POINT OF VIEW: DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY WITH LINDSEY BERGSTROM

Stories live behind closed doors, inside hearts, on street corners, in nursing homes, in children’s hands, at kitchen sinks, in the shuffles of running feet, in screams and quiet prayers. It seems that humans are becoming more and more disconnected from our shared story of humanity. We retreat to our homes and into our social media circles but, honestly, stories are what connect and bind us to each other. Stories, even the smallest of stories, allow for empathy and for the space to recognize shared values, experiences, and hopes. Coming together to understand each other’s stories is more important than ever. Documentary photography is the slow intimate way of capturing a person’s truth, life, and legacy. So join me in this workshop and start a project that pushes you to explore and connect with the world around you.

We will learn how to research ideas, formulate a project, communicate with subjects and contacts, and make critical edits. We will talk about picking the right project and also discuss what “success” means in terms of our own personal journeys and in relation to our projects. We will examine the work of notable photographers to learn about the history of documentary photography but also study their different approaches to photo-based story work. In addition, each participant will present their idea and a plan for a project that they will in turn initiate...just little baby steps to get going and face their fears whatever they may be. We will also do a lot of sharing and discussion. Sharing hopes, fears, and our dreams...our big dreams for our projects.