Kids & Cameras

Two weeks ago we started a project at church that will eventually raise money for Kids with Cameras, while also giving our youngest members a chance to show the older folks what church looks like to them. We bought 10 reusable cameras on eBay for $20, filled them with 24-exposure rolls of 400-speed film (the cameras don't have a flash, unfortunately), and handed them out to whoever showed up that Sunday. The kids ran around the church taking pictures and having a riotously good time. And the adults got a kick out of the kids' enthusiasm—there was a ton of energy in Coffee Hour that day!

Given processing delays, I just finally got the photos back today. First let me just say thank you to the kind clerk at Wal-Mart who saved me from my own stupidity by digging through the trash to find the receipts I'd left there upon which I had so carefully recorded the name of the child who'd taken that roll of pictures, and then reading the names to me over the phone so I could once again match the photos with the photographer. Because I'd left the receipts at the store, my first look at the photos was done blind, so to speak, without knowing who took what. A couple of the photographers really stood out from the rest of the pack in terms of composition and choice of subject. When I got the names from the clerk and matched them up, I was delightfully surprised to see that the 2 that had impressed me most were not taken by the sons of the very talented amateur photographer who's co-leading this project with me (although theirs were good, too) but by a girl who is a mere 3 or 4 years old and an 8-year-old boy with developmental challenges (who was deeply disappointed the following Sunday when he didn't get to take more pictures: "Well, what's the point in coming, then?!?"). And the photos taken by a 7-year-old boy who spends most of his time on Sunday mornings expressing his overflowing physical energy were also remarkably sophisticated and thoughtful.

This is what I love about doing art with kids. With a new, nonverbal avenue of expression, they show sides of themselves you might not have known or even suspected were there! And they get a chance to find that side of themselves and get to know it. It might even turn out to be a new way for them to experience success, which can be especially important for kids who have a hard time in other areas.

So now we'll display the best of these photos and get ready for round #2, whatever that may be. This is a project that's developing (excuse the pun) organically as we go along. I'm thinking maybe we could do some formal portraits next, with a little studio lighting, etc.? It's still too cold to do an outdoor shoot. Someday spring will come…

If anyone would like to contribute to our ongoing Kids & Cameras project, in the way of film, $$ for developing/mounting, or even old cameras (film or digital) you're not using anymore, please let me know! The kids' enthusiasm 2 weeks ago inspired 3 other folks to contribute a total of $30 to the cause, which turned out to be just what the processing cost. Winning the eBay bid for exactly how much money we had to get the cameras; having just enough more money contributed to pay for the processing; finding a clerk willing to dig through the trash to find the receipts that were still there—so far this project has been blessed with success. I have to believe God is smiling on our kids with cameras.