This is a great post by photographer Désirée and how one person can volunteer their time and expertise with a girl guide Unit in a personal and very meaningful way!  The post was originally published on Your Eye & Company blog, March 11, 2012.
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Prop photo

Recently, I was hosting the Camera Badge Night for our 1st Caledon East Girl Guides here at the studio. I had spent some time planning the evening centered around the eight criteria for the Guide Camera Badge. I wanted to make it fun and hands on so the girls remember more and have fun learning. I decided to cover the theory part first so we could do the fun stuff later.

Not even realizing why, I had chosen from the Girl Guide of Canada badge requirement sheet the activity: “Use five pictures to illustrate a children’s book or a poem”.  It did require a bit of research. But this what we did:

After printing a few short stories, poems and fables, I set a simple scene at the studio with white background and a few props as a base. We had a fence, some flowers and a butterfly. I picked out a few more props, and accessories like hats, feather boas, umbrellas and suitcases that the girls would be allowed to use.

Each team had to read their story or poem together and decide on which five pictures would illustrate what they had just read. Then, we proceeded taking the pictures. Each girl got to take at least one of the pictures so she experienced holding and shooting with a professional camera, hooked up to the studio strobe lights, and looking through the viewfinder.

After everyone had their turn shooting and being in the picture, they each received their five pictures and their printed story. They took those home to cut and paste, decorate and put in their scrapbooks.

The story of team 1: Isabella, Paisley and Stephanie. By Stephanie

The irony of it all is that I picked that particular activity because I thought it would be the most fun for them.  I wasn’t even realizing that this is the type of “picture” I love to do!

To illustrate a story with pictures is what I do all the time here at the studio with the Tattle Tales, even when I cover a wedding or event. This IS really what it is all about isn’t it? It’s all about the story… I haven’t just been saying that. I have been meaning it too!

I had just as much fun as they did.

It was an absolute joy to see their faces all lit up throughout the whole experience. I was also very pleased with how they left the studio. All tidied up and clean.

Thank you girls! I really hope this gives you all a good sense of what could be possible to do with a camera 🙂

Scrapbook Picture

By guest blogger Désirée: “Stories in images always fascinated me. That is why at Your Eye on Photo, it’s all about the STORY, whether it’s  “Wedding Stories” * or the trade mark “Tattle Tales Portraits * that were born from my fascination with story book illustrations; these images that danced in my head from the time I was a little girl.”
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