4x5 and a Kindergarten class

[mattk]

I just came back from my sons Kindergarten class showing the kids a 4x5 view camera. All that wood, brass and a "slinky thing" was a huge hit. Each child got to trip the shutter on his/her friend. I hoped it worked (with 7 kids hovering about like little bees I thought I would miss something)and the negs look great. First time with HC-110 HP5@1600. Each student will get a print to take home and hopefully some memories. Had to share, it was too much fun.

[middy]

That's awesome!

My love for photography started when I was about 6 years old and a photographer doing our extended family portrait with a 4x5 let me look at the ground glass through his loupe

[Vaughn]

That's Great!!

I have been doing something similar with a little older group once a week for 1 hr/day -- 4th and 5th graders (14 of them). The first two times we met we made Polaroid transfers (669). We made Type 55 negs the third meeting and on the fourth time, pinhole cameras (8x10 negs -- litho film). I already had the cameras (made from 250sht boxes of 8x10 photopaper) left over from teaching HS students photography, and the kids made the pinholes. We'll do pinhole cameras again, as some did not come out well.

On the last day we'll make cyanotypes from the negs. Because of the short time period (1 hr), I'll precoat the paper. Keep your fingers crossed for a sunny day for making the cyanotype exposures!

Lots of fun!

Vaughn

PS...the first day I also got out my Zone VI 8x10 and let them all look through it -- always a big hit!

[AgX]

How can the taking principle behind photography be better shown than with a view or field camera?

By the way, in the dutch language section there is a new member telling about starting a business around analogue photography especially aimed at letting children participate.

[toddstew]

that's awesome! I'm teaching second grade and have done a little bit of photography with my class, but come May, I am going to do some class cyanotypes, and some pinhole stuff. If anybody has any other ideas of things to do with the younger set please pm them to me.
Congratulations on turning your kindergarteners on to photography!
todd

[mark]

Cool!!!!! I used to take my cameras into my 6th grade classroom. The kids were fascinated. My son is also in Kindergarten but I never thought of taking my cameras into that classroom. Thanks for the idea. Did you develop the film there, or at home? I've been wanting to do something cool with his class, and I just might haul the cameras in. Thanks.

I once saw a portfolio taken in a kindergarten classroom that was cool as well.


Hey, I have access to a butt load of OOD film and a couple Diana cameras too. Hmmmmm. This has me thinkin. I wonder what the world would look like through the eyes of a class of 5-6 year olds.

[Kevin Caulfield]

Well done. That is great. I'm sure the children are entranced now by the magic of photography.

[mark]

that's awesome! I'm teaching second grade and have done a little bit of photography with my class, but come May, I am going to do some class cyanotypes, and some pinhole stuff. If anybody has any other ideas of things to do with the younger set please pm them to me.
Congratulations on turning your kindergarteners on to photography!
todd

Why PM them I'll put them out here for everyone.

Before actually taking the pictures, I turned my sixth grade classroom into an optics lab. I had different lenses that the students would use to project images from and find the focal length (this is over a second grader's head, but the projecting is not)

I blacked out the room and made it into a camera obscurra. It was cool stuff, but I caught a couple of couples making out. I decided I would not do it again until I got some IR goggles.

I printed the pictures with them then made frames for Mother's day.

[Mike Wilde]

Two weeks ago I took the 4x5 to my son's Beavers meeting - about 16 kids 5-8 year olds.

I shot portraits of each of them, using my camera and a whole whack of studio flash pop. That was because I had loaded the holders with cut down lithographic film, with an effective sensitivity of 3 asa.

We then went in groups of about 6 into a mostly darkened place ( gym stage with black curtains drawn), lit with two flash lights fitted with rubylith red filters, and processed the film in trays. Each kid stuck on a latex glove and agitated a piece of film in the developer, stop, fix and wash.

There were lots of ohs and ahs as the images came up at first in the developer tray. I took the negs home, washed them a bit better, and then dried and printed them to the best of my ability. Some were over developed to a Dr of about 2.2, so there were some blown out highlights to be sure.

The MSDS info the group required had me think about what developer to use. I made up one using vitamin C and a tiny amount of phenidone, activated by borax. If people can buy it in the supermarket it turns out they are not as intimidated by it. The fixer - Ilford rapid fix was the only issue raised, wrt ventilation - in the end there was no issue, since the stage had lots of volume to disperse any smell of the fixer.

[Silverhead]

You guys might want to consider contacting Freestyle's educational department for more ideas on how to pursue this avenue further. I've been shopping there for a long time (naturally, since I live in L.A.), and through the years I've learned that photo education is one of the pillars of that company. Not only do they supply schools around the country with consumables and gear, but they also do demos at the local schools and other great stuff like that. Very impressive.