One of my clients, Save the Children, asked me to comment about a couple of recent images I made of their literacy programs in the Southwest.
"Something about this image, the connection between student and teacher, always brings me delight. While involved in an game of “deck of cards” at St Joseph’s School in San Fidel, New Mexico, Felisha and her classmates bring a spirit of fun to the exercise. She embraces the development of her young vocabulary while working with Literacy Coordinator Jeanette and challenging the educator to challenge her even more. It is not simple, unengaging learning by rote, it is something that reaches and empowers the kids.
"To me the image not only demonstrates this engaging interaction, it demonstrates the best of an effective literacy program and programs in general.
Make learning fun and the kids respond."
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And another,
"Reading programs are tough to shoot. How many ways can you find to photograph a reading program? In the last few years I have photographed reading programs in the US, Central America, Western Asia and Africa. With each new job comes a new challenge to find a new photograph, a new angle, a new moment, while serving the needs of StC.
As I tiptoed through the silent classroom, this image presented a combination of the fun personality of the program setting at St. Joseph’s in New Mexico as well as the personality of different kids clearly engrossed in their books.
Each child takes up individual postures to best absorb their books. While photographing under any circumstances, I always look for not only an unusual angle which is eye-catching all by itself, but also an angle that allows us to see faces even when turned downward or buried behind the spine of a book. Although faceless photographs have their place and can be very powerful, nothing connects to viewers more effectively than a readable face especially when shot at different angle that allows you to tell a more complete story in a single frame. "
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