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!