Red Lights to Red Carpet

Kids with Cameras

"None of the kids had any experience with cameras," says Briski, who gave each of her students a still camera and bought them film. For children who had nothing, getting a camera from a stranger signaled a huge amount of trust being put in them. "Just having somebody pay attention to them increased their self-esteem," she says.

Briski went many steps further. She held classes where she taught them what makes a good picture, and then sent them out to shoot. She taught them how to look at their world and find a way to express themselves through photography. The group got together later to talk about their photos. "They learned so much by taking pictures and discussing each other's work," she adds.

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