The Montana Arts for Hope Camp’s Photography class got hands-on-camera experience Wednesday. Photographer David J. Spear, a former professional photographer in New York City who now works and teacher in Pablo, Montana, is the teacher. He loaned each student one of his personal cameras, Nikons and Minoltas. In picture below he’s posing, pretending to be on a lawn chair, while the students compose the best picture they can from where they are sitting. In the other picture he’s coaching a student who was assigned to go outside and shoot for different kinds of pictures. In an earlier exercise they took photographs of ugly things they found around the campus and used various photographic techniques to turn them into something attractive. Spear is one of the volunteer artists recruited by Philadelphia-based BuildaBridge International to stage the week-long camp, which uses the arts to build sustainable hope and improve communications skills. The other classes include dance, culinary arts, acting and mural painting. We were invited here to the Flathead Indian Reservation by the Tribal Council.
