From Dancers to Photographers

A Brilliant Start for Oakenspire CIC

Sometimes the best way to find out whether an idea will work is simply to put it into the hands of the people it was created for.

That is exactly what we did with our first Oakenspire CIC photography taster sessions and the response exceeded our expectations.

We invited a group of young dancers into the studio for a practical introduction to photography. The aim was never to turn the day into a classroom lesson full of technical terminology. We wanted the young people to pick up a camera, experiment, make mistakes, try again, work together and discover what they could create.

And that is exactly what happened.

Learning by doing

With the studio, cameras and lighting equipment available to them, the dancers quickly moved from being the people normally in front of the camera to being the photographers behind it.

They learned some of the fundamentals of using a camera, but the emphasis throughout was on practical experience. They photographed one another, experimented with movement, tried different lighting ideas and saw immediately how the decisions they made affected the finished photograph.

Being dancers gave them a fascinating starting point. They already understood shape, movement, timing and body position. Photography gave them a completely different way of looking at those skills.

Before long, the questions changed from “Which button do I press?” to “What happens if we try this?”

For us, that was exactly the point.

More than photography

Oakenspire CIC was created because we believe creative activities can offer far more than simply learning a technical skill.

Photography provides opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, communicate ideas, work with other people and have the confidence to try something new.

Throughout the sessions we saw those things happening naturally.

The young people took turns photographing and being photographed. They shared ideas, helped one another, reviewed their photographs together and became increasingly confident about experimenting for themselves.

There was plenty of laughter along the way too.

One of our favourite activities involved experimenting with long exposures and light painting. The resulting “DANCING” photograph probably says more about the atmosphere of the sessions than we ever could.

And then we asked them what they thought…

Importantly, we did not want to judge the success of the sessions simply by whether we thought it had gone well.

Before and after the workshops, participants completed questionnaires designed to help Oakenspire CIC understand their experience, their confidence and their interest in photography.

The feedback was extremely encouraging.

The questionnaires supported what we had observed during the sessions. The young people had enjoyed the experience, engaged with the practical activities and responded positively to learning photography in this hands-on way.

But one response particularly delighted us.

Every participant told us they would like the opportunity to continue learning photography.

Even more encouragingly, their interest was not limited to photographing dance. The sessions had sparked a broader curiosity about photography itself.

For what began as a taster session, that feels like a very significant result.

What we learned too

Taster sessions are as important for Oakenspire CIC as they are for the participants.

They allow us to test ideas, listen to young people and shape future programmes around what actually engages them rather than what adults assume they will enjoy.

These sessions reinforced several things for us.

Young people respond incredibly well to practical, creative learning. They do not need hours of technical instruction before being trusted with a camera. Give them enough knowledge to get started, give them the freedom to experiment and then support them as their curiosity develops.

They also reminded us that the real value of a project like this cannot always be measured simply by how technically good somebody's photographs become.

Confidence, creativity, communication, teamwork and the willingness to say “Can I have another go?” matter just as much.

That philosophy will remain at the heart of the work Oakenspire CIC develops next.

So, what happens now?

These were taster sessions, but they have given us a very clear message.

There is an appetite for more.

Our ambition is now to build on what we have learned and develop a programme in which young people can explore photography over a longer period, develop their creative and practical skills and, just as importantly, grow in confidence through working alongside others.

If the enthusiasm we saw during these first sessions is anything to go by, we have something very exciting to build upon.

And to every young person who came along, picked up a camera, stood in front of one, tried something new and gave us their feedback:

thank you.

You haven't simply taken part in an Oakenspire CIC workshop.

You've helped us shape what comes next.