Pen Pals is another great community project by Ian Fleming to follow up the Ball and the Pen project.
This time round we have decided to teach 7 matric school kids the art of photography. Interviews were held over a period of 2 months where all those interested in being a part of the project applied and had to sell themselves to us. The aim was to find 6 matrics with the will and desire to learn the creative art of capturing light. We received many applications and decisions were tough going. In the end we decided to settle on 7 of the applicants instead of the original 6.
The guys from Olympus South Africa generously donated us the cameras for the project. Again we are using the Olympus Pen, as the practical size and quality of the camera will work well for the beginner users. Also some of the students have never before used a camera, bar that of the cell phone, the easy handling and functionality of the camera makes it a great starting point for any user.
Tudor, the agents for Olympus have also generously donated SD memory cards for the cause. Various other donations have also been received from private individuals such as computers and donations to purchase tripods etc.
Foto First Knysna has also offered to sponsor printing at the end of the project to host an exhibition.
The mix of studens are as follows, one Xhosa girl, a young refugee from the Congo, a coloured girl and a coloured guy, he has also been voted the top sea scout in SA, one white guy and two white girls. Three of these kids have never used a camera before. Besides the photographic training they will also be trained in Photoshop and basic computer skills
11 Grey Street, Knysna, Western Cape | 083 260 2537 |
