For this week I had the guys become "fashion photographers". At the beginning of class I talked to them a little bit about the professions you can pursue within photography. I mentioned sports, fashion and music photography as all viable options for them if they wanted to take photography seriously. They were dumfounded that a photographer can actually get paid a real world job. I brought in a new pair of Nikes I just purchased, some digital camouflage fabric and let them go crazy. Even though the final images don't compare to the quality of imagery used in the fashion industry, the experience for them was very important. One guy mentioned to me he hadn't worn a pair of nikes in years, and it just made him feel overall better when he had them on and was posing for the images.
Week 7: March 27th-28th
Since on Mondays the Photography class is paired with the clay and sculpture class, I figured it would be a great opportunity to introduce some basic video production, through the use of claymation and reputation of imagery. We worked with the sculpture class and created characters and scenes out of clay. From there, we would take an image of every small gesture the character would make, and compose a small claymation scene. Some were abstract, as some students just wanted to see the clay move over the course of time, however other students had a clear vision of what the grand narrative would be. Afterwards, I created small flip books for each scene they made and plan to make them into looping gifs on photoshop.
Week 6: March 20th-21st
Since the guys not only really enjoyed being prompted with random photographs they had to take, they excelled in it, I repeated the exercise. We had some new students in the mix, so it was good for them to see how the assignment worked. It was interesting, I originally had them pair up into groups of two, but by the end all five of them were all helping each other out with the words that they were assigned. Some of prompts were "Photograph Texture" and "Photograph a Reflection".
Week 5: March 13th-14th
For this week I was a little bit more prepared and had a concrete plan for what they were taking images of. Stemming from a photography project that I was assigned in Jason Schwab's class, I wrote down on small pieces of paper singular words, in which they had to create photos of in some way. They drew randomly, and had to photograph what the piece of paper said. Some were as simple as "Photograph the color red", although I threw in some more difficult ones such as "Photograph Air" and "Photograph Unity". Needless to say, it was a great success to see them turn the camera around from taking selfies, to really analyzing how a camera can produce images that convey a certain idea.
Week 4: March 6th-7th
For this week, we took a break from photography due to need in drawings for the "Let Freedom Ring" Chime project we had previously worked with St. Johns with. Although I didn't bring the cameras that the Youth Academy provides us with, many of the kids were asking why we were not doing photo that day. It got me excited that these kids actually do look forward having the camera in their hands, and value it as an important time throughout their day. As the time progressed, some of the guys ended up taking images of the drawings they completed, along with their typical "Flick Up" modeling sessions.
Week 3: February 26th-27th
The third week at St. Johns Youth academy was a lot better when it came to creative discussion. I printed out some of the images they took of themselves, as well as some sample imagery of city skylines, colorful street art, and a lot more. I told them at the beginning of the class we were going to make collages out of all of the images, and talked to them about the idea behind it. By cutting out your body in a picture while your inside this institution and putting it somewhere else is like "being somewhere completely different at the same time" one said. I felt good that we were having discussion behind why we were making art, although some of the collages weren't as articulate as planned. Next week I plan to have a legitimate assignment where they can get in groups, take specific photos and possibly compete for something.
Week 2: February 19th-20th
The second week was a little bit more difficult to get guys more motivated and willing to try something new. We went outside with the cameras, which was good because it was a change of scenery, however the grass and metal fencing expired in their minds. From the artists point of view, I thought that being outside would ignite a spark to take imagery other than typical portraiture, but i realized that was not enough. I realized I need to be very structured with the schedule, making sure I outline some type of assignment or idea for them to explore with.
Week 1: February 12th-13th
The first week of the residency went well at an introductory level. Members of the Saint Johns Youth Academy are between the ages of 14-18, so using a digital device came pretty naturally to them. As soon as they got the camera in their hands, the energy in the room escalated as they began posing and modeling for every image they could. It wasn't the most instrumental week for teaching and instructing, but essential for them to get the experience with a camera in their hands. The first day I implemented a loosely constructed "Portrait" project. Which came about in no time, as it seemed there weren't any other photos that were not a portrait in some way. From discussing my experience with another individual, I realized it is important to bring reference images and create stronger assignment guidelines. The members love taking images, especially of themselves, but figuring out how to harvest their interest in that combined with more cohesiveness is an area where I need to focus more on. Below, are some sample images that the guys from Saint Johns Youth Academy took.