We are STOKED to report that our first official Photovoice sessions with both of our groups went incredibly well! On Friday and Monday, Maggie, Annie, and I (with the help of Jayesh, our translator/social-worker/get-things-done extraordinaire) held sessions with the VHW and Kusadgaon Village groups, respectively. We started each session by discussing how photos can be used as tools to tell stories. We shared photographs from our past Photovoice experiences and asked the groups to describe and pick out stories from a handful of photographs taken by past participants. It was awesome to hear what the groups had to say about the images they were viewing, and by the end of the exercise, they gave some extremely insightful analyses into the people and places represented in photos from both India and Honduras. It was great to get everyone used to talking in the group setting and relating to photos in this way. We're looking forward to some awesome discussions with each group as they begin to bring back photos they've all taken from their own villages.
After our discussion we handed out the cameras (THANKS, BACKERS!), and the smiles on each of the kids and VHWs' faces were absolutely priceless. From there we were able to go over how to use the camera and how to charge the batteries before starting on different ways they each could use their cameras. We made sure to talk with the groups about photography ethics such as a respecting community member's boundaries when taking a photograph and to not take a photo of anyone who didn't want one taken.
Next we introduced a guideline for the budding photographers to use in order to help tell their stories: Point of View. We explained that it is important to take into account the angle and point of view or perspective from which you are taking your photograph, and to not just take photographs from the same view-point all of the time. Rather than always clicking the shutter from your own eye-level (the ever common 'tourist' shot), you can tell a different story by creating different photographic perspectives. For example, crouching down low to meet a child at eye-level or standing on a chair to peer down below help you to express different types of stories.
Next we introduced a guideline for the budding photographers to use in order to help tell their stories: Point of View. We explained that it is important to take into account the angle and point of view or perspective from which you are taking your photograph, and to not just take photographs from the same view-point all of the time. Rather than always clicking the shutter from your own eye-level (the ever common 'tourist' shot), you can tell a different story by creating different photographic perspectives. For example, crouching down low to meet a child at eye-level or standing on a chair to peer down below help you to express different types of stories.
Everyone had some time to practice and ask questions before the end of the session, and we asked each of them to come back next week with at least 20 thoughtful photographs that they thought told a story.
The enthusiasm we felt in each group was so overwhelming that Maggie, Annie and I were on cloud-nine for the rest of the day. We were especially excited to see one of our VHW participants, Rambabai, taking photographs at CRHP's Adolescent Girls Program Graduation on Sunday! She seemed so proud to be there with her camera! Can't wait to see those shots as well as how all of our 14 Photovoice participants have navigated experimenting with their cameras and exploring how to tell stories through images in their first few days as photographers!
The enthusiasm we felt in each group was so overwhelming that Maggie, Annie and I were on cloud-nine for the rest of the day. We were especially excited to see one of our VHW participants, Rambabai, taking photographs at CRHP's Adolescent Girls Program Graduation on Sunday! She seemed so proud to be there with her camera! Can't wait to see those shots as well as how all of our 14 Photovoice participants have navigated experimenting with their cameras and exploring how to tell stories through images in their first few days as photographers!
See you!
Meagan
Meagan
