The action of taking a photo has long forgotten its roots as a meticulous and methodical way of storing and sharing information. In the modern day, one might simply take their smartphone and click the camera shutter without another thought and return it back into their pockets. But with our project, we wanted to make taking photos a more intentional action and allow the aspect of sharing to be more meaningful. And to accomplish this goal, we brought back the forgotten art of physical film. By adding this physical element to our digital photos, we added another sense of responsibility to be more deliberate with the photos a photographer might take. I first taught the concepts of composition, such as using leading lines to tell a story, using negative space to emphasize your subject and colour theory, how it can affect the tone of your photos and how the reflection of light may cause some subjects, such as skintones, to be altered. And once they have been able to put these skills into practice, we then printed the photos they had taken onto film for them to cherish or save as a gift to appreciate someone else. Although at first I was very unsure about how the turnout would be and their engagement level, I was gladly surprised when there were about 10-15 attendees who came and followed through with their commitment to join my photography workshop. And there was also a wide range of attendees, spanning grade 10 to working adults. I was glad to see their support and encouragement to one another, and how they were able to give positive feedback on one another with their photos. I was also glad to have some of my friends, who also helped arrange some of the materials, along with inviting their friends and this workshop not only taught a group of people how to take meaningful and composed photos but also created an environment for a group of people in Richmond that otherwise would not have met. In the future, I would have chosen a day with better weather to host this workshop, and I’m particularly fond of nature photography, and with the beautiful environment around us, there are so many amazing opportunities for some great prints to keep and share with people around us how beautiful our city is. Look forward to potentially hosting a workshop again!
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