Report from liuxueyizhantong
Every now and again, we encounter people in life who are mature beyond their years. Today we are going to introduce a Pao School Year 11 student who is remarkably accomplished for his young age. This young man has many virtuous character traits: He is a strong leader, a creative thinker, a competitive athlete and dedicated to serving his community.
Zhou Shengchao (Elton Zhou), Pao School, Year 11
Elton founded the Shutter Up photography club, which has more than 4,000 users and was recognised by Bund Education as a top Secondary School Club.
He teaches special-education students who have difficulty communicating; he gave a speech in front of a crowd of between 700 and 800 people at Ted X; on Dongji Island, he photographed the stars, and he cycled around the island of Taiwan, a journey of more than 900 km.
His youthful demeanour belies his maturity and leadership ability.
(Elton’s photography work)
From behind the camera, you can see whatever you want to see.
When Elton’s grandfather brought back a camera for him from overseas, young Elton had no idea he would become so enamoured with photography. But he soon took a liking to photography and brought the camera with him whenever he went, shooting landscapes and candid portraits. He documented his life with the camera. He found that behind the camera, he could unleash his creativity; there, he saw all that he wanted to see and channelled that vision in his photographic work.
(Friends shooting together outdoors)
In Guyi Garden, Xinpu and elsewhere, Elton met many fellow photographers, including some accomplished photographic artists. Spending time with them helped him improve his own photographic skills. Yet after those experiences, he found he was eager to interact with more photographers his own age. That inspired him to found Shutter Up, a Club for senior high school students passionate about photography, where members can share their work with other like-minded people.
(Shutter Up was selected as one of China’s top Secondary School Clubs in 2016)
Shutter Up has attracted more than 4,000 members from 28 different schools since its founding one year ago. Articles posted on the platform often receive more than 1,000 views and it has also been selected as a top Secondary School Club by ‘Bund Education’. Shutter Up’s first outdoor shooting activity, which was organised on Dongji Island, was sponsored by camera maker Olympus. Furthermore, Shutter Up has participated in many other important photography events, such as Fashion Week, street dance competitions and movie editing projects.
(Photo shooting activity on Dongji Island)
Provides special-education students with a new way to express themselves
At Shanghai Changning Vocational Junior High School, Elton has served as a volunteer, helping students with special learning needs learn to use a camera. Students he works with have some difficulty with communication and can be challenging to teach. After one semester, their original photography teacher left. Elton thought there was still an opportunity to teach these students despite the obvious difficulties involved and so he brought Shutter Up to teach them every two weeks. Shutter Up has now been teaching them for 18 months.
Given their difficulties with communication, these students may be able to express with photographs what they cannot put into words. They have made remarkable progress during their tutelage under Shutter Up and are able to shoot good photos now on their own.
(Elton – teaching photography)
Elton has further helped special-education students by organising charity events. In some cases large companies such as IBM have co-organised the events. All of the funds raised at the events are used for the Shutter Up X Education project. When the courses are finished, Elton hopes the funds can be used to buy each of the kids a camera. Canon and Olympus have already agreed to work with Shutter Up in a sponsorship programme. Meanwhile, the students are becoming more skilled photographers, having advanced from point-and-shoot cameras to single-lens reflex models. Shutter Up is also organising a project called Project Link together with its overseas members. They will all shoot the same sites together and combine their works in a composite in the end. Elton is considering selling the works in a charity auction and organising an exhibition for the students.
I am in no rush; there is plenty of time
Elton has many interests besides his studies: photography, cycling, his band and coffee. Pao School has helped provide the right environment for him to cultivate these hobbies.
Elton can play both piano and bass. He and his friends at Pao School are in a band together and frequently practise after class. They performed live at the Mercedes Benz Arena’s Mixing Room in 2015 at the Rock & Love Wildlife Charity Concert.
(NTITLED Band: from left Peter, Elton, Michelle and Mark)
Elton has a passion for cycling that he developed at his time at Pao School participating in the Run-A-Way club’s ‘Journey of Growth’ ride from the Primary to Secondary campuses. Elton has ridden around Chongming Island (270 km), Hainan Island (860 km) and Taiwan (912 km).
Elton said: ‘When I told everyone of my plans to ride around Chongming, Hainan and Taiwan, they said it would be physically grueling. And yet I accomplished what I set out to do: ride around those three islands. The toughest part was the Shouka section in southern Taiwan, a 436m slope that was 21 km long’.
(Scroll to see more details about Pao School’s Run-A-Way club)
Organised by Pao School parents, the Run-A-Way Club is a non-profit organisation dedicated to cultivating a love of outdoor activities in its members. This Club has a regular series of events. One is called the Xiake Journey. During holidays, participants travel around China based on Xu Xiake’s routine. The other regular activity involves cycling around two lakes and three islands. Students are encouraged to finish cycling around Lake Tai, Qiandao Lake, Chongming Island, Hainan Island and Taiwan before graduation from Secondary.
(Elton on the cycling trip)
Besides enjoying the sense of accomplishment one gets from cycling, Elton enjoys peace of mind from his barista hobby. He says: ‘Making coffee is a time when I can slow down the pace of my everyday life and take time to think about things. The taste of the coffee is affected by the origins of the beans, how they are ground, the speed at which the water is filtered through the coffee maker, the direction of the water and the temperature of the water’.
Elton making coffee.
This 17-year-old has visited many cafes to learn about coffee culture in China, America and Japan as well as to taste different types of coffee. He even spent a summer learning latte art. Thanks to this experience, he developed a patient and disciplined demeanour which made him a confident speaker at Ted X and also allowed him to manage a team.
Elton speaking at Ted X
The future CEO, a strong leader.
In many ways, Shutter Up operates like a mature business. It’s hard to believe a 17-year-old created this organisation.
Shutter Up is well organised with clear job allocations for the different members of the Club. It has people managing external affairs, handling photography, doing copywriting and accounting. Elton serves as the chief executive, delegating responsibility and ensuring that everything is running smoothly. Previous supervisors Guo Han and Pan Yi played important management roles, and told Elton the organisation must be able to function without him – it is imperative to create a standardised operational model, they said. Elton took on many different responsibilities in Shutter Up in order to figure out how to delegate responsibility. Shutter Up is running increasingly efficiently and is growing steadily.
(Elton- giving a talk in VML Deer Class)
In addition to learning about delegating job responsibilities, Elton also gained valuable experience in Shutter Up in terms of understanding people. He learned important lessons which are not only beneficial for his current life but will serve him well in the future. For instance, Shutter Up once was scheduled to shoot an event but the event director cancelled the shooting just two hours before the event. Shutter Up had to absorb the costs of 10 cameramen, and the rental fees for two studios and related equipment. Henceforth, Shutter Up included a clause in its contracts that charge a 20% penalty (of the overall cost of a job) to clients who drop out.
( Elton’s photography work)
Down to earth but optimistic
Elton likes to laugh; stay optimistic and nothing will upset you, he says.
Elton – loves to laugh
The success of Shutter Up has been a surprise to everyone. It isn’t everyday that a 17-year-old is able to build a viable organisation for photography enthusiasts - one that has extended its success offline, grown to 4,000 members and received sponsorship from major players in the photo industry. Elton says: ‘Dare to dream. Life is like a blank sheet of photo printing paper; you are what creates the image on that paper.’
(The hot and cool Shutter Up)
Elton says: ‘The founding purpose for Shutter Up remains: To bring together people who are passionate about photography. When I first established Shutter Up, I had scant resources, but today, the club has a dedicated staff, and has strong capabilities. Thanks to the healthy growth we have experienced, we are able to provide our members with increasingly comprehensive services. I can say with confidence that Shutter Up is a success. ’
Pao School from Elton’s perspective
Roll the coloured eggs. ↓↓↓
