Paris region
“Portrait from nature”
& “Self-portrait”
Initiated in 2021-2022 at the Saint-Jean high school of Apprentis d’Auteuil in Sannois (95), the photo projects are back for a 2nd edition! 12 Landscape and Gardener students took part in Portraits d’après nature, and 12 Personal and regional services 11th grade students in Ph’autoportraits, again with the support of artist photographer Carine Deambrosis.
Project supported by the Fondation Foujita.
Cyanotypie project: Portraits d’après nature
In this project, the 12 students in the CAP Landscape Gardener program were introduced to an old photographic process, cyanotype, developed on paper and glass plates.
Carine Deambrosis’s presentation on the world of photography—covering everything from the equipment used to an introduction to taking pictures with disposable cameras and developing film—helped the young people understand the different steps involved in this technique. Once they had mastered the basics, they moved on to the main focus of the workshop: cyanotypes.
The project began with selecting a subject, after which the students moved on to harvesting the plants. Once the materials were prepared, they set to work creating the cyanotypes. About fifteen minutes after exposing them to the sun, it was time to develop the prints!
Silver photography project: Self-Portrait
At the same time, the 12 10th-grade students in the “Services to People and Communities” program took part in a film photography project focused on self-portraits. The goal? To highlight their emotions and perceptions of their school.
The high school students were introduced to the world of photography through a presentation on photography techniques and a tour of Carine Deambrosis’s studio, located within La Ruche, an iconic artistic hub in Paris’s 15th arrondissement. Then, equipped with film cameras, they put their knowledge into practice: they looked for subjects to photograph and moments to capture, and then learned how to develop their film in a darkroom.
As key participants in every aspect of the project, they also prepared the various communication materials (posters, explanatory texts, etc.) during a digital workshop. They also helped set up the exhibition and welcomed visitors on opening day.
In addition, the students also worked on writing and emotions by composing haiku, those short poems of Japanese origin.
All of the work created by the two groups was displayed at the “Tous en photo” exhibition, held during the school’s Open House on June 17, 2023.
As the sessions progressed, the young people learned about photography techniques, constraints and possibilities, and were confronted with the question of choice: which subject to photograph? What elements should I choose to compose my cyanotype/portrait?
These projects have encouraged young people to get involved by (re)awakening their sensibilities and offering them the chance to take a fresh – perhaps artistic – look at themselves and the environment around them.