Photographic Opportunites For Girls Learning Photography in Uganda

On our last photography training in August 2019, with Cameras For Girls we did for 15 females in Uganda, we were working out of the capital of Kampala, where most of the girls reside. These young ladies have either graduated from a Mass Communication and Journalism program or are in their last year of studies or have graduated and cannot find work simply because they don’t own a camera and don’t know how it. We were fortunate to be working with Youth Arts Movement Uganda out of their facility in Kampala.

Over the three days, we covered lots of photography concepts, such as the exposure triangle, how to tell stories using your camera (as they are journalists either in training or looking for work), and, of course, all the basics of holding and operating the camera.

A big part of the training was to put into practice what they were being taught; hence we would have daily photo walks in the local community.

CHILDREN ARE FORCED TO GROW UP TOO QUICKLY IN UGANDA

On one of our practice walks around the community, we came across childhood innocence and its beauty and splendor. It was a lovely reminder that childhood, no matter where you are, doesn’t last forever, and nowhere is it more apparent than Uganda, as these children are forced to grow up faster than they would like.

These girls played games with the skipping rope, and our girls got lots of practice taking photos. To the side and background are some of the students taking pictures, while the girls played unhindered with our cameras.

I wrote previously about how children in Uganda go out and make their toys out of found objects. For instance, this was a skipping rope made from telephone cable located on the ground. It is a good reminder for us in the developed world to not always look for new and shiny things and be innovative and use what we have. You never know how that will feed your creativity while saving you money at the same time.