Her photo was of an old car.
A vintage beauty, deep, forest green and shiny enough to reflect the neon lights of the building it was parked in front of. There was a man in the car, looking off into the night. Waiting for something.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s what I loved about this one. So much mystery. Who was the man? What was he waiting for?
I fell in love with the picture before I knew who took it. I was at The Futures Fund student spring showcase, browsing the photography of its middle and high school students.
The Futures Fund is an organization that teaches entrepreneurial skills to youths. Classes in coding and photography are offered free to students in the program, showing them they can build careers in art.
The classes are taught at Baton Rouge Community College and Southern University. Many of the students come from nearby low-income neighborhoods in North Baton Rouge or Mid City, but others get up early and drive all the way from Geismar or New Orleans.
During eight weeks of classes, the photo students learn about lighting, color composition and how to find their voice. For the showcase, they display an image that represents their work.
Our 225 team works with talented photographers, so I’m used to seeing powerful photos. Still, I was awed by their images—so strong, and taken by teenagers, at that. I imagined the thought and care they must’ve taken each image with, as some used a camera for the first time.
During a meet and greet, students sat at tables next to their photo, where visitors could talk to them about their work. I’d volunteered as an instructor this spring but hadn’t met every student yet. It was amazing how the same question—“Can you tell me about your photo?”—could elicit so many different expressions and answers. Some students gushed, while others beamed quietly.
I finally found Samantha, the 19-year-old who had taken the car photo. It turned out she loved the image for the same reason I did: the mystery. She told me she’d shot it at an antique car show, but instead of stepping back and capturing the whole scene, she had honed in on this one vehicle. She liked how the photo looked like it could be anywhere—you’d never know there were dozens of other old cars parked in the same lot.
Eventually, we moved on from talking about the photo and started talking about clothes. Samantha loves fashion and making apparel. She told me about a denim jacket she’d embroidered with her nickname. I told her I’d been dying for a personalized jacket like that. I was so impressed she’d made her own.
I asked her if she had a picture, and she scrolled through her phone before realizing with disappointment she hadn’t taken one of it.
About an hour later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Samantha, excited to show me that she had found a picture of the jacket, after all. She zoomed in so I could see the details of the needlework.
I wanted to connect her with 225 stylist Elle Marie, who teaches teen girls skills in fashion, beauty and cooking while building self-esteem through her iGlam Academy.
I will always believe that this is the key to a better future—programs like these and the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition—giving youth a chance to grow a passion.
But maybe what is most powerful of all is just sitting and having a conversation with the kids about their work. I’ll never forget the Futures Fund’s students’ faces as they explained their photography. And I bet they’ll never forget what it felt like to show off their work, either.
Reach Jennifer Tormo at [email protected].
This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.
