Now We Know How Oprah Feels

We have completed our first run of the Balkans Peace Photo Project, and to sum it all up, it was nothing short of amazing. The girls and I had one mission; to foster peace and environmental stewardship using the tools that we love the most: photography and film. I really like the term empowerment. If one is empowered, they are less fearful, and if they are less fearful, they open the door to peace. After we wrapped up our workshop, you got the sense that every student felt empowered to capture and tell their own story. It felt pretty good.

We couldn't have asked for a better start to the workshop. The students started off exploring concepts of their own identities. After a short introduction to vantage points from Tibs, the students partnered up and took portraits and interviewed eachother. Instantly they were grabbing shots from all over the place and really stepping outside of the box to explore angles and lighting. It was fascinating to watch. It was also interesting to watch how unreserved the younger ones were with the cameras in comparison to some of the older students. It was proof that we are born with this natural creative instinct that at some point we are taught to restrict.

The second day we expanded on the the concepts we learned on day 1 and had them apply them to larger issues of environment, culture, and history. We first did a word association exercise with the students to get them thinking about these concepts. Then they split into three groups and created a Public Service Announcement covering these three areas. We took them to the Mesi Bridge, a local historical site that the children were so proud to share with us. The pictures were amazing and the kids were naturals in front of and behind the camera.

The third day we wrapped up our workshop at another historical site, The Castle. The kids were super excited to be sharing their stories with us, and the dat ended with this incredible double rainbow that was staright out of a Hollywood film. The entire day was filled with this incredible warmth, and the students sent us off by some traditional Albanian food and dancing. The girls and I looked at eachother and said, "Now we know how Oprah must feel!"
-Jason