Winter Workshop

I can't tell you how excited I am to be teaching another 10 weeks of photography!  We are going to have a blast learning and practicing one of the best (in my opinion) skills you could ever develop!

For those of you who are new to my workshop and blog, I want to say, "Welcome!".  Take a look around and get familiar with all the links because you will be visiting this blog frequently during our 10 weeks together.

For all my friends who have been to this blog before or who have been a part of the last workshop we did, things look a little different on here, you've probably noticed.  All the information and resources that we shared last year, through this blog, are no longer here!  If you are interested in having all that information in one spot, easy to refer to, it will be available for purchase in pdf format.  Please message me and I will send you all the details.  And also, if you wish to follow along with the blog for the next 10 weeks, you are more than welcome to do so!  Please let me know if you do!

I am looking forward to what the next few weeks will hold for all of us.

To start off, I would like to share a little something that really touched my heart last year.  This was written by Alice Bradnam, one of my photography workshop students.  I love her perspective on photography.

"I feel that I could benefit my/the world with photography by using photos to illustrate an idea like a verse from Scripture or a lesson learned from life experiences.  For example, Matthew 17:20 says that "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move a mountain".  From my experience with canning pickles, let me assure you that a mustard seed is very small indeed.  In fact, if you spill even a teaspoon full of mustard seeds on the floor, they will roll quickly and far.  This summer, we had one plant that thrived even though it was exceedingly hot and dry.  Although we did not transplant a seedling or plant a seed, this plant that just appeared from nowhere enhanced the quality of our patio area with its beautiful yellow flowers.  Although is was rooted in a little stony area beside a less than perfect birch tree that is home to many birds, it proved to grow confidently and resiliently for the entire summer.  When I researched what it might be, it was a black mustard wild flower that can be found on grassy hills, in cultivated fields and waste ground.  It can grow as tall as 20 to 100 inches.  WOW.....now, that's faith at work!!!  While walking along a familiar path on the shores of Lake Ontario, I noticed that small cracks were appearing in the new pavement.  After days of repeated walks, I noticed that young plants were emerging as the cracks were getting bigger.  The warmth and light of the sun, together with the life giving water from the rains were a greater force than the harsh black pavement covering the life that was lying dormant beneath the surface.  When I saw how strong the force of a plant from a tiny seed could be in the face of a formidable "mountain" of pavement, I thought to myself that "there must be sermon in this picture". We just need to let the "Son shine in". When people make personal connections with pictures, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say or desire to teach.  Also, a picture will help to remember the idea, and, therefore, promote application of lessons in future challenges.   Therefore, photography together with story telling can be a great teaching tool to address the strengths and needs of auditory and visual learners.  You're really casting a bigger net to take in more fish.  Didn't Jesus say that He would make us "fishers of men"?  One reason why Jesus' teachings are so memorable and effective is because of His parables which so clearly illustrate His lessons.  

Photographs of a family outing or a field trip can be used to tell a story by engaging the people in those photos to write captions and describe and order the pictures in sequence.  By showing, telling and writing about an experience together, literacy,social and communication skills are being developed.  I used similar strategies when I was a classroom teacher, and can see that this method could be transferred when working with ESL students, seniors, special needs children, prisoners and people suffering from all kinds of traumatic life experiences.  Sometimes, people who are in confined places just need to have contact with the everyday, normal experiences of life to give them HOPE and another view of what life is and can be for them, too.  Positive role models and positive images can make them dream, dance and dare to hope for a future of possibilities."  

Get ready to be challenged to see things a little differently and learn how to convey your perspective through your camera lens!  See you on Tuesday!