This past week, students at Outside The Lens’ The Story Within Us
summer camp were let loose in the streets of La Jolla to capture
“Humans of La Jolla.” Their inspiration came from the photographer
Brandon Stanton, whose moving street portraits and personal stories
entitled “Humans of New York” have become wildly popular.
The students strolled around the village and the cove asking passersby
if they could quickly pose for a photo and answer a few questions. This
assignment helped get the students out of their comfort zone, while also
working on their portrait skills.
Towards the beginning of the
day students seemed timid and hesitant to approach strangers, but as
they chatted with more people, their nerves quickly began to fade and
they eagerly approached more people. The ability to approach strangers
is something that some professional photographers still struggle with,
so the students impressed us all, as they confidently walked up to
painters, street vendors, and friendly strangers to strike up a
conversation. By Friday afternoon these OTL students were leaving La
Jolla with a new knowledge of photography, a new confidence in
themselves, and a bit more of a healthy glow.
You can see our
students’ beautiful portraiture and hear the stories of the folks they
met at Outside The Lens’ Summer Camp Student Exhibition – Friday, August
1, 5 – 7 pm at our Liberty Station Media Lab!
- Students of OTL’s “The Story Within Us” summer camp get the scoops and the shots of “Humans of La Jolla”