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Photography Camp

This past week my intern and I taught a Photography Camp and it was AMAZING! The prep for this camp made me so stressed out and it took a lot of time to put together and make happen but it all came together and it ended today with me being a bit sad.

Our 6 middle school kids were so cool. They were all a bit weird but mostly introverted (like myself) so when it was time to "chill and draw/hang" they hung out and enjoyed themselves. I had so much fun with them that I looked forward to getting in to work each day and preparing everything for them.

They also took some beautiful photos! I dont want to add their photos here but I will add some of mine so you can get an example of some of the things we did.

Day one was kind of stressful as we were at a branch that I hadn't been at much before so finding everything and making it all work was rough (but day two it all worked out well). Day one was just figuring out how to use our cameras and we hung out around Washington Park (WP) for this hot n humid day. We walked around with a list of things to photograph like a scavenger hunt. This picture was "something that doesn't belong":

Tuesday we went to the Villa Terrace on the lake which was a huge stressor getting together but turned out to be my favorite day and the kids liked that day too! We had a short tour of the Villa and then were able to explore and take pictures on our own for the rest of the day. The Villa was closed to the public that day so it was quiet and relaxed and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was so beautiful and the kids took amazing pictures there. 

We focused on architecture and macro shots at the Terrace and here is one of my shots:


Then Wednesday we all went to Riverside Park and hung out. We first built a fire and made smores while drawing with charcoal. They loved the individual creative time and It was almost hard for me to gather them back together again! After lunch by the fire, it was time to start rock climbing! Two of the girls made it to the top and there were some awesome pictures of everyone's accomplishments. While someone was climbing, there was the option to take pictures and also go to the pond and try to collect some critters. They were super into collecting macros and tadpoles. at one point some little kids came over to see what we were doing and my campers were so kind and included the little kids in on the collecting, showing them what we had found. I didn't even need to say anything! Below is a picture of the lily pads in the pond :)


Thursday we changed around our plans around a little bit because of the weather and went to Lake park right away in the morning to shoot some pictures. Here are some pictures of our time at Lake park:


Then we went down to the lake to eat lunch and they took some beautiful pictures of the lake. Then it was time to play at Bradford! A small group went about digging a big hole, another group were playing 20 questions with me and another group went to build a sand castle.  It was a super chilly day at the beach but when given the opportunity, they still wanted some custard from Northpoint! The sun came out for a minute but we were pretty excited to get on the warm bus after eating something cold...

Friday was a very relaxed last day. We spent some time working on alphabet photography (or whatever they would like...) at WP and at the playground. Here is my alphabet photography, do you know what it represents??

Each camper was able to decorate their own frame and take home 1-2 pictures along with a USB drive of all of their pictures and the adult pictures as well since I took some awesome group shots. I spent most of the afternoon dealing with technology stuff while Maia took them to the WP pool. At the end of the day, parents came early to see the framed photos and watch a slideshow showcasing their favorite photos and the pictures I took of them all week. It was a HUGE success. The parents were amazed by the talent of the kids and someone even said "I want to take photography camp!" Maia and I received plenty of compliments and I was sad to see everyone leave. 

It felt so good that after so much stress and organizing, the week turned out to be awesome and fun for me and the campers! Maia and I did a jumping hi-five at the end of the day Friday :) YAY!

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