Each photograph submitted was taken over the past year during shooting sessions with the CKwC program, which meets biweekly for photography outings and computer reviews. “You know that the kids really have talent when they are creating good photographs consistently,” says program coordinator and professional photographer Ron Rocz. Winners (below) received ribbons as well as monetary awards.

Zenobia Bennett
First Place Window Shopping
Honorable Mention The Christmas Parade

Herbert Simpson
Third Place Captivating Eyes

Karl Ramsey
Honorable Mention Bridge Biker

D.J. Fulton
Honorable Mention Citadel Checkers

DeAndré Murphy
Honorable Mention Angelina

Willie Duggins
Honorable Mention Nikell and Skippy

CKwC coordinator Natalie Todd was also awarded first place and honorable mention in the professional color photography division and third place in the professional monochrome photography division for images she took while on a mission trip in the Peruvian Amazon.

One nine year old boy stood in the school parking lot, alone, quiet, looking down and holding a basketball. Lamar is his name, and he had not been in our camera program. I asked him if he wanted to go out and shoot with the camera. He said “Yes,” shyly, and went to tell his mother where he was going.

That first day with a camera, at the city marina, and his first time on a boat dock (one mile from his home), he became charged with total thrill and excitement. “I am so glad I came, I love this camera,” he said with a huge sparkle in his eye. He zoomed the lens over and over for varied compositions, learned in but a minute to review the images, and created some exhibit-worthy photographs. He was in!

In the year to follow, Lamar did photography on every field event day, as well as at all exhibit receptions and on holidays. The night of Fourth of July, he used the camera on a tripod to photograph the fireworks over the river, shooting every last burst of color in the sky. He turned to his mentor and said, “Boy, I’m getting tired, this is hard work.”

His mother and I became friends, during my visits to Lamar’s home in the housing project. I would show her his images on a laptop. We talked about gospel singers from the 1960’s. She was thrilled with his pictures, and now she drives him to every event, from out in the country.

Lamar had to move to the country on John’s Island and enroll in another school. He hated leaving his school and friends in the city, but in time, he grew to like his new school. When his teacher saw some of his photos, she nick named him “Photo Shoot.” His grades improved considerably, to the point that the teacher nominated him for the Gifted and Talented Program. It just might be that Lamar’s joining Charleston Kids-with-Cameras boosted him to new success.
-Ron Rocz

You can view some of Lamar’s photos by clicking on this link.

Hello to all the kids in Charleston Kids with Cameras! Our names are Zsofi, Beata, and Renata, and we are happy to share our first photos from your village here in Romania. We hope you like them and that we can share messages about all our photos.

We live in a small village in the hills of Transylvania, which is part of the country Romania. The name is Galesi in Romanian and Nhyaradgalfalva in Hungarian. In this village, we have Romanians, Hungarians, and Gypsies. Most of the people here are farmers, with chickens and pigs in the farmyards. We have cars in our village, but also we have horses that pull wagons. The people in our village do not have much money, but our parents work very hard for what we have.

We three girls are all 10 years old and Hungarian. We speak only in the Hungarian language, but our leader Zsolt Nemet can speak English, so he can translate for us, so that you can understand us.

Our leader Zsolt takes on trips around in our village and around the countryside so that we can take photos. He is a wonderful man and enjoys children. He and his wife have a little girl. They have worked with children in the orphanages and other places.

We hope you like our pictures and that you will ask us questions about them. And we will look at your pictures and talk to you about them. We are lucky to have computers in our village community center, where we can look at our pictures and go on the internet.

click on one of the thumbnails to see the entire album

Good luck to our new friends across the ocean, and we look forward to seeing some more of these fantastic photos!

Immediately following the reception we are having a Multi-Media Show at the Meeting Street Manor playground at 562 Meeting Street from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. This will be a fun-packed evening of African Drumming, live spoken word poetry, a slide show from the CKwC and Yo Art Project, and the Charleston Kids with Cameras film by Farrah Hoffmire. Refreshments will be provided by Sticky Fingers and Coca Cola. Please come and join us; this is not an event to be missed!

Many thanks to our sponsors of this event:
Prudential Carolina Real Estate
John and Libby Winthrop
Robert F. Furchgott
Sticky Fingers BBQ
Coca Cola

First, a limited number of new volunteers are needed for the school year 2007-2008. These volunteers will work as mentors, on a one-to-one basis, with inner city youth ages 7-12, living most in residences of the Charleston Housing Authority. This is a great opportunity for adult photographers, amateur or professional, to pass along their love of photography to youngsters eager to learn.

Volunteers must be willing to give two afternoons per month, mainly on Sundays, for the entire school year of 2007-2008. They need only a basic knowledge of photography. Canon digital cameras, owned by Kids with Cameras, are available. Kids with Cameras will facilitate the assignment of a child to the volunteers. Volunteers will be required to get to know their kid’s parents / guardians, to gain their support of and involvement in the program. All volunteers will undergo a routine background check, including a driving record. Volunteers will participate in one, half-day training session. And most importantly, volunteers must enjoy working with kids and contributing to their growth.

Second, specialized program volunteers are needed in these ways. Public Relations; Exhibitions Coordination; Equipment Manager; Internet Sales of Photo Prints; T-Shirt Production; Grant Writing.

If you are interested, please contact us at 843-724-7101 or email us (info@charlestonkidswithcameras.org).

New Volunteer Recruitment. We are seeking additional volunteer mentors for 30 youth now in our program or wishing to be. In the new year, volunteers will be matched one-on-one with the youth. Please have anyone you know, who might be interested in joining the program, contact us soon. All new volunteers will go through a phased-training program.

Digital Cameras. Our program now owns 30 new Canon A560 digital cameras. Donations from the exhibits and significant contributions from other supporters have made this big step possible. What a difference this will make in training the kids, image review on computers, and helping the kids to upload their images onto our web site.

Photo Exhibits. New exhibits in the 2007-2008 school year will take place during MOJA at the Visitors’ Center, followed by Earthfare and First Federal. The kids love the receptions and interacting with the public.

Charleston Magazine will feature our program with a major photo essay in its August 2007 issue. Watch for it.

Special Needs for Development. As we grow, we are in need of volunteers with special expertise. We need talented people to coordinate public relations, coordinate exhibition planning; and engage in grant writing. Even more fun, we’d like to explore creating t-shirts for the kids and selling photo prints over the Internet. Let us know of anyone likely to be interested.

That’s all folks. Thanks for your interest and support.

Ron Rocz, Photographer and Coordinator

 Please click on the thumbnail to view the photo album.

The exhibit is at the main branch of the Charleston County Public Library. It includes 40 of the students photographs which will be on display until June 16. The photos are for sale for a $50 donation. If you are interested in purchasing, please contact Natalie Todd at 843-270-2613. The exhibit will be open to the public during the library’s regular hours: Monday-Thursday, 9am-9pm; Friday and Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 2pm-5pm.