a natural talent

Suzanne and I have been teaching photography to young Tony. He hardly needs any instruction. Though he has never worked with a camera before, Tony has a instinctive feel for composition, an appreciation of light, an understanding of texture and a sophisticated way of framing. He's been shooting with a Canon Power Shot, one of the donated cameras our team brought over. He is very deliberate when shooting; he takes his time composing. These images are not simply happy accidents. Tony really seems to know what he is doing.

Yesterday I introduced him to PhotoShop. Together we selected his images that looked the most interesting. Already he seemed to be a good editor. I showed him how to lighten and darken, crop, spot and desaturate. His friend Francis, who has also been attending some of my little photo classes, looked over Tony's shoulder and chimed in now and then. The three of us came up with the following "exhibition" - Tony's first.

I asked Tony to write something to include with his pictures. In his own words:

"About Tony With the Photos"

On the side of the photos, when I photo a good photo, I feel like I am not the one who has made that photo. I feel so happy, but in my heart I ask myself am I the one who has made that? And if I hold the camera, I feel like I am not the one who is holding the camera."
















Self-portrait