Cameras for Kids

It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are (speaking for the team), how grateful I am. Sony officially donated 10 fully kitted alpha cameras to Cameras For Kids. Thank you will never fully express my gratitude but it’s a good start. I also want to bring attention to our mentors who donate their time each session for our workshops and carve out time during their weekend to spend with us and our students. My heart is feeling very full right now.

For those who don’t yet know about Cameras for Kids, it is our official nonprofit. It’s one of many facets of the Photo Club but I’d say it’s definitely one of the more rewarding things we do. Our ultimate goal is to bring education and access to the arts to underserved communities. During our workshop sessions we work one on one with students to teach them the basics of digital photography. Our mentors consist of long time Photo Club friends who are passionate about sharing their love for digital photography.

I have the pleasure of working in the background during these workshops and I just wanted to share a glimpse of my perspective with you. It is such a beautiful thing to see Photo Club community members and my friends share our common love with the next generation. I think that’s what’s most special about my job, I really get to see the little moments. I’ve gotten to see mentors and students foster a relationship so much so that each time the student comes to another workshop, they can’t wait to work with their mentor. I’ve seen students totally change once their parents let go and let them run off into the distance with their mentor. I’ve gotten to see the spark catch and have students fall in love with photography just like I did when I was their age. The list of perfect moments are long and again, I am so grateful for that.

What makes my job most unique is that I am the first person to see every single photograph that our students make. I think photography is special in the way where everyone sees the world differently and this medium allows us to capture that. Being able to see how our 6-17 year old students capture the world so differently in the same physical space is so enriching to my own craft. I think I’ve learned just as much from the students as they’ve learned from their mentors. Below are some of my favorite images our students captured from our last workshop.

All this to say, I just wanted to share the limelight with Cameras For Kids, to say thank you to Sony and to express my ever vast gratitude to our mentors and my team. How lucky are we to be able to foster the next generation of creatives.