A photography workshop for youths teaches them to find a good subject, get close -- and wait for the right moment.
To you and me, a peek into one of downtown Lawrence's alleys might reveal little to appreciate.
But that's not the way Gary Smith sees it.
For him, those alleys provide a hidden treasure of line, form, texture and contrast.
A feast for the well-trained eye.
Smith, a local photographic artist, often uses seemingly mundane backdrops -- such as a city's alleys -- to teach young people how to discover richness anywhere.
And to mine that quality with a camera.
OK -- but alleys?
"I like them because they're strange to kids," Smith explained.
"There's grease pits back there, there's garbage. It's like a different country. These aren't places you visit every day."
His offbeat choice of subjects seems to be working.
The black-and-white pictures of downtown alleys -- taken by 12 students who took part in one of Smith's recent youth photography workshops -- wouldn't look amiss displayed in a Massachusetts Street art gallery
Their crisp images are full of subtlety and, if you ponder them, meaning.
Pretty sharp work for beginning photographers, ages 12-18.
"Gary said to look for pictures of stuff no one else would think of," said Caitlin Hornbeck, 14, an eighth-grader at Central Junior High School.
"You normally wouldn't see someone taking a picture of a Dumpster. We took lots of Dumpster pictures. And graffiti."
'Dynamic work'
Their photos are the artistic result of Smith's Lawrence Photography Project Phase IV, held Aug. 3-13 by the Pelathe Community Resource Center, 1423 Haskell Ave.
It was one of a series of free photo workshops the center has offered for young people wanting to discover the craft of taking pictures.
The ongoing project is funded by the Lawrence Arts Commission, the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as private, in-kind donations.
Participants in Smith's workshops don't always take pictures of alleys.
In the past, he's taken students to the Baker Wetlands, Midland Junction north of Lawrence and Lawrence Municipal Airport, also north of town.
Smith's recent group of students met for 10 straight weekdays, four hours a day. They took part in every aspect of their photography -- choosing the subject, developing the film and printing the final product.
They learned the skills of the trade in a darkroom Smith built this spring, filled with equipment provided by local photographers.
The tools students used to capture their images were basic.
"We used $19 point-and-shoot, 35-millimeter cameras from Wal-Mart," Smith said, "and they (the students) still did dynamic work."
In-your-face photography
Students gave the experience high marks.
"I thought the workshop was really great," said Stephanie Steele, 15, a sophomore at Free State High School.
"The best part was to be in an uncrowded darkroom and be able to print whatever I felt like."
Participants found Smith's laid-back approach appealing.
"He's different as a teacher. Frankly, I think he's one of the best teachers I've ever had. He didn't tell us exactly what to take a picture of. We had a variety of things," Stephanie said.
Caitlin agreed.
"The workshop was really awesome. Gary treated us like we were equals. And he treated us like he was a student, too."
One of Smith's techniques for producing great photography is to get close to your subject.
Real close.
"I tell them, 'Get in it's face. Get down on your knees. It's OK if you get a little dirty,'" he said.
He believes in taking students on repeated trips to one locale during his workshops.
"By shooting the same subject over and over, they get to know it and see it better. I take them to a place until they get tired of it."
The artist within
His instruction worked for Caitlin.
"The workshop definitely improved my skills. He had us get up in the face of things. He just loves that phrase. He's always telling us that," she said.
Gena Brouhard, 15, a ninth-grader at Central Junior High School, soaked up her teacher's methods.
"I learned that there's a lot more to photography than taking pictures. You've got to focus in on what you're doing and get right down into it," she said.
Picking up the skills needed to develop film proved the best -- and most challenging -- part of the experience.
"At first it was hard, because you had to leave the film in the chemicals for a certain amount of time. And if you didn't, they would burn and they would look really bad. But we got the chance to do it over again," said Katie Steele, 12, a seventh-grader at Central Junior High School.
"I liked developing the pictures. You could see them come to life," said Katie, Stephanie's sister.
Smith understands his students' fascination with the darkroom.
"To kids, developing film is like magic, seeing the picture appear," he explained.
"The real surprise is when their parents see their work. They can't believe their kid took these pictures."
Stephanie summed it up like this:
"I learned to be more careful, to make it (the picture) more artistic than just a snapshot.
"And to wait for the right moment."
-- Jim Baker's phone message number is 832-7173. His e-mail address is jbaker@ljworld.com.
YOUTH PHOTO WORKSHOP A free, six-week photography workshop for young people will be offered from Oct. 11 through Nov. 20 by the Pelathe Community Resource Center, 1423 Haskell Ave. Classes are after school on Mondays and Wednesdays, with special Saturday classes on Oct. 30 and Nov. 20. Gary Smith, a local photographic artist, will lead the workshop. To sign up for the Lawrence Photography Project Phase IV, you must have already taken a beginner's course in photography. Students will take pictures, develop their film and print photos on high-quality art paper. Openings remain in the workshop. For information, call the Pelathe Center, 841-7202. |
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