From Start to Finish: Creating Your Own Photo Project Introduction
I love the sense of accomplishment that comes from not just creating a bunch of nice images, but from a collection, a story, something that has been refined and developed over time. Something with a coherent IDEA behind it.
I always feel immensely proud when I show people my project work. It creates a much bigger impact than just the one-off good photos I make, and reveals stories about what I love and how I see in the world.
Learning how to develop stories and narratives with your photos so they fit together and reveal something unique about how you see the world is such a tremendous skill for us.
Having the focus of a project is also an easy way to get yourself more involved with your creativity. You are working on a theme that ignites ideas and provides an endless spring of motivation.
Projects also show me where the weak spots are in my photography – because I am not just reacting to what’s around me, I am pulling my skills together to create something compelling. That drives me to work on the skills I need to develop, to help me overcome any barriers of things I need to learn.
Anthony Epes
I find that a project encourages me to do more photography because I am thinking more about my images and the project itself. Even when I am not thinking consciously about it I know that it’s percolating in the back of my mind. I’m sometimes day-dreaming about it, and ideas will suddenly pop into my head as I am going about my daily life.
The more you focus on a subject (or theme or idea), the more you’ll connect with it. You’ll start to see more facets to what you are shooting, you’ll start to generate more ideas about how you are shooting – in general.
All of the projects I have done, without fail, have helped me take huge leaps in my skills, understanding and vision of my photography.
It is hands down the most satisfying part of photography to me to show people a project I’ve created – and I would love to help you learn the skills of telling stories with your photos.
About this course
In my new small-group class I will guide and assist you to help you develop, shoot and edit a photo project.
You will learn my approach and techniques to coming up with a strong project idea, and how to go through the steps to both validate the idea and then make it happen.
We will focus a lot on how to create images that work together, that build a narrative and tell the world something deeper and more revealing about the subject you’ve chosen.
The group we will assemble will also be integral to helping you develop your project. Together you will help each other edit your photos, give feedback and share ideas.
I will also be super-responsive to what you need to learn and provide on-the-spot teachings in the areas where I can see you need help, and where I can best aid the group.
This course is tailored to your photography needs and I will help you take a tremendous leap in your photography in 12 weeks.
This will be a fantastic creative journey and I will be there to both help you create a unique and exciting photo project, but also fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
It will be a challenging, fun and exhilarating photo experience – which with the dynamic support of the group will lead to you creating a wonderful project that you can share with the world!
Timeline:
6 classes over 13 weeks
Dates:
Saturdays at 10am Los Angeles / 1pm New York / 6pm London / 7pm Madrid
Sundays at 10am Los Angeles / 1pm New York / 6pm London / 7pm Madrid
Session 1: February 19th
Session 2: March 5th
Session 3: March 26th
Session 4: April 2nd
Session 5: April 16th
Session 6: May 14th.
There will be a Slack group for contact, ideas, questions and feedback between sessions.
From session 3 you will be joining other participants in editing and curating your work and theirs.
I will be with you the whole time giving suggestions and guidance during the selection process.
No photographer should spend their entire career without the input from other passionate people. In this class you will have the opportunity to get input on your work as you create it. This will be a very interactive and valuable experience.
Every professional photographer has someone who views the entirety of their works, be it a gallerist, an assistant, an editor, or another photographer. This attention to your photographs will have a lasting affect on you.
From the feedback you receive you will increase your understanding of your images and be able to better see your future direction – wherever that may take you.
Session 1: How to develop a strong idea for a photo project
In this session we will go through my process of coming up with a strong idea for a photo project. I will draw from my experience of developing many photo projects – including some that didn’t work! From short projects to longer project ideas.
We will then spend time going through each student’s list of project ideas, fleshing out the concepts and giving feedback as a group on which ones we think are the strongest.
You will then be tasked after the session to pick your final idea and fill out a Project Statement & Plan, which will provide the structure for the coming weeks on what and how you will shoot.
Session 2: Review of Project Statements & Plan
In this session we will go through all of the project statements, discuss them, ask questions, give feedback and make sure that everyone has a very clear idea of how you will get started with your project.
This will be the perfect time to discuss any tech/creative questions with me and the group. I can help you overcome any hurdles or concerns.
But by the end of this session you will be ready to get shooting!
Session 3: Editing, Project Review and Critique [Group Intro + Breakout Rooms]
Between sessions 2 & 3 you’ll have some shots to review! For this session, and the next two, I will do a short group discussion – giving you guidance on editing, answering questions and giving some general feedback.
I will then split you up into pairs or groups of 3’s to work together on editing your shots, down to the very best for your project. These sessions will be hosted in Zoom Breakout Rooms, so you get the opportunity to get focused help on editing your work.
I will be moving between rooms to guide, give ideas, answer questions and observe you as you edit your photos together. Each photographer will get the final say on the images they pick, but getting feedback and going through my editing process will really help.
First breakout room edits. Participants will be put into groups of 3 in Zoom Breakout Rooms.
Introduction to breakout rooms
I will travel between rooms
Each room will have a max of 3 people.
Each participant will have an hour of presenting photos of project in the breakout room
I will use a timer for the purpose of equal time
You will then continue to shoot between sessions.
Session 4: Editing, Project Review and Critique [Group Intro + Breakout Rooms]
Session 5: Editing, Project Review and Critique [Group Intro + Breakout Rooms]
These two sessions will continue with the editing, giving and getting feedback and my doing on-the-spot teaching based on what everyone in the group needs.
We will be looking at all of your photos, giving and getting feedback, working on how they fit the project, learning to build a narrative, and getting help with areas in which you are stuck/unsure/challenged.
I will also have some short presentations to offer too, according to how I see the group and your projects developing.
Session 6: Project Presentations!
This will be an incredibly exciting session as you will present your projects to the group. It is an exhilarating experience to show the final work that you will have spent 12 weeks working on.
We will end the session with feedback and ideas on where to go next with your projects, and a celebration of how far you’ve come creatively in this 12 week course!
Each session will be approximately 2 – 3 hours, but given the nature of creativity, discussion, questions and learning, we will keep it flexible.
You should expect excellence from yourself and your work. No matter what you choose to shoot or how you choose to present it the overarching goal is excellence of quality in what you do.