Elliot Knight’s youthful appearance, shaggy dark hair and beard seemed at first to stand in direct contrast to the importance of his work. Answering the door to his office on the University of Alabama campus, Knight looked more like a frat boy heading for the woods than a photographer, Ph.D. candidate, teacher, and the founder of an innovative program, Black Belt 100 Lenses, which puts cameras in the hands of high school students in Alabama’s Black Belt to “tell about” their lives. The results have been two-fold: documenting rural life in 21st century west Alabama and offering teenagers in those rural communities the chance to bridge some gaps – in many cases, the students in the all-white private schools and the students in the all-black public schools have no chances to get to know each other, despite living side-by-side in the same small towns.  I sat down with Elliot Knight on a cold, rainy afternoon in late January to talk about his project.