With the aid of an Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center grant, several local youth recently participated in "Life Through the Eyes of a Child," an intensive, four-day film photography workshop sponsored by Orangeburg for the Arts.

"Through our organization, we strive to expose youth to the benefits of the arts," said Tembi Gray, founder of the nonprofit organization. "We believe that giving them an opportunity to express themselves creatively in a positive environment is an awesome thing. Involvement in the arts is good for their personal development."

In conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of Orangeburg, Willie Booker and Tom Eklund, the goal of "Life Through the Eyes of a Child" was to expose young people to photography as a hobby and career by giving them hands-on experience with the medium, other than digital, Gray said. Participants, who ranged in age from 10 to 16 years old, included Kavon Abraham, Zhana Ayala, Laveniece Colter, Jayneil Green, Donnie Kennedy, Matthew Kirkland, Germaine Johnson, Christopher Muller, Danequa Pou, Alexis Snell, Jasmine Snell, Mary Simpson and Randall Summers.

Veronique Roblin, a professional photographer from Los Angeles, took students from the basics of photography to snapping shots at different sites and experimenting with techniques explained in class. Many of the pictures were taken at Edisto Memorial Gardens. Roblin taught the students to examine their subjects through the camera lens and shoot from different perspectives.

L.A. film director Jerry Digby spoke to the students about his role in the film industry and created a DVD to culminate the photography project.

Ten-year-old Jayneil Green said one of the lessons he learned was to "never give up."

Gray said when her husband, Bevis, started GMG Music Center, they noticed just how many talented kids were in the area.

"We don't want kids to be hindered from participation (in the arts) due to financial reasons," she said. She said Orangeburg for the Arts has operated for four years and conducted projects in everything from music to photography.

"It's amazing when you give a child a camera, what they'll do with it," Gray said.

Check out the unique angles captured by workshop participants on the organization's Web site, www.orangeburgforthearts.org.

You must be logged in to comment.