At the end of March last year, photographer and picture editor Nina Raingold, faced with home schooling her seven- and three-year-olds, came up with an idea. Inspired by a training course she had taken with PhotoVoice, a charity that believes “participatory” photography can inspire social change, she persuaded her daughter’s schoolmates to pick up a camera (or a parent’s phone) and document their lives. “I thought it might help them deal with their anxiety and sudden isolation from one another. It was never about getting beautiful pictures; it was more about the process.”
Left: Aphra, eight I took a photo of this orange because it’s colourful, beautiful and looks like a rainbow
Right: Sofia, eight I love doing gymnastics. This is me doing a handstand in my classroom in Nottingham
Left: Verity, nine I chose to photograph our solitaire board. My best score is one marble
Right: Esra, nine I work in the living room, Mum’s in the dining room, Dad in his office, my brother in his room
Each family was set a weekly task, with a different theme – such as “rainbows”, “ups and downs”, “something round” – and the children were asked to edit their own photographs. “I wanted to see what was meaningful to them,” Raingold says. The results were observant, funny, even moving: sun-drenched gardens and blue skies a reminder of those hot spring months.
Left: Olivia, seven This is the view from my bedroom when I’m working. I can see fields, houses, trees
Right: Jasmine, nine We were lucky enough to have a special visitor, so I grabbed my camera
Left: Igor, eight I like this because it has the colourful flowers of summer and the snowflakes from winter
Right: James, nine What do I do for fun? I play football in my back garden
Gracie-May, eight I don’t understand you humans: that’s what my cat is thinking
When schools closed again in January, Raingold revisited the project, adding three more schools, in urban and rural settings. She asked the children: what does school look like to you, now? They each sent in a single image, with a handwritten caption – a selection of which appear on these pages.
Left: March, seven This is my new puppy wearing doll’s clothes
Right: Otis, eight This is my friend Jonathan. I am working with him and my teacher Joe at school
Left: Lena, eight For fun, I play basketball in my garden
Right: Gene, eight I like drawing dragons from one of my books, and then writing about them
What they chose to photograph reveals what’s important to these seven-, eight- and nine-year-olds, as they navigate yet another lockdown: mainly siblings, cuddly toys and pets. But they also show the rewards of looking closely: frost on a plant, a pot of paintbrushes seen from above, an inflatable globe in the corner of a classroom.
Left: Tommy, nine I paint for fun and these are all the brushes I use
Right: Tulio, nine My box of Lego: this is what I do for fun on schooldays or weekends
Left: Margot, eight What do I do for fun? I like to sing with my microphone
Right: Ilse, eight I chose to photograph bunny because he is special: I see him every day
“What comes across is that kids have such curiosity about everyday things,” Raingold says. “The photographs are a positive reminder to find joy in our surroundings.”
Elise, nine I work with my hamster, Otto
Left: Freddie, nine This is what I do for fun: I set up battle scenes with my soldiers
Right: Georgie, eight When I work, Iggy is next to me. Iggy is my baby brother
Left: Rosie, nine I love to hula hoop because it’s fun and energetic
Right: Ethan, nine I have chosen to photograph this globe because I like learning about the world
Left: Harry, nine I am going into school. This is me high-fiving my partner
Right: Blake, eight The view outside my window in Northumberland is very snowy
Left: Gideon, nine This is my mum, who works with me
Right: Florence, eight This is my lemon tree
Left: William, seven I love playing cars and basketball
Right: Walt, nine What do I do for fun? I play football. With thanks to Ashdon primary school, Essex; Kielder primary school, Northumberland; Killisick junior school, Nottingham; South Harringay school, London
