Lomography Enrolls in Middle School

One of our most important missions here at Lomography is keeping analogue alive against the backdrop of our constantly developing digital world. In this spirit, we collaborated with Federica Marzolo from the International School of Brooklyn to introduce her eighth grade classes to film photography.

Our team at Lomography USA visited the school, sharing a brief rundown of who we are and what all of our cameras do. The students then shot with the Lomography cameras in order to grasp a better understanding of the camera mechanics and eventually utilized our LomoSchool platform to create their own DIY pinhole cameras.

Below, Federica tells us all about the process that went into the school year-long project.

The following words are written by Federica Marzolo

I am an analogue photography enthusiast. I got into analogue photography back in the early 2000, when I moved to London from Milan and took my dad’s old Canon with me. That opened up a whole new universe.

In 2004, back in Italy, I worked for a big week-long music event and decided to invest my pay in what I called “the Lomo treasure chest” — a wooden crate full of Lomography cameras such as LC-A, SuperSampler, Pop 9, Fisheye, Colorsplash, many accessories including the Sidekick bag… to which I added a 3D camera with a visor. I waited impatiently for three weeks for the crate to arrive and when it finally came, I always had one of the cameras in my hands! I loved experimenting with the framing, the colors, the cross process…and I loved the anticipation of what the photos would turn out to be like.

Time has passed quickly, technology has evolved and I kept moving around Europe and then to Brooklyn, just under two years ago, where I have the honor to teach design in the middle school and technology in the lower school at the International School of Brooklyn. Because I moved across the world, I left my Lomo collection in Italy but still use the wooden crate as a coffee table!

Teaching design in an IB school gives me plenty of flexibility in defining the curriculum and topics. I always try to go for projects that could stimulate students and expose them to something new — something that will push them to the edge of their comfort zone and make them use their critical thinking skills whilst increasing their knowledge and expose them to “other ways.”

In this case I decided to combine two aspects I am particularly fond of: analogue photography and mindfulness! Throughout the unit we have been looking at mindfulness techniques to stay in the moment alongside analogue ways to capture it. We looked at the principles behind analogue photography. The students created their own pinhole cameras out of everyday use objects, which also connected to the broader concept of reusing and thinking outside of the box.

Most of the students had no idea of what analogue photography is or how it works. They had never seen a roll of film and had no clue on how the image gets exposed onto it then printed on paper. Photography for them is digital and mainly done through the phones, which made me feel old and presented interesting challenges. Having the Lomography cameras at hand was a great help in working out the mechanism, the parts, how they work together, and the possibilities in creating new and personalized cameras.

They were very curious about how the cameras work, looking at the shutter opening and closing to different sizes and speeds. They were very engaged and managed to connect the principles we had been learning to the practicality of using the cameras. The atmosphere in the classroom was very dynamic and interactive. They asked plenty of questions and looked at collaborative ways to discover answers. They were very focused and resourceful, it looked like they thoroughly enjoyed the process and got so excited about it to the point that a few of them started considering taking photography classes in high school.

We had a photo walk in the neighborhood where they got to test their DIY cameras and experiment with the Lomography ones. It was definitely one of the highlights of their school year, they loved being able to express their creativity in an innovative way. They enjoyed trying the cameras, looking at original ways to frame objects and people, exploring possibilities and having fun whilst being creative. I can’t deny there was also an healthy dose of frustration when things didn’t go according to plan in making their cameras which turned into precious learning opportunities. We also had plenty of funny moments and comments such as “Where’s the screen to preview the photo?” and “Where does the photo come out from?”

The initial challenge for them was to get the gist of the philosophy behind analogue, probably also due to the fact that they are digital natives.

On a more practical level, creating the pinhole cameras was challenging as some of the parts and details could be easily overlooked. Some of them had to restart a few times. Testing in advance and double checking helped to consider possible setbacks in advance but I still value the importance of making mistakes as a very effective way to learn and retain the knowledge.

Going through the process is way more effective than just following instructions. By facing those challenges and difficulties, the students have understood first hand that the requirements have a practical reason to be implemented, they have a clearer understanding of the connection between the concepts and the parts of the camera.

To distinguish between the photos taken with the Lomography cameras and those taken with the DIY pinholes, we used different films: color for Lomo and B&W for pinhole. That gave the pinhole photos an even more artistic depth: the usual details around the neighborhood, things that we took for granted, became more abstract and unique, they were turned into something special.

As for the pinhole cameras, we ended up with a variety of shapes and time. From matchboxes to tea tins, from iPhone boxes to milk cartons. Lots of different techniques for the shutters and level of decorations, each one with its own character to reflect the creativity of the makers.

As for the photos taken with the Lomography cameras, they are clearly playful and dynamic. They show a research from the photographers’ parts, in capturing their friendships, and amusement through a form of creative expression that made the moment unique, worth capturing and remembering.

There were ups and downs throughout the building process but they showed a great deal of perseverance and determination, fostered by the enthusiasm of discovering and creating something new and practical. They were eager to see the results and the prints, so when I finally showed them the excitement was palpable.

They were very proud, even when their own roll didn’t work out, they were very supportive of each other and loved commenting on the photos taken with the Lomography cameras. It reflected an evident sense of agency and achievement as well as many laughs! It made the project so meaningful and a long lasting memory of their 8th grade.

As for resources, we looked at LomoSchool's article on how to make a pinhole camera as well as various online tutorials selected by me and independently found by the students. We also utilized the following books: Build Your Own Pinhole Camera: A Complete Guide to Making your Own Camera and Taking Photographs and The Pinhole Camera: A Practical How-To Book for Making Pinhole Cameras and Images.

Seeing them so excited and motivated was great. They were very engaged in enjoying the hands-on project and were so satisfied when they found solutions to their challenges or finally understood from the initial theory of photography to the practice.

Some of them genuinely thanked me for giving them this opportunity and mentioned they discovered a new passion they would like to cultivate further. It has been a very rewarding experience for me too, one that I will treasure!

Special thank you to Federica Marzolo for her words and the eighth grade students of the International School of Brooklyn for their wonderful photos!

written by eloffreno on 2024-08-21 #gear #culture #people #school #community #fisheye #sprocket-rocket #lomoschool #lomoapparat #students-learning Share Article