XtremeCamera

I find it so interesting that I’m drawn to some things, often for what initially appear as inexplicable reasons. When I came to XC, I didn’t realize completely, at first, what the pull was to this place. Sure, I loved that the critiques were honest and direct. I thought the site seemed an intellectual place, but I also liked all the features. I got the distinct impression that the people running things were invested in what their membership was doing photographically. All of that certainly appealed to me, but I knew there was something else – something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

I suppose to illustrate where I’m going with this rambling, I need to back up a little. Several years ago, we lived in the city; specifically, the Memphis inner city. I had recently given birth to our younger child and she was very ill. My older child was attending an inner city school and while I knew that this wasn’t the best setting for her educationally, socially or emotionally, we simply had our hands full with our little one and couldn’t afford to do anything differently, at that point. It was a time of great turmoil and sadness in our lives, but in the back of my head, I knew that once our little one was out of the woods, we had to make some changes. After two years of medical complications, developmental issues and an enormous amount of stress, I started seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. At that point, my husband and I made what I think was a crucial decision in regards to our older daughter’s education. We pulled her out of school and took the plunge required to homeschool her.

We have never lived in the mainstream. My husband and I are both artists, of sorts, so it wasn’t a big surprise to anyone that we opted to take an out of the norm approach to our daughter’s education. I investigated and decided that the best approach to our decision was a method known as unschooling, an approach to education made famous by a man named John Holt. There are several definitions of unschooling however, the one that applied to our family is that unschooling is 1 “an approach to living that emphasizes learning as a natural process, integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life, and not benefiting from adult manipulation. ”

Basically, its child led learning – the child expresses interest in something and the adult lays the groundwork for them to explore the concept. Because this method is doctrine-free and not based on using a curriculum, you, as the parent, are free to interpret the ideas of unschooling as you and the child choose and you make your own way. I had homeschooled our child when she was in kindergarten with a curriculum, so I had experienced it both ways and I have to tell you that unschooling this child was a delight. A crucial piece of this methodology for our family was asking questions and searching for answers, in an analytical manner. For us, unschooling really was about not only looking for answers but also, posing the questions that are necessary. It was very important to our family that we were all able to subtract some of the emotion out of our daily lives, as we had seen such trauma and we were constantly faced with tough emotional decisions.

Unschooling was, in a sense, therapeutic for us. Not only did it give us a chance to spend a lot of time together, it also gave us a break from an emotionally charged atmosphere. There weren’t any set times or rules about what we were doing, we simply lived, examined, explored and asked questions together. It was my job to make every moment applicable to her education. A trip to the grocery store was a chance to do some math, think analytically about a budget and what we had to do to keep our family healthy with the money we had, have a health lesson about nutrition, figure out how to find things and how things were categorized (and ask questions of other adults about where things were located), and learn how to deal with the outside world. Basically, unschooling was a fine solution for our family and we used it not only to educate, but as a vehicle for healing.

Today, we no longer live in the inner city (we live in the woods) and both of my children are in school; my older daughter because she chose to do so and my younger child because it was the best setting for her to get the services that she needs. Both continue to be pretty darn successful. Even though we have moved away from the homeschooling model, I’m always drawn to educational methods that aren’t necessarily well-known in the modern mainstream and we are still asking questions.

This brings me to XC. The senior administration at XC firmly believes in a teaching model known as the Socratic Method. This approach emphasizes inquiry and analytical thinking. To further explain, I go to a common Internet source (albeit a sometimes very flawed source), the Wikipedia. According to the Wikipedia, “ The Socratic Method (or Method of Elenchus or Socratic Debate), named after the Classical Greek philosopher Socrates, is a form of philosophical inquiry in which the questioner explores the implications of others’ positions, to stimulate rational thinking and illuminate ideas.” 2

So, let’s put this into context and apply it to XtremeCamera. How does this apply to you, the membership here? XC, above all else, is posing a question. The question is “How can I become a photographer?” For me personally, I have to engage in some internal debate in order to come to some kind of conclusion or answer to the question. Here’s how the dialogue goes for me:

Q: How can I become a better photographer?
A: I have to learn my camera.
Q: How do I learn my camera?
A: I read, take classes, research and most importantly, I use my camera. I engage in autodidacticism or self-directed learning.
Q: What do you read?
A: I read my manual, articles and books about photography and well um, critiques of photographs.
Q: You read critiques of what photographs?
A: My own and others.
Q: Why do you read the critiques of others’ photographs?
A: Because it helps me look at a photograph critically and think analytically about photography in general.
Q: What is the purpose of thinking analytically about photography?
A: It helps break apart an image, in its entirety, and decide what works or doesn’t work with the composition, the exposure, the shutter speed, etc.
Q: Why do you need to think about that?
A: Because it makes me stop and consider all the elements when I’m taking my own photographs.
Q: And is it important that you write your own critiques too?
A: Yes
Q: Why is that important?
A: Because I need to learn how to articulate and make applicable what I am trying to achieve myself – in order to fully grasp the concepts.
Q: Do you need others to help you?
A: Yes.
Q: In what way do others need to help you?
A: Others need to help me by offering a free exchange of ideas and opinions, an opportunity to see their work and intellectual input about my work.
Q: What does intellectual input mean?
A: Intellectual input means that I need my fellow students to be critical when they look at my work and tell me honestly and directly how they think that I could have improved the shot. It is essential that they view my work not from a purely emotional standpoint, although that is relevant as this is an art, but most importantly from a critical viewpoint.

This internal dialogue could go on and on, obviously, but I won’t continue to bore you with it. My point is this: It is the responsibility of each individual to engage in this kind of thinking and to look within themselves for the questions and the answers.

We insist on it as part of the requirements and responsibilities of being a member at XC, but I challenge you to immerse yourself in this kind of thinking in all aspects of your life. In the process of this activity, you will improve and you become fulfilled as a human being, as an artist and as a photographer.

Take it upon yourself to grab hold of some of the unschooling approaches that served my family so well, that of being an autodidact or self-teacher. Incorporate some Socratic inner dialogue (and external – that’s what we are here for, after all) into that approach and see what you come up with. I promise you, it will seep into your everyday life and enrich every aspect, not only your photographic work.

Look to yourself first, supplement that internal dialogue with the ideas and perspectives of like-minded individuals and you will be a stronger, more self reliant and more productive person.

1. Holt, J: Growing Without Schooling, #2 1977
2. Socratic method, Wikipedia & Frameworks Glossary, Nebraska Dept of Education