English photographer Julian Germain traveled round the world, visiting countries from Yemen to Brazil to take every-day classroom pictures without telling the children to pose or adopt any certain mood. These pictures may not look as impressive one by one, but when you go through the whole album, the cultural and social differences strikingly reveal on children and their environment.
Julian took his first classroom pictures not long after his daughter started school, and originally never intended for this to become a long-term project. Eventually he would take a class picture in all countries he visited. Regardless of the age or social background of the pupils, Julian used a universal set up for every class he went to. The photographer placed his camera at the eye level of the teacher (who would never be present in the picture), and would only have a few minutes of kids’ concentration to do his work.
All these classroom portraits were then put together in his album titled Classroom Portraits, 2004-2012.
England, Erith, Year 10, English
Qatar, Grade 10, Religion
Argentina, Buenos Aires, San Fernando, Year 3 Secondary
Peru, Cusco, Primary Grade 4, Mathematics
Holland, Drouwenermond, Primary Year 5, 6, 7 & 8, History
Nigeria, Kano, Ooron Dutse, Senior Islamic Secondary Level 2, Social Studies
Saudi Arabia, Dammam, Kindergarden, Activities
Qatar, Grade 8, English
Brazil, Belo Horizonte, Series 6, Mathematics
Peru, Tiracanchi, Secondary Grade 2, Mathematics
England, Keighley, Year 6, History
Yemen, Sanaa, Secondary Year 2, English
USA, St Louis, Grade 4 & 5, Geography
Bahrain, Saar, Grade 11, Islamic
Tokyo, Japan, Grade 5, Classical Japanese
England, Bradford, Year 7, Art
Taiwan, Ruei Fang Township, Kindergarten, Art
Yemen, Manakha, Primary Year 2, Science Revision
Germany, Düsseldorf, Year 7, English
The Netherlands, Rotterdam, Secondary Group 3, Motor Mechanics
