Move beyond individual photos and start developing a body of work with
Intention, Direction, and Meaning
You can make good photographs and still feel like you haven’t really developed an artistic practice?
You may have hundreds of images, several ideas you want to explore, or even the beginnings of a series. But turning those individual photographs into something more coherent can be difficult.
Which images belong together? What is the work actually about? Where should you take the idea next? And how do you know when a collection of photographs has become a body of work?
I’m developing a new FromLight2Art program for photographers who are ready to explore those questions.
This program is probably for you if…
You already know how to use your camera.
You can make photographs you’re proud of.
But you sometimes feel that you’re:
- making individual images without knowing where they are leading
- collecting photographs without developing a clear project
- moving from one idea to another without giving any of them enough time
- unsure what connects the images you’ve made
- struggling to decide what belongs in a series
- repeating visual approaches without really developing them
- finding it difficult to articulate what your work is about
- wondering how to move from being someone who takes photographs to developing an artistic practice
The problem isn’t necessarily making better photographs. It may be learning how to develop the thinking behind them.
From Individual Images to a Body of Work
A body of work doesn’t appear simply because you have enough photographs.
It develops through a process of looking, questioning, experimenting, making decisions, editing, and making more work.
This program will take you through that process.
We will explore:
Finding what you really want to explore
Look at the subjects, questions, experiences and ideas that keep returning to your work.
Developing an idea into a photographic project
Move beyond the first interesting image and begin asking what the idea could become.
Developing visual direction
Consider how composition, process, subject, sequence and photographic decisions contribute to meaning.
Building and editing a body of work
Learn to look at your photographs as a group, identify connections and differences, and make deliberate decisions about what belongs.
Articulating your ideas
Develop the language to talk about your work and understand what you are actually exploring.
Finishing and presenting the work
Move toward a coherent project that can be shared, presented, submitted or continued with greater purpose.
You Don’t Need to Have it All Figured Out
You hopefully already know how to use your camera.
And you likely can make photographs you’re proud of.
But you sometimes feel that you’re:
- making individual images without knowing where they are leading
- collecting photographs without developing a clear project
- moving from one idea to another without giving any of them enough time
- unsure what connects the images you’ve made
- struggling to decide what belongs in a series
- repeating visual approaches without really developing them
- finding it difficult to articulate what your work is about
- wondering how to move from being someone who takes photographs to developing an artistic practice
The problem isn’t necessarily making better photographs. It may be learning how to develop the thinking behind them.
What You’ll Work Toward
By the end of the process, the goal is not simply to have made more photographs.
It is to have a clearer sense of:
→ What you’re exploring
→ Why you’re exploring it
→ How photography can express it
→ Which images belong together
→ Where the work needs to go next
The result can be the beginning of a new project, a more developed existing body of work, or simply a much clearer understanding of your own photographic practice.
A New FromLight2Art Program
Develop Your Photography as Art is currently being developed.
I’m taking the time to build the program around the actual challenges photographers face when moving from individual images toward a more developed artistic practice.
Want to hear when it is ready?
Join the waiting list and I’ll let you know when the program opens, along with any early information about the first edition.
No commitment. Just an invitation to hear more when the program is ready
About the Author
Born in Chicago, I received my B.A. in Studio Arts with a concentration in Photography from Oberlin College. In 2001, I moved to Amman, Jordan where I worked both as a contemporary artist and as a photojournalist. I exhibited my photography in numerous exhibitions throughout the Middle East and internationally.
Eventually, I became the lead photographer for a Jordanian Lifestyle Magazine and Photo Editor for two regional publications: a Fashion Magazine and a Men’s Magazine. This allowed me to gain a second editorial eye for photography, as I regularly organized, commissioned, and published photoshoots from other talented photographers in the region.
While in Jordan, I also began teaching courses and workshops on Drawing, Seeing with Perspective, and Photography. I consider my teaching style to be somewhat radical but very effective and have received much positive feedback from my students through the years, who in turn became professional artists themselves.
In 2007, I moved to Berlin, Germany where I am currently based, and while I continue to expand my own fine art photography and contemporary art practices, I gain special joy and satisfaction from sharing my experiences and knowledge with my students.
To see more of my personal artwork click here.
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