CLASSIFIEDSADVERTISINGSPECIAL ISSUESONLINE SPORTSOBITUARIESNORTHERN JOBSTENDERS

NNSL Photo/Graphic


http://www.linkcounter.com/go.php?linkid=347767
Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size
Picture perfect
Jamie Stevenson shares love of photography through Behchoko workshop

Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Monday, August 8, 2016

BEHCHOKO/RAE-EDZO
Jamie Stevenson says the photography workshop she is leading in Behchoko aims to show children and youth the beauty all around them.

NNSL photo/graphic

Jamie Stevenson, 18, is spending her summer working as a photography workshop co-ordinator in Behchoko. - photo courtesy of Jamie Stevenson

"The whole point to the workshop is finding the positive perspectives in Behchoko. People are so focused on the negative that they don't normally see the positive," she said. "What I'm trying to teach the kids in the workshop is trying to find a positive outcome though photos. I want them to capture what they think is wonderful and amazing about Behchoko."

Stevenson, 18, is spending her summer co-ordinating the photography workshop, which is open to anyone between the ages of eight and 16.

Stevenson started by showing participants how to use the cameras before taking them out and letting them take their own photos.

Since then, they've been capturing images of everything from their friends in the playground to micro images of local plants and flowers.

Next week, Stevenson said she plans on sending participants out on photo scavenger hunts. Watching participants learning and enjoying taking photographs is the best part of her job, Stevenson said.

quoteSelf-taught photographerquote

"When they almost get that light, that spark and they're like, 'I like this, I want to do this', that brightens my day," she said. "At the first try and they wont always get it and they won't understand the camera, but once they get it, that's what really keeps me going. That's what I'm really into."

Stevenson is a self-taught photographer. She said she started her own Facebook page a few years ago and began posting images.

"I just like how I can capture different perspectives. To me, it's like another set of eyes almost, just capturing it in still photos," she said. "I really like taking pictures of people and capturing their beauty."

At the end of the workshop, participants will be putting together scrapbooks and making posters showcasing their photos.

As for Stevenson, she said she plans on moving to Saskatchewan at the end of the summer to finish her last year of high school.

While she's not sure what the future holds, she said she plans on continuing working toward a career in photography.

"I plan on moving to Saskatchewan, but I also do plan on continuing my own photography and getting the knowledge that I need," she said.

The photography workshop began on July 25 and is scheduled to run until Aug. 19. The Tlicho Government is sponsoring the workshop.

E-mailWe welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.