It's hard to believe, but it's been nearly a year since my ebook, Close to Home: Finding Great Photographs in Your Own Back Yard was published by Craft & Vision, I've been amazed by the response I've gotten from readers all over the world. Many of you have taken its message to heart and looked deeper into the places where you live to make some pretty cool photographs. (Check out the Close to Home Flickr group for some fantastic photographs made close to these photographers' homes.) I'm sincerely gratified that so many of you have found the book to be useful and inspiring. You have my heartfelt thanks for that. I've also had several folks ask me about how they can learn more about how to find extraordinary photographs in the familiar and seemingly mundane places where we live. Well, I'm happy to announce that now you can. I've partnered with photographer Ray Ketcham in Port Townsend, Washington to present the first Close to Home Photography Workshop, September 29 - October 1, 2011.
Ray is a great photographer and teacher, and spends a lot of time working with his students to get them to slow down and pay attention to their world, and to show others how they feel about it. He is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Rear Curtain, a thought-provoking web site about photographic storytelling. I'm thrilled to have Ray join me in his home town.
As many of you know, I visited Port Townsend recently for the Artists' Round Table and I have to say, it's pretty amazing and a great place to kick off what I hope will be a series of these workshops. Port Townsend, or just "PT" as it's known locally, is an enclave of artists, musicians, performers, and writers and you can feel yourself relaxing your pace as soon as you arrive. You'll start to slow down a bit and pay closer attention to your photography and how much it's a part of your life. In this small harbor town, we'll spend two and a half days exploring, working through exercises, and tackling your own individual assignments to help you see more clearly and creatively.
So, if you're interested in joining Ray and me for two and a half days of slowing down and looking deeper into your photographic creativity, then head on over to the Close to Home Workshops web site to find out more and to register for the Port Townsend workshop.
I'd really love to see you there.