So Far (11/10/06)
First things first, Super huge apologies to aunt Carolyn for not being my aunt Caroline, I wish I could say that spell check ruined me but I think I actually misspelled a family members name.
I suck. Big time.
Sorry, a thousand times.
Second, I am ashamed to say that I was nervous and not too enthusiastic about the photos I was going to be looking at today. To my shame and joy they pretty much knocked me on my ass instead. I was so happy to see some really interesting shots, great compositions, great ideas, and great photos. I think I freaked the students out a bit by suddenly becoming so happy and jumping up throwing my hands up in the air. I had to give them a few “hell yah!” ‘s. They earned them. My punishment for doubting them was to spend 2 hours installing the printer and cameras software on a UNICEF laptop only to end up using my own for speed and ease. Further proof I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. In my defense, I asked for a printer that worked directly from the cameras so I wouldn’t be screwing with software and color matching. I like simple. I am simple.
NEXT DAY
This morning was one that reminded me why I love traveling. I stopped in a teashop to get a coffee and some breakfast like things. I have yet to see something that didn’t have Tuna in it, but I was short on time so I asked for my things for take away. Somehow I had forgotten the way this works. If you order a hot drink (or cold) to go, it comes to you in a bag. Meaning my hot coffee was put into a small baggie with a drawstring and a straw, carefully placed so as to not drip, leak or cause any harm to my egg/tuna/curry croissant like device. Which by the way tastes 1000 times better than I make it out to be. I actually love em. Anyway. My ever so carefully packed and placed coffee and I wander down the road to my third class ever and I cant help but laugh out loud and the thought of my burning the hell out of my self while I try and figure out how to loosen the baggie enough so that I can actually drink from the currently restricted straw. Fear not I accomplished this feat and more today.
Class, I was actually very up beat about class. I had printed up contact sheets of the images I thought the students should see. Good and bad. I became quickly aware while editing that this part would suck. Three or four would shoot like rabid jackals while another three of four would be out for hours and come back with 16 frames. The middle four seemed to be my flower-shooting group. I did however seem to connect a bit on this second day with a few of them and realize that they were as nervous as I was and are not accustomed to being allowed such freedoms of expression. Here I was thinking that they were little boilers under pressure waiting to break out. When in a sense they had it in them but were far too restricted to react when the blinders came off. It seems thought that the silence is ending.
Today I had my butt spanked by the students. The youngest and I began to talk about what his work was doing where it looked like it was going and what not when suddenly we were brainstorming a great little anti-drug campaign the he really took the creative control with. I mean I poked around a bit and tried to make suggestions but he seemed to have the idea inside brewing waiting to see what I would say. Once we got together I felt like he knew everything but a few small detail suggestions from me, the rest was already thought out. I will say that he came up with the best “Story” yet. His idea for his photo project is the best of the class so far. I hope he shoots it as well as he planned it I tried to offer my help at any time or point (UNICEF finally got me a phone, so I now have the kids pranking me) all he needs to do is call and I will come out and help him. I was turned down flat. He wants to make this work on his own.
I was one solid grin ear to ear all day long.
It never stopped. They just kept coming in with better and better images, more and more of them. I have had a hell of a time keeping up with the downloading and battery usage its insane. I actually handed out my brand new camera out to a student who ran out of memory twice and batteries once on my camera. That’s give or take 400 frames.
They are kicking my ass.
I was editing tonight until 10 pm.
I jumped the next boat to the airport and practically ran to the bar.
Three beers, no dinner, locked bathrooms and rainstorm make for one long crappy boat ride back to Male’.
I have never worked with kids before and I don’t know that I will so directly again anytime soon, but they are fantastic. They are all super motivated, they are asking great questions, the work exceeds my hopes by far and now I fear only being able to edit the material and print it adequately and in time to display. Some of the work deserves to be shown bigger than I can have printed on the island. I would love to teach this class for a month or two with actual digital SLR type cameras. The work would just melt my brain.
Its late, I am tired and I feel like falling asleep to the third rainstorm in a row tonight.
The rain falling on the flat (and probably aluminum roof sounds just like static from a TV stuck in between channels. Its perfect.
Sleep well all,
Take care,
David.
I suck. Big time.
Sorry, a thousand times.
Second, I am ashamed to say that I was nervous and not too enthusiastic about the photos I was going to be looking at today. To my shame and joy they pretty much knocked me on my ass instead. I was so happy to see some really interesting shots, great compositions, great ideas, and great photos. I think I freaked the students out a bit by suddenly becoming so happy and jumping up throwing my hands up in the air. I had to give them a few “hell yah!” ‘s. They earned them. My punishment for doubting them was to spend 2 hours installing the printer and cameras software on a UNICEF laptop only to end up using my own for speed and ease. Further proof I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. In my defense, I asked for a printer that worked directly from the cameras so I wouldn’t be screwing with software and color matching. I like simple. I am simple.
NEXT DAY
This morning was one that reminded me why I love traveling. I stopped in a teashop to get a coffee and some breakfast like things. I have yet to see something that didn’t have Tuna in it, but I was short on time so I asked for my things for take away. Somehow I had forgotten the way this works. If you order a hot drink (or cold) to go, it comes to you in a bag. Meaning my hot coffee was put into a small baggie with a drawstring and a straw, carefully placed so as to not drip, leak or cause any harm to my egg/tuna/curry croissant like device. Which by the way tastes 1000 times better than I make it out to be. I actually love em. Anyway. My ever so carefully packed and placed coffee and I wander down the road to my third class ever and I cant help but laugh out loud and the thought of my burning the hell out of my self while I try and figure out how to loosen the baggie enough so that I can actually drink from the currently restricted straw. Fear not I accomplished this feat and more today.
Class, I was actually very up beat about class. I had printed up contact sheets of the images I thought the students should see. Good and bad. I became quickly aware while editing that this part would suck. Three or four would shoot like rabid jackals while another three of four would be out for hours and come back with 16 frames. The middle four seemed to be my flower-shooting group. I did however seem to connect a bit on this second day with a few of them and realize that they were as nervous as I was and are not accustomed to being allowed such freedoms of expression. Here I was thinking that they were little boilers under pressure waiting to break out. When in a sense they had it in them but were far too restricted to react when the blinders came off. It seems thought that the silence is ending.
Today I had my butt spanked by the students. The youngest and I began to talk about what his work was doing where it looked like it was going and what not when suddenly we were brainstorming a great little anti-drug campaign the he really took the creative control with. I mean I poked around a bit and tried to make suggestions but he seemed to have the idea inside brewing waiting to see what I would say. Once we got together I felt like he knew everything but a few small detail suggestions from me, the rest was already thought out. I will say that he came up with the best “Story” yet. His idea for his photo project is the best of the class so far. I hope he shoots it as well as he planned it I tried to offer my help at any time or point (UNICEF finally got me a phone, so I now have the kids pranking me) all he needs to do is call and I will come out and help him. I was turned down flat. He wants to make this work on his own.
I was one solid grin ear to ear all day long.
It never stopped. They just kept coming in with better and better images, more and more of them. I have had a hell of a time keeping up with the downloading and battery usage its insane. I actually handed out my brand new camera out to a student who ran out of memory twice and batteries once on my camera. That’s give or take 400 frames.
They are kicking my ass.
I was editing tonight until 10 pm.
I jumped the next boat to the airport and practically ran to the bar.
Three beers, no dinner, locked bathrooms and rainstorm make for one long crappy boat ride back to Male’.
I have never worked with kids before and I don’t know that I will so directly again anytime soon, but they are fantastic. They are all super motivated, they are asking great questions, the work exceeds my hopes by far and now I fear only being able to edit the material and print it adequately and in time to display. Some of the work deserves to be shown bigger than I can have printed on the island. I would love to teach this class for a month or two with actual digital SLR type cameras. The work would just melt my brain.
Its late, I am tired and I feel like falling asleep to the third rainstorm in a row tonight.
The rain falling on the flat (and probably aluminum roof sounds just like static from a TV stuck in between channels. Its perfect.
Sleep well all,
Take care,
David.
posted by davidlang at 12:05 AM
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