Tyree is 3.
Traipsing through the playground with an iPhone twice the size of his hand, he’s looking for the subject of his next photo: “Sammy,” he says, a teacher who smiles as he approaches.
He aims.
Click.
Like many of the images he and his preschool friends have captured this sunny afternoon at the Broadway Street Neighborhood Center in Iowa City, Iowa, Sammy is sharing the image with a kid’s finger that accidently covered the camera lens.
Despite frequent appearances by tiny, stray fingers, a new photo essay – shot only by a dozen preschoolers on March 20, 2012 – gives us peek into the innocence, excitement, and everyday experiences of the city’s youth.
“Life Between Fingers” was created from photographs children took while I was working with the local storytelling website, CrossingBorders.us.
Images were then selected and arranged to tell a story about a part of Iowa City that often lacks tales of innocence, joy and the magic of childhood.
Tyree prepares to dive down the slide in the playground behind the Broadway Street Neighborhood Center. Each afternoon, dozens of preschool-aged children go outside to play in sandboxes, on a small jungle gym, and with toys as part of their daycare experience.
Alex peeks through a preschooler’s fingers. Several preschoolers used an iPhone to document their play. When all photographs were collected, the inadvertent appearance of the photographers’ fingers added to an artistic value and theme.
Light pushes through the trees behind the neighborhood center. Such a bright image counters many of the published tales from neighborhoods around the Broadway Neighborhood Center that show the space as being dark and desolate.
Destiney’s hair barrettes pop with color in the afternoon sunshine.
Emily and Brionta, in the crown, play together. Each child gets a crown that’s made by staff members for their birthday.
Shadows stretch across the playground as preschoolers learn how to use the camera.
Alex peeks through a preschooler’s fingers. When all photographs were collected, the inadvertent appearance of the photographers’ fingers added to an artistic value and theme. Whereas hands can often be used to conceal, many of the fingers in these photographs frame special and specific glimpses of life.
Aliyah, far right, watches Osvaldo, middle, and Nykala, left, during an afternoon playtime.
Children cluster during play throughout the afternoon. They move about – quickly – between groups of friends, play equipment and toys.
A preschool photographer captures a close-up of Jhael, left, and Khalil, right.
Tyree, top, and Osvaldo, front, play on the slide. Preschoolers come from all sorts of background and pockets of nearby neighborhoods.
A finger frames a scene of curious chaos.
Preschoolers worked with each other to capture photos during one afternoon. Children, such as Destiney, shown here, taught each other how to select and shoot the scenes. And the sometimes accidental finger-over-the-lens provided an added dimension and flavor.