domingo, 28 de março de 2010

One first time


I guess we all remember our first time, what ever it was about. This is the story of one of mine, about photography.
I was some 25 or 27 years ago. This friend had a sister with 14 or 15 years old. She had an extra curricular class about photography, at school. But she felt that her teachers weren’t at ease with what they were doing.
Her idea was that I when there and gave then some help.
It wouldn’t be polite from me to get there and said: “Hey, you! You know nothing about that! Let me do it!” So I told her that I may do something, but only if her teachers asked me to. Some how she manage to persuade them and they call me.
After some talks, we came to this program: a kind of workshop of 18 hours, divided by 6 days. The first four would be theoretical, were we would discuss their cameras, about negative/positive process, exposure, composition and, among all that, some semiotics. The fifth would be practical with some oriented exercises and the last about their work.
As for the exercise, I create a game, where the questions and clues had to be answer by photos. To solve the mysteries, they have to use the knowledge they acquire, aesthetic and technical: exposure, camera controls, composition and perspective. The semiotics issues were hidden on the text I gave them. If it happen today, I would added some more, as perspective control using different focal lengths. The ability of immediate view of the digital cameras and the fact of all of them, today, had a zoom, would aloud it. But then… other times, other equipments.
The class was divided by two, one group supervised by the two teachers, the other by me.
On the last day, after we (mostly they) talked about their difficulties, failures and successes, during the practice, just before the last “good by”, some of them came to me and give me this package. They said it was a kind of souvenir or reward to me, since I were there on my spare time and for free.
I don’t remember what I told them, but I know I was speechless when I open it. Inside was this photo, on this very frame. It was done by some of the kids of the group I didn’t attend on the practice day, with the express propose of giving it to me.
It’s power, the joy of living there shown, their need to brake barriers, and how it was more useful to give them the key instead of opening the gate really touched me deeply.
Through the years I have been working with several classes and being paid for it. But I believe this was the highest payment I ever received.
This photograph is always hanged at home, reminding me of my first class and of what I’ve learned then.
I may change, now and then, all the photos I have hanged at home, but this one, never!

Texto e imagem: by me

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