On the 8th of September 2017, Ian Fleming’s Pen Pals went on a Heroes vs. Villains themed teambuilding outing. The day was filled with fun, laughter, blindfolds and games that left the Pen Pals with a day never to forget and a bond closer than ever.

In 2011, Ian decided to start a training initiative involving high school students. This project is now called Pen Pals. The name is derived from the fact that each of his students is equipped with an Olympus Pen camera to learn the art of photography.

“I’ve learnt to see the world in different perspectives, along with different ISO’s since I’ve been in Pen Pals. We’ve learnt how to not just take the photos but make the photos.” says the passionate young aspiring photographer, Amber Montagu.  Another Pen Pal, Alice Lubani says, “I’ve learnt not to just capture a moment but to bring it to life.” Hope Baker Brigg says that she has learnt to work in a team, see the stories behind pictures and not just the picture itself.

We met at Ian Fleming’s studio to get our cameras and get our inner-photographer on. Our first task was a photographic rendition of “Capture-the-flag” where we were instructed to take a photograph of a country’s flag. It was quite challenging as the Pen Pals had to refresh their flag-knowledge (Google Search is a life saver). We then walked to Thesen Island and unleashed our inner child. The activities ranged from Cookie Face Battles to Charades to Blindfold Obstacle Courses.

The first activities of the day worked up an appetite. Chatters, a local restaurant famous for their wood-fired pizzas, generously sponsored our lunch. We got to indulge in a selection of mouth-watering pizzas served with friendly service.

We then headed down to the mall to end our day with a little bit of Photograph Pong and a Bubble-themed photo-shoot. It is safe to say that all the Pen Pals enjoyed each other’s company, created new memories and formed everlasting friendships.

 

This article was written by the Pen Pals.