Learning patterns/Photo training sessions
What problem does this solve?
[edit]If a participation to Wikimedia Commons through photography may seem at first simpler than writing an encyclopedic article on Wikipedia or contributing to Wikidata, some obstacles still need to be overcome: people may not be comfortable with their camera and therefore think that their picture "is not worth it" or not to be comfortable with the Wikimedia Commons import procedure .
What is the solution?
[edit]The solution adopted by Wikimedia France is to organize twice a full-weekend meeting twice each year (May–June and November–December) to bring new and experienced photographers, with experienced Wikimedians training newbies.
We choose a place not much covered on Wikimedia Commons and reserve a shelter or hotel that will serve as a rallying point during the weekend. Saturday morning is devoted to present the basics of photography for beginners (framing, modes of camera settings) and determine in which places participants will then travel in small groups on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, according to their interests and photography skills they want to work on.
Saturday evening is currently adapted to meet front of a screen so that each photographer shows a selection of what he captured during the day, the most experienced participants giving their opinions and advice on these pictures. This is also the time to upload daily photos to Commons , showing the way forward for those who have never done.
Things to consider
[edit]- List upstream potential trainers and topics of interest
- Plan common meals jointly with all participants and meals for daily small groups (and plan to provide sandwiches for them)
- Create a class ahead Commons for the event, or upload a dedicated campaign
When to use
[edit]Wikimedia France has organized two training weekends like this, Normandy (<link to the commons category of the event>) and Alsace (<link to the commons category Event>), and two are planned: in Guernsey in June and in south-eastern France in late 2015.