Kids on Project Photography all over the place

In continuing the implementation of Kids on Project Photography (KPP), I kept on visiting my beneficiaries or students to follow up their skills and motivate more interests from them. I conduct the workshop in new places especially to the indigenous kids whenever possible.

After a year I went back to visit Subic Bay Childrens Place in Olongapo City on the month of January. The residents are orphans and it used to be a home of Ameresian kids. Im just surprised that some of them still recognize me. This time around, there were so many of them attended my Kids on Project Photography workshop. I gave a refresher on basic photography outdoor then conducted a hands-on shoot. Again as expected, they are fond of posing for the camera. 

Next was a visit to the children of Pag-Amoma Children's Place in Davao City on the month of January but an interesting activity we did on August of 2012, I took my students to the Kadayawan Festival celebration of Davao. Mommy Lisa, the house parent, turned them over to me for the day for the workshop. I met them all near the Marco Polo Hotel, the assembly point of the parade. I gave them each a uniform T-shirt and they were happy to receive it. We moved infront of the City Hall for the festival program. This activity was an on-field shoot to experience festival photography. 

I tagged along a few of them namely Rolita, Katrina, Roshell, Ramil, Jaymar & Joanne to experience covering an event. But because of a dense crowd, we did not get a good vantage point and cannot even penetrate. We just had portrait photography of the indigenous peoples in their ethnic attire and lucky to have coached by a newfound friend photographer Jacob Maentz. 

We took the kids for a tour around the city visiting Davao Museum, Bone Collector Museum and the Islamic Center.

I went back a few times to see the kids of the Aeta community in Bataan. What was so special was that we had photo shoot of mother and child because it was Mother’s Day on May. I asked them to find their mama then any of their siblings for the portrait photography. Everyone cooperated and got successful with the activity. 

Later, we participated in the medical mission of Zambales Vice-Governor Ramon Lacbain II on the month of July in Castillejos town of Zambales, I had the chance to implement the Kids on Project Photography to the children of the Aeta community in Canaynayan Resettlement Area. I met many kids who were there and I invited them to join the workshop. Some of them were shy at first but when some of them started to try it out then one by one came up to try it also. Even if they are done with their turn they still ask for another round. There was even one boy named Marvin who came back with a nice shot, a volunteer soldier doing a free barber to a boy. It’s amazing to learn that he has that inclination towards photography. 

Another indigenous people’s community that benefited from KPP was the Batak ethnic group. They belong to the Negrito family and exhibits dark skin and kinky hair. We had the cultural immersion after a meeting in Puerto Princessa in Palawan so we met them for some interaction and peformances. Then I saw the kids and I introduced them to photography and they enjoyed their first exposure. 

Lastly on December, we conducted psychosocial healing & art workshop for the quake victims in the Sagbayan town of Bohol. I met some young children. I encouraged them to try out my DSLR camera and a four-year old boy got so interested shooting some of the people especially his father. He sweated a lot but enjoyed the workshop.