My School in Focus: New Initiative for Secondary Schools Created for National Photography Month

-        First National Photography Month in the UK to run June 2012

-        Capture and keep: National Photography Month to celebrate the value of photographs as historical records

-        My School in Focus:  A new photographic archive project for secondary schools created for National Photography Month

-        Supported by National Geographic and the Royal Photographic Society

June 2012 is National Photography Month - the UK’s first event of its kind dedicated to celebrating the value of photography. Suported by organisations from the photography world including National Geographic and the Royal Photographic Society and leading photographic retailers and suppliers, the month will feature nation-wide events, celebrity exhibitions, a ‘Capture and Keep’ campaign, and special offers from suppliers.

At the heart of the campaign is the message that the importance of photography lies not just in creating good images but in the role photographs serve as vital historical records. The nation’s images represent a vast trove of personal histories. But while we are taking more pictures than at any other time, the fleeting nature of digital images means we are printing or keeping fewer of these important documents. National Photography Month aims to encourage the nation both to get more involved in photography, and to explore new ways to capture and keep life’s most important moments.

My School in Focus is a free resource pack produced especially for National Photography Month to encourage secondary schools to engage with photography and capture and keep images of the school environment, preserving a physical record of school life for years to come.

The My School in Focus guidebook includes:

• Preparing for your photography workshop
• Advice on cameras and equipment, including mobile phone cameras
• Ideas for using your images around the school, such as school plans and at open days
• Photographic techniques and concepts

The National Photography Month schools initiative has grown out of Colliers Green Focus, an innovative education programme and photography competition for schools which supports the secondary geography curriculum. Students are encouraged develop a more critical perspective of their local environment by taking photographs which capture their ‘sense of place’, a key geographic concept. My School in Focus takes this idea back in to the school environment, inviting students to curate an exhibition for their school and community of their personal responses to the school environment and the people who inhabit it.

To request a free copy of My School in Focus go to www.colliersgreenfocus.com or email helen.price@kallaway.com.

Colliers Green Focus

Schools which run a My School in Focus project are eligible to enter students’ images in the annual Colliers Green Focus Photography Competition. The first prize is an iPad and camera for the winning student and £1,000 of photography equipment for the school. Shortlisted students will be invited to an award ceremony and reception in London on 20 November. The deadline for entries is 17 July 2012 and full details are included in the resource.

The project is also supported by a series of free training workshops for teachers on Using Photography in the Key Stage 3 Geography Curriculum.

Date and venues confirmed to date are:

To coincide with My School in Focus local photographic retailers will be organising in-store demonstrations and promotions.

Teachers can book a place online at www.colliersgreenfocus.com or email helen.price@kallaway.com.

Licensing and sponsorship opportunities

From licensing images to sponsoring events, National Photography Month presents a fantastic opportunity for a range of supporters to get involved in a national campaign. Organisations already on board include leading photographic retailers and family and educational institutions.

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Press contacts and images:

Susannah Glynn

susannah.glynn@kallaway.com: 020 7221 7883

Helen Price

helen.price@kallaway.com; 020 7221 7883

About National Photography Month

National Photography Month is a new initiative created in order to encourage photography in Britain and celebrate the value of the physical photograph. Founded by the Photo Marketing Association and the Picture Imaging Council and supported by organisations from the photography world including National Geographic and the Royal Photographic Society and leading photographic retailers and suppliers, the month will feature nation-wide events, celebrity exhibitions, a ‘Capture and Keep’ campaign, and special offers from suppliers. The first National Photography Month will run in June 2012.

About Colliers Green Focus
Colliers Green Focus is an exciting initiative for schools that supports the Geography curriculum by encouraging young people to explore their local environment through photography.

Created in 2007 and now in its fifth year, the programme is provided free to all participating schools by Colliers International, the world’s third largest commercial real estate organisation. It supports the teaching of the 'sense of place' theme in an innovative and inspiring way, using photography as a creative medium to evoke fresh perceptions and critical perspectives. The professional project geographer and photographer visit a number of schools each year to run a one-day workshop which boost pupils' insight into their local environment. Images taken on these fieldtrips are entered into the Colliers Green Focus Photography Competition.
Geography teachers can also run their own Colliers Green Focus workshop with help from a number of free resources including a two-hour practical training session. These provide a step by step guide to planning and leading a stimulating day out for students using photography to capture a 'sense of place'. Further details are available at www.colliersgreenfocus.com

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