Food, ready for its closeup

Posted on October 15, 2013 by kidsingardens

Under Mr. Pierce’s instruction, today’s afterschool photography program Kids with Cameras class tackled still life, starring fruits and vegetables, to go with our “food focus” for this semester. Stacey Peyakov from our local produce stand Wynola Flats donated produce for us to work with (thank you, Stacey!)

I threw in my own week’s groceries as well as every basket, platter, small bowl and linen in my house. Other instructors added vases, spools of yarn, a jug of paintbrushes, bowls, shells, lanterns….. We ended up with a great selection of props.

Mr. Pierce gave an excellent short presentation on the concept of “still life,” and then outlined a few things the kids should be thinking about: light, texture, color, shadow, etc.

Then the kids went for it. And I loved it. 100% of the kids, 100% engaged, for 100% of the class. I was in pedagogical heaven.

Selecting materials:

Our ratio of instructors/adults to students was almost 1:1. The kids consulted with the teachers, and the teachers helped to set up their shots.

One of the students suggested we tip over the tables to make areas to create the arrangements This worked great as a way to hang linens or butcher paper for backdrops.

Watching the students exercise their creativity was a joy. They’d work with one set of items they collected, arranging and re-arranging, and after getting their photographs, they’d head back and try something totally different. I’d say they were definitely “in the zone.”

These faces say it all! A great day!

Destination farm stand

Posted on October 23, 2012 by kidsingardens

Last week Kids with Cameras took a field trip to a farm stand run by a Julian family dedicated to sourcing food as locally as possible. First our guest instructor, Bill Bevill, worked with the students on sharp focus and filling the frame, and then we drove five minutes down the road to Wynola Flats Produce. Stacey Peyakov was a wonderful host, allowing kids to roam through the store as well as the orchard, snapping away. The indoor/outdoor space allowed for experimenting with lighting, and the produce gave us a chance to capture colors, textures, and patterns. One of the goals of both the KWC program and the garden is to develop in kids a “sense of place”—what makes living in Julian unique and wonderful? To do that you have to get out and look around, and what better way to do that than with a camera in hand?

Photo courtesy of Jeff Holt

Kids with Cameras 2.0

Posted on June 9, 2012 by kidsingardens

On Wednesday evening we wrapped Kids with Cameras 2.0 (an afterschool photography program I’ve written about here and here.) Program partners (Garden Club, Volcan Mountain Foundation, Club Live and volunteer instructors) held a reception at the public library with brief remarks, a celebratory presentation of some of the kids’ best shots, and delicious refreshments. The collection will remain on display for the next couple weeks at the Julian Library, and photo gift cards are on sale at the front office of the elementary school.

The photos we chose for the show represent all of the topics we covered (sports photography, composition, environmental portraiture, using manual settings, etc.) as well as fieldtrips (shooting in the school garden, at our historic cemetery and on Volcan Mountain.)

Representing Volcan Mountain and the volunteer photographers/instructors, Jeff Holt did a brilliant job of sneaking an art lesson into the remarks as he went over why we chose each photograph. Each kid was individually affirmed, and it was totally cool.

Below: a few of the students whose “show” picture happened to be taken during the school garden session. (Glares are from the room lighting and not in the original photographs.)

And of course, it was beautifully, extravagantly catered by my dear Rita.

Thank you to Bill Benson, Bill Bevill, Anne Garcia, Dana Pettersen, Jeff Holt and David Pierce for making Kids with Cameras a simply outstanding program. 3.0—-here we come!

“And Volcan is my mountain”

Posted on April 25, 2012 by kidsingardens

Kids with Cameras was a wildly successful afterschool photography class that was offered by the Garden Club and partner organizations last fall. This past week we launched Kids with Cameras 2.0 Spring Semester. One of the program founders, Jeff Holt gave the first lecture on frame, focus, format, and then the kids headed out to the garden to practice.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Holt

This program has been successful on many levels, and in ways we couldn’t have expected. Here is but one example. One of the program partners is the Volcan Mountain Foundation whose mission is to preserve Volcan Mountain for future generations through the conservation and acquisition of land, practice of respectful stewardship, environmental education, public outreach, and resource management. Every year they hold a dinner/dance fundraiser, and this past winter they decided to make Kids with Cameras the theme for the event, to emphasize the child/nature connection that falls within their mission.

Cue my friends: Allison, Kathy, Rita, Dana and Jeff. Look at the decorations they came up with–as I said in my remarks that night “all locally sourced and lovingly assembled.”

From the imagination of Allison---film looped around natural elements with children's photographs

(Photo courtesy of Chris Elisara)

My friends made this from thin air---grand arrangements to match the centerpieces, with local foliage accented with turkey feathers and vintage cameras (Photo courtesy of Chris Elisara)

The mantel is decorated with an enlarged photo of kids on the mountain, local greenery and flowers, and antique cameras. Enlarged photos from the photography fieldtrip were hung in the dining room and auction venue.

Children's photography was for sale during the silent auction--all proceeds benefitting the work of Volcan Mountain Foundation

Additionally, my son was one of two kids asked to make a short speech. It is reprinted below. Watching him deliver this speech, and hearing/watching the room respond, was a highlight of highlights living here in Julian.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ethan Elisara. My father is Chris Elisara who was born and raised in New Zealand. In New Zealand, the native people who are called the Maori, introduce themselves by saying their name as well as a geographic feature they identify with, such as a river, an ocean or a mountain. So as a half-Kiwi I would introduce myself to you saying: Ko Ethan ahau. Ko Volcan te maunga OR I am Ethan and Volcan is my mountain.

Growing up in Julian I have lived in two houses. Both of them have faced Volcan Mountain. The view of Volcan has been a backdrop for my childhood. I see it when I wake up in the morning, from the playground at school and even from the mountain bike track that I bike twice a week.

Kids with cameras gave me the opportunity to explore the mountain more closely. With my camera in hand, I studied the landscape. I noticed shadows and examined trees. I waited for the perfect moment when cottontail fluff blew across the viewfinder. With our instructors we conversed about the light, we talked about the rule of thirds, we scrambled over rocks and tore across meadows. At the end, we had hot chocolate and reflected on the day.

Thanks for being here tonight and preserving my mountain. Kia Ora and good evening.