The people, the colors, the culture, the poverty, and the violence of Haiti are all attractive to photographers. Countless international photojournalists have been to Haiti, mostly during times of political upheaval, and through them the media have shown the world a limited view of Haiti. There are only a handful of Haitian photographers in a country with such rich visual content. Most of the images we see from Haiti are violent, but there is also happiness, beauty and especially pride. I wanted to create an outlet for young Haitians to develop skills to document their country's continuing history and its daily life from their own perspectives.
During my first trip to Haiti in January 1997, while working on a documentary project about a home for street youth, I began the Photography Workshops. My love of photography was what I had to give the children. Hundreds of them were living at Lafanmi Selavi, a home for street children created in 1986 by Jean-Bertrand Aristide when he was still a parish priest. Some children had never had their picture taken before, most had never seen a photo of themselves, and none of them had every used a camera. An opportunity was created for kids with no resources to do something completely new, nurturing hidden talents, adding skills, and offering them a way to tell their own stories and express themselves.
Past workshops have included the importance, history, and uses of photography, technical information, instruction in the operation of a 35mm camera, and visits from professional photographers. We had a pinhole camera workshop put together by visiting San Francisco photographer Matt Millman, outdoor slideshows, a permanent exhibit in Port-au-Prince, and students received income from sales of their prints and postcards. Just holding a camera in their hands was something they never imagined they could do. The kids worked individually and in groups using photography to interact with their community from a different perspective, and daily classes kept them off the streets doing something they loved.
After Lafanmi Selavi closed and without a place to hold classes, individual photography lessons continued with boys living on the streets.
In 2004 and 2005, Photography Workshops were held at Caritas St. Antoine, a small home for former street children in Port-au-Prince. Twenty students went on field trips, photograms were created in a makeshift darkroom, Haitian photojournalist Evens Sanon presented his story of becoming a professional, and two U.S. photojournalists visited the class with their digital cameras.
Fostering the children’s photographic talents not only boosts self-esteem and teaches practical technical skills for the future, it also inspires change. Given a chance, empowering children enables them to improve their quality of life.
All Photography Workshops include class time on the importance, history, and uses of photography, technical information, instruction in the operation of a 35mm camera, how Haiti is viewed visually in world news, and about photojournalism from visiting professional photographers.
This gallery includes work from six Workshops (2-4 weeks long) and many tutoring sessions during a three-year period. There were 17 boys and girls, and many took multiple classes.
The primary focus was black and white film photography, and the treat was a special pinhole camera workshop.
After Lafanmi Selavi closed, there was no place to conduct the Photo Workshops so we worked with boys living on the streets. The one that took the most initiative was Jimmy (street name).
Jimmy lived at Lafanmi Selavi when he was a boy, and lived out on the streets after it closed. Although he was never in a formal Photo Workshop, he received one on one lessons and shot a lot of black and white film. He loved making pictures and had a natural eye with a strong will to learn. I worked with Jimmy for two years, and then in 2003 the Haitian National Police took him away and he was never seen again. He was 19 years old.
In 2004 and 2005, Photography Workshops were held in three-week sessions. All 20 residents were students and each shot multiple rolls of color film. On a field trip to the country, their quest was the perfect postcard shot. Students made personal photograms in our temporary darkroom, questioned a Haitian photojournalist, and checked out digital cameras for the first time.
Street Children in Haiti- Living at Lafanmi Selavi and Living on the Streets Photographs by Jennifer Cheek Pantaléon 1997-2007
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