Hard Choices

Ysgol Coedcae

It's great to have new equipment. Today's session with Coedcae was made so much more successful by having the new laptops, which we used for the first time in our last lesson. Now the class can do the work of making the hard choices with ease, knowing we are unlikely to encounter technical problems. Willing year ten students joined in to 'buddy' each of our young people. This made progress very good indeed.

Starting with the twenty favourites, we carefully chose pictures from our four field trips and the first session, where we took the brand new cameras out into the school grounds for a practice. As a guide, four or five from each of the field trips and four from the school session were chosen. It didn't really matter if there were a few more pics in this first folder, because in the next phase, we refined the images down to the final ten. These will be the shots that are printed for the exhibition. Hard choices indeed!



Above: Coedcae kids with buddies tackle tricky choices

Everybody succeeded in compiling their ten best and by the end of the morning's classes, they also had made a list of the pictures in a text document and most had at least started writing their comments about each photo. It was a very pleasing morning.


Ysgol Maes y Morfa

Last time we met, there were problems with the computer system and class size, making it difficult to complete our tasks. Today, it was altogether a different story. The group was split into two, giving us more time with each student, despite having only a bit under an hour with each set. I think the kids also realised how important the afternoon's work was going to be and made a big effort to succeed.



Above: Maes y Morfa kids making choices about their best shots

And succeed they did. There were a few technical problems, but nothing that we couldn't solve and at the end of the afternoon, everyone had gone through the two processes of choice making, and many had started the list making. This will make our last session in front of the monitors so much easier. Of course, we also need to take all the portraits; this will take a good while.

What's very clear to me is that the exhibition is going to be full of excellent work from both schools and I look forward to it immensely.

Out in the sun in Swansea

Ysgol Penyrheol

It's always a pleasure going out on field trips, but especially nice when the sun shines. Today, the minibus was not available, so we took a walk instead. The car said it was 9.5 degrees, but when we got going, I was too warm with my big coat on. We must have walked for about 15 minutes from the school and it really was a mystery tour – everybody seemed to know where we were going and what we would see, but not what the area was called. So after a while walking through suburban streets we came to a place where there were lots of fairground rides being painted and showmen's caravans parked. Right next to it was a semi-wild piece of ground with a bridge over a small river. We had arrived. It turned out to be ideal for taking pictures of plants and trees and moving water and even a horse in a field. We didn't know its name, but this place was a perfect example of ‘waste ground'.



Above: Penyrheol class happy in the sun with their cameras

Back in class, the children had taken lots of interesting pictures. Most had picked up on the idea and gone off to use their own imagination. It hadn't taken much instruction or guidance from us adults for them to come up with some great work.


Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn

Everybody was ready to go. The minibuses were outside with their drivers waiting, the class excited. However, we had to delay a little while six new students joined the group – they had to be presented with their cameras and basic instructions given. That didn't take long and we were soon off, driving north over the motorway and along small country roads to Felindre Reservoir. The weather was still and bright, the trees just coming into leaf and the water rippled, reflecting the sun. Wow!



Above: Penybryn kids at Felindre Reservoir

What pictures we took! We walked along the dam, with the water to our right and fields, trees and farms downstream to our left. There was even a man fishing. So, there were lots of opportunities, and the young people all made the most of them, snapping away at everything in this lovely landscape. This is the lower of two reservoirs on the Lliw river and it supplies drinking water to much of south Wales, including Cardiff. It could be said that, in this case, the actions of man on the landscape have had a beneficial effect, creating a wider variety of habitats than were here before the dam was built. However, it probably didn't seem like an advantage to the farmers who lost their fields in the 1920s.

Let's hope for more weather like this for our other field trips.

New enthusiasm in Swansea

Today, Cheryl and I have been to two schools in Swansea to start new projects and were met with great enthusiasm from everybody at both.

Penyrheol

This morning we were at Ysgol Penyrheol, where children from year nine were eagerly waiting for us. As has become normal for us starting a new project, there was lots of excitement being held back while we introduced the ideas behind what the kids will be doing and experiencing. Once we had done the 'chat' and the primary assessment forms had been completed by the class (this helps us to get some sense of how much skill and experience with digital photography the children have at the beginning), the cameras were distributed. This is the time everyone feels like it's Christmas again!



Above: Penyrheol class and staff in the school grounds

The part where the kids began using the new cameras by taking pictures of each other was fun for them. Soon we went outside to the school grounds, where the basic principle of holding the camera steady in two hands was practiced and the self discipline of looking at the landscape through it explained. Also as usual, we took group shots to commemorate the beginning of the project. Looking at the best three photos from each kid was very encouraging. It was clear that they all had grasped the big idea and also had done some very promising work. I look forward to the next session when we have our first field trip.

Pen-y-Bryn

After lunch we set off to our other school in Swansea. At Pen-y-Bryn special school Cheryl and I were made to feel very welcome by pupils and staff alike. Everybody was waiting patiently for us and we were only too delighted to get started with the programme. Just as in Penyrheol, the kids at Pen-y-Bryn were very keen on the idea of getting a camera and going out in the landscape with it. They were lightning quick at learning how to use the cameras and the whole school was soon fair game for these budding photographers. Everybody joined in the fun.



Above: Pen-y-Bryn students with new cameras

It was raining, but that didn't put these young people off. Out we went, snapping away at the trees, play ground, surrounding houses, everything in the landscape close to the school. Back in class, I looked at their best three shots and was very pleased with the results of the first session. Next time, we need some good weather for our first field trip.

The Really BIG Picture Show

At last the day dawned. The children of the two Milford Haven schools have been through a great deal to get to the culmination of the project, the big exhibition. I hadn't been involved with the printing of the hundreds of photos, so arriving at Cedar Court on Wednesday I was shocked at how huge (and magnificent!) the show actually was. I shouldn't have been surprised. Thinking about the number of students involved – fifteen from each school – and the fact that each was having ten of their best shots on two display boards, plus boards full of their other pictures of the places we had been, it wasn't really that surprising. That makes a big roomful of stands with photos on them. It's just as well then, that the Milford Haven Port Authority kindly let us use suit 4A for the exhibition – so a very big thank you to them.



Above: Everybody who was at the exhibition seemed to enjoy it

Anyway, as soon as I arrived I took off my jacket got stuck into helping with the last minute details. Cheryl (helped by her husband Frank) had been working all hours to put the show together, bringing it all from Carmarthenshire, erecting the stands and arranging the pictures in the proper order. Needless to say, it was all ready for the first guests as they arrived. There were lots of important people there including the head teacher of the comprehensive, MP Stephen Crabb, CEO of Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust, Robert Parker, reporters from Radio Pembrokeshire and the Western Telegraph, as well as representatives from organisations that are generously supporting the project, including South Hook Terminal and Countryside Council for Wales. Like many people, the Director of South Hook was caught up in the flight delays caused by the volcanic dust in the atmosphere. The Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr. and Mrs Tony Eden, kindly attended and the Mayor presented each of the children with one of their best pictures in a frame and a DVD of all their work on the project. When you add all the students, their teachers and those parents who could make it, it was a pretty big crowd for the official opening.



Above: Lucy Swanell of CCW, Robert Parker and Cheryl Kitt at the exhibition

After the speeches and the scrimmage for food, Cheryl and I were able to get a sense of what people thought of the exhibition itself, the work by the kids and the project as a whole. The overwhelming response from people there both on the first day and on Thursday was of awe and surprise. The quality of the pictures was what most people commented upon. Some said they thought there was work in the show that could be in magazines or as prints in frames. Others remarked that it goes to show you what kids can do when they are given the opportunity. There was so much to see that quite a number of people stayed on to go round a few more times to ensure they missed nothing. The project's sponsors were very pleased with the exhibition and the way it indicated the quality of the delivery of the programme.



Above: The Mayor commends the children's work

As for myself, I was very moved by the work and by the children's responses to the great achievements they have made; also by their pleasure at seeing pictures they had taken under very difficult circumstances being praised so highly by teachers, parents and VIPs alike. I can only hope that the people who attended the exhibition were as inspired by the pictures as I was inspired working with the young people who created them.

Last Field Trips

Coedcae Comprehensive

Just when we thought the weather was getting better! Today was a return to the biting winds and driving rain. Never mind that, though; the class enjoyed their last field trip, going all the way to Pembrey airport, where, with the kind co-operation of owner Capt. Winston Thomas, we sheltered inside the cafe and took pictures through the windows of the landscape, control tower and vehicles moving around outside. There was quite a number of flying related art works, certificates and objects on the walls that we also photographed. After a while what were told it would be ok to jump in the minibus and drive over to where the fire truck was now parked, which was close to two parked light aircraft. As I said in our briefing before leaving the classroom, this landscape is almost perfectly flat, as is needed for an airport, and the wind has nothing to break its power.



Above: Coedcae class endure driving sleet to take pics at Pembrey airport

Despite the sleet hitting us horizontally, we got some good shots of the runway, fire truck and aircraft before retreating to the bus asap! Feeling we had exhausted the creative possibilities, we made our way towards the school. We decided to have a look at a somewhat different kind of landscape, breaking the journey at the sports ground at Pwll. Here the ground is flattened, too, but for an entirely different purpose. This meant we were taking photos that illustrate its features, including the octagonal pavilion, field and posts. The other thing about this particular landscape is its exposure to the wind from the sea. The far edge of the playing field has a row of small trees that are bent away from the prevailing winds.


Maes y Morfa Juniors

Brave we are! North Dock today was a place best avoided, due to the harsh weather. However, brave it we did. Sheltering for a short while inside the Discovery Centre, we took plenty of shots from the balcony, until the cold forced us back in. Outside again we took pictures of the amazing building from a number of windswept angles before setting off in the teeth of that gale towards the sculpture of the phoenix.



Above: Maes y Morfa class & Mr Crawford shelter for a moment in the doorway of the Discovery Centre

Symbolising the new Llanelli rising from the ashes of its former industrial self, the bird stands proud on its pillar, raising its wings into the wind. The kids photographed it from all angles before retreating back along the esplanade to the bus. Tough though it was, taking landscape photos in those circumstances, a lot was achieved today. Checking everybody's best three pics back in school, I was pleased and little surprised at the quality of today's work.

Next Time

Having done one practice session in the school grounds and four field trips, we have completed the first part of the project. Next time we meet, it will be in front of computers. The first task will be to learn how to create and name a number of folders, into which will be placed photos from the five sessions. Two further folders will be made for ‘Best 20' and ‘Best 10'. Learning how to download images from the camera to the computer will be our other task.

Ken Day

Trips to the Mansion

Llanelli Coedcae Comprehensive

A bit closer to home today, we made a trip to Parc Howard, Llanelli's famous mansion, with its gardens, park and outdoor leisure facilities. We were lucky with the weather all this morning – it was a bit dull, but the rain held off while we took photos of the duck pond, gardens, trees and the mansion itself. For the rest of the morning, we explored the grounds, with the views to the sea from the bowling green, trees coming into bud and then went on to have a look at the Gorsedd stones.



Above: Coedcae kids relax on Gorsedd Stones in Parc Howard

All of the class were excited by the grand mansion, and, of course, many knew it already as a place to visit and enjoy in leisure time. The grounds and the park offered many creative opportunities and, as with all our field trips, it was important to keep bearing in mind as we took pictures, what was special about this particular place in the landscape. Some very good pictures were taken today and I'm confident that next week, when we go to Pembrey airport for our final field trip, we will take the best shots of all.


Maes y Morfa Juniors

Just as we broke for lunch, the weather broke too. By the time Cheryl and I arrived at the school it was raining quite hard. Thinking there would be greater shelter from the weather, a decision was made to go to Parc Howard instead of the North Dock area. Unlike this morning, we were met by a schools inspector, who was monitoring the project as part of the inspection that was going on at Maes y Morfa. Like us, he didn't seem keen on the rain! Nevertheless, we persevered with our task, braving the weather to take pictures of this special place. Just as we did this morning, the kids made a circuit of the gardens and grounds, ending up at the Gorsedd stones.



Above: Maes y Morfa kids and staff happy despite the rain at Parc Howard

The rain was a good deal lighter most of the time, so we managed to get all the pictures we needed and well very pleased indeed to find the mansion open at the end our tour. We spent a few minutes inside snapping away at the amazing displays of ceramics, as well as trying to place the building in its landscape by taking photos of the views through the windows. Back in class, as well as showing me their best three shots – which were very good – the children did some writing for Mr. Crawford, their teacher, about the three field trips so far. Next week, our plan is to make our final field trip to North Dock, calling in at the amazing Discovery Centre.

Groomed Landscape

One of the outcomes from our work during this project will be a greater understanding of the different types of landscape we have experienced. Parc Howard is an example of a landscape created entirely as a place of leisure, initially by the wealthy Buckley family for their own use and, for nearly one hundred years, in the keeping of the people of the town. Every tree and flower was planted, every area carefully tended and each stone and pathway placed exactly. You might say it is a groomed landscape.

Ken Day

Last Session

Milford Haven Comprehensive

It seems to have gone really fast. It’s difficult to believe this is the last session with the Milford schools. We finished off our work with the pictures this morning by making the final agonising choice of ten of the pictures we had taken over the last few months. Luckily, there were plenty of good images to choose from. Still, it was quite a task to refine all those pictures down to just a few. With that job done, the kids spent some time thinking of titles for each picture and making a list on a Word document. Next and last job of all, they had to think about what was special about the picture for them and to add that to the list. We very much missed our sixth form students today. They were involved with a Duke of Edinburgh Award event elsewhere, but their help has been very useful.



Above: Milford Comp kids and staff at the final session


Milford Haven Juniors

Working really fast and with great determination, the juniors worked through their tasks to complete the project. Like this morning, the sixth formers were doing their DEA and so were not able to help. Nonetheless, we chose our final ten, gave those names, thought hard about why we made the choices and created a list as a Word document. Not only that, but we also took each kid’s portrait and really smiley group shots as well. Phew!



Above: Milford Juniors and staff final session

With the children’s thanks ringing in our ears, Cheryl and I made our way back to Carmarthenshire with a feeling of satisfaction that the project had done the job it was meant for. Two groups of very special children in Milford Haven have been excited by photographing the landscape, learning through the project how to use a camera and what to do with the images back on the computer. For me as a photographer, it was wonderful to appreciate how creative each one is and to be part of the journey those kids made.

Ken Day