Class photo 9 : Portrait by students
Photography by silk screen and graphic and communication students, 2009
We began to work with 35 mm film cameras at the beginning of the residence till the 5th week.
It was once a week, during our meeting, i asked students to work in pair or groups. ( I wished we had a camera per pair but it was not possible to have enough.)
At the beginning of our adventure, we looked at diverse photography book and i asked each students to choose an image that they liked.
Some students choose their images and worked in a similar direction and others in different ways.
I decided to concentrate in portraits rather than group photography as class photo. I think it was more interesting to work on a relationship that was face to face rather than individual being an element of photo of group.
Today, we can have a relationship with people without actually being in the same space. These teenagers are the first generation that grew up with these ideas of relationships.
I thought this experience of making portrait will help them to get to know each other and to determinate together what group photo they wanted to make. But at the end i did not think we needed to make the other photographs than these portraits as the class photo. Because they have much intimate and important qualities than trying to fit everyone in one frame. These individual photographs together makes the class photo.
In this work, the main point i asked them was to be 100 percent present and available for the other person behind a camera / in front of a camera.
Being present and available meant to attempt to create a relationship within the time spent together. I requested them to look into a camera as they have never seen the person before ( attempt to bring out the best in the subjects) and to photograph the images that they can only make now.
I spoke to them about composition, we drew diverse composition ideas on the board , we spoke about light and worked on the movements with Nadege to be learn about how our body can be used. We spoke about body movements giving impacts on images.
I did not accompanied them during the time they photographed to keep their intimacy.
The only time i discovered their images were when the films were developed.
Each week we spend some time to view and discuss the images .
I am very happy with these photographs.
Every students developed a different ways of photographing, they were able to trust each other and they reached our goal.
It was once a week, during our meeting, i asked students to work in pair or groups. ( I wished we had a camera per pair but it was not possible to have enough.)
At the beginning of our adventure, we looked at diverse photography book and i asked each students to choose an image that they liked.
Some students choose their images and worked in a similar direction and others in different ways.
I decided to concentrate in portraits rather than group photography as class photo. I think it was more interesting to work on a relationship that was face to face rather than individual being an element of photo of group.
Today, we can have a relationship with people without actually being in the same space. These teenagers are the first generation that grew up with these ideas of relationships.
I thought this experience of making portrait will help them to get to know each other and to determinate together what group photo they wanted to make. But at the end i did not think we needed to make the other photographs than these portraits as the class photo. Because they have much intimate and important qualities than trying to fit everyone in one frame. These individual photographs together makes the class photo.
In this work, the main point i asked them was to be 100 percent present and available for the other person behind a camera / in front of a camera.
Being present and available meant to attempt to create a relationship within the time spent together. I requested them to look into a camera as they have never seen the person before ( attempt to bring out the best in the subjects) and to photograph the images that they can only make now.
I spoke to them about composition, we drew diverse composition ideas on the board , we spoke about light and worked on the movements with Nadege to be learn about how our body can be used. We spoke about body movements giving impacts on images.
I did not accompanied them during the time they photographed to keep their intimacy.
The only time i discovered their images were when the films were developed.
Each week we spend some time to view and discuss the images .
I am very happy with these photographs.
Every students developed a different ways of photographing, they were able to trust each other and they reached our goal.
Class photo 10 : silk screen class by Kevin
Photograph by Kevin 2009
Kevin is a student of a silk screening class, He took this image that remains the only a group photograph, a class photo. I like this image because this is exactly how this class is, girls and Kevin on one side and the boys on the other. They all get on well but they don't mix.
This photograph is a typical class moment where Cherif is joking with Sarah, she looks like she is being provoked, Ninon looking at Sarah to see how she is going to react and Lucile looking at Kevin taking the photograph. Gaeten that we don't see in the frame( sitting behind Ninon) is saying something to us, Aurelian probably making a joke based on what he said, Sebastian looking downwards to hold his laugh and Benjamin is hearing the whole thing and smiling.
There is no Caroline nor Cassadre because they are probably taking photogaphs.
This photograph is a typical class moment where Cherif is joking with Sarah, she looks like she is being provoked, Ninon looking at Sarah to see how she is going to react and Lucile looking at Kevin taking the photograph. Gaeten that we don't see in the frame( sitting behind Ninon) is saying something to us, Aurelian probably making a joke based on what he said, Sebastian looking downwards to hold his laugh and Benjamin is hearing the whole thing and smiling.
There is no Caroline nor Cassadre because they are probably taking photogaphs.