Fostering the Next Generation of Film Photographers - One 4th Grader at a Time

By Kevin Lane

As most of you know, I am the music teacher at an elementary school in northwest Georgia, not too far away from my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Back in the fall of 2016, I agreed to join the school's yearbook team, since I like to take photographs. At the time, I was not shooting film at all; I used my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 point and shoot digital camera and my iPhone 6s for all my yearbook photography. In the spring of 2017, I was photographing the students at a jumping gym (there were being rewarded for a year of good behavior) and found my Lumix to be almost completely useless in capturing action shots of the children. It's a great camera for what it was meant to be. However, I hated the shutter lag, and the tiny on-camera flash was ineffective for the distances I needed to cover. It was at that moment when I realized that, if I was using my film cameras, I would know exactly how to get these photographs. This realization led me to getting my Nikon FE and FM2 cameras out of the closet and begin using them again. I also began developing the film with Unicolor C-41 kits from the Film Photography Store. Although it cost me money for film and chemistry, it was so much fun shooting and developing film again. And that fun continues to this day . . .

It wasn't long before students began asking questions about my film cameras, as most of them had never seen one. I would show them how the camera worked and what film looked like before and after it was processed. Soon, students were bringing film cameras from their grandparents house to school and asking for film. I spent time with them before and after school teaching them exposure and compositional basics, and then gave them film to shoot. Some of the photographs they shot as school eventually were used in the school yearbook, and the idea for the Woodstation Photography Club was born. I would teach fourth and fifth graders how to use a camera, give them film, and then give them assignments for the yearbook. As word of this got out via the Uncle Jonesy's Camera Podcast and Facebook page, some kind people began sending us cameras to give to children who were interested but did not have one. This meant two things:  1) Our club could grow to include more students, and 2) I could no longer afford to give them all film and pay for the chemistry.

So, I decided to go public and ask for your help. I created a project on DonorsChoose.org called "Film for the Woodstation Photography Club." I made a list of items we needed, including two 100 ft. rolls of black and white film, a developing tank, a thermometer, a changing bag, an LED light table, and some negative sleeves. for the chemistry, I have chosen to use the Cinestill Df96 Monobath, which will make the developing process much easier for the children. I am providing this myself and also a bulk film loader. When our project reaches it's goal, DonorsChoose will purchase the items from Amazon to be shipped them to the school.  I never see any of the donated funds.

My goal is for the students to shoot the black and white film when they are away from school, looking for subjects that interest them and capturing them in creative ways. Then, I will show them how to develop and scan the negatives (I will use my own scanner for now), and we will make inkjet prints of their best work. In the spring, we will create a gallery show at the school and invite parents and family. We will sell their prints and perhaps a zine of the prints in the show. The money we make from this will be used to purchase film and chemistry for next year's club. This way, the club can sustain itself in the future.

The idea of teaching children analog photography and fostering a love of creating photographic art excites me to no end. If it excites you also, then please consider donating to our project page. Even the smallest donations will help us reach our goal, so that the project get fully funded and the supplies ordered and delivered. My students and I will be sincerely grateful for your generosity and interest, and I will make it a point to keep everyone informed of the clubs activities and work that resulted from your donation. I love this "return to film" journey I am on, and I want film photography not just to survive but also to thrive. That is why I endeavor to pass it on to my students. I know you love it, too. Now you can help "pass it on."

Thank you!

Zorki Update (and Life Update)

First of all, I'm not dead. I'm still alive and breathing (Kelley, too). I know, it's been almost two and a half months since my last post on this blog, and we haven't recorded a podcast show in just as long. You deserve an explanation, so here it is.

My wife, Debbie, and I have had a dream for many years of living a more urban life, and two weeks ago that dream came true. We sold our suburban house of eighteen years and moved to a condo in downtown Chattanooga, my hometown. We absolutely love our new home, but it took a gigantic effort to get here. We had much to do to get our old house ready to sell, and we had some major downsizing to do. It was hard, hard work, and it was painful at times. From the last week of July to now, there was little or no time for anything else in my life (not to mention that Debbie and I, both school teachers, began a new school year while this was going on). I am a "one-project" guy, and moving out and moving in became my one project. Everything else was put on hold.

But now, as I sit here typing in our new condo while enjoying how we have furnished and decorated it, I am thankful to be on the other side of this transition; the project is complete. Now, there is time for music, writing, walking, and photography. As far as the Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast is concerned, Kelley and I are making plans to record more shows. We have to work out some scheduling issues, as I live about thirty minutes farther away from Kelley as I did before. We've always recorded our shows together in the same room, and we do not plan to change that. So thank you for your patience, and please don't give up on us. We'll be back.

I have another update to give you, and it concerns my Zorki 1, which, as you may remember, was the mystery camera Kelley gave me for Christmas last year. The Zorki 1 is a Russian copy of a Leica ii, and I was quite please to get it. I once owned a Leica iii, but it was stolen in a house break-in years ago. I love using such a compact camera. I may slow me down some, but it also makes me think about what I am doing. However. my first few attempts to use the Zorki did not work out so well. First, there were pinholes in the shutter curtain, which I repaired with fabric paint. Second, I suspected that the rangefinder was out of adjustment. I considered sending it to a repair person to get everything put aright, but then came the move. Third, I questioned the quality of the Russian Industry 22 50mm f3.5 lens. Nevertheless, hungering for a chance to do some photography in the midst of the chaos around me, I put some Kodak Tri-X 400 in it and shot it at EI 800, so I could do some interior photography inside some restaurants and breweries in downtown and also in some classrooms at school.

When I pulled the negatives out of the tank, they looked good. And when I saw the scans, I was excited. Finally, the Zorki came through with usable results. The only post-processing I did (I HATE post-processing, by the way) was de-dusting all the photos and a little exposure adjusting on a couple of shots. The lens, while certainly not Leica-sharp, produced good images that I liked. Below are the shots I can show you; I can't show you photographs of my students, but I can tell you that there are some real keepers.

Happy Shooting!

Brewery Behind Glass. Market South, Chattanooga

Beer Choices, Oddstory Brewing Company, Chattanooga

Green Room, Market South, Chattanooga

Street Festival, Oddstory Brewing Company, Chattanooga