

That the kids have an enriching experience, as it will be way more about them getting to go than it will be about taking pictures.

God bless and all the best,

Dylan Rollins