Autumn Colours - Photography Retreat
(click on images to view them full size)
Why are you here?
We’re sitting around a table in the dining hall, remnants of dinner on the table - a water glass, crumpled napkin and crumbs from the chocolate dessert confection. There has been animated conversation as we catch up - four photographers who met for a week at Kingsbrae Gardens in New Brunswick for a week last July - four people from different backgrounds and with different interests - at different stages of life and photography - and yet here we were - reunited for a week long photography retreat at a small resort in the Eastern Townships about an hour and half east of Montreal.
The beautiful vibrant colours of autumn in Quebec. (EXIF data iPhone image)
Jean-Pierre taking a lead and asking each of us - Why are you here? What do you want to get out of this week together? What will bring value to your time here together? Wonderful questions - words that had been tickling the back of my brain as I traveled from Calgary eastwards. A simple answer might have been to photograph autumn colours - so different from what we see in the West. Vibrant reds and oranges intermingled with the yellows and golds - this answer would have been correct, however not complete.
Each person outlined what drew them to want to spend this time together and what they wanted to focus on or get out of the week. Challenges were kindly extended when the answers were deliberately vague or not clear - one of the many things that I enjoyed with this group last year - the honesty and genuine desire to lift each other up and encourage forward movement (whatever that looked like for each of us).
Wanting to break free of constraints? Evening light in Montreal. (EXIF data iPhone image)
It’s my turn - I’ve been relatively quiet and listening to the others - observing - it’s what I do as an introvert- a moment of hesitation and then I dive in - outlining some practical things that I want to get out of the week, but then digging deeper. I’ve been feeling a bit at a crossroads this summer - the things that I have been photographing in the past feeling a bit stale. I want to re-energize my photography and look at exploring some different ideas and this group is the perfect place for me to ask for feedback. I want to push myself beyond some barriers - I have not been printing my images - caught up in a trap of wanting to “do it right” - “be technically correct” - what does that even mean? My goal for the week is to choose half a dozen images that I want to print and get them print ready so that when I get home they will be printed and mounted to hang in the house. The prospect is somehow scary, but energizing.
Exploring and Play
It’s a bit difficult to explain the freedom and joy that comes from meeting different, but like-minded people. I believe that one of the things that binds this group together (apart from an interest in photography) is a desire to use this medium to explore and play. We are each mature enough in the technical aspects of photography that our time is spent searching out creative meaning and approaches. What do I mean? Well we can each take tack sharp images and we can also make an interesting (I put that in there for you Jean-Pierre) composition given time and a subject that sparks our interest, however that doesn’t provide joy or excitement as it once did when we were first exploring this medium.
A minimal image of a tree stump sticking out of the water. (EXIF data f10, 105mm, 1/5000s, ISO8000).
What drives us to make photographs?
What sparks our interest and ignites a passion to keep looking deeper and playing with an idea? I think that is what unites us - we are all searching for that, but in different ways.
Now this is just my thoughts based upon what I’ve observed and heard from each person - but I think that there is some truth to it.
Heather has approached photography from her unique perspective of wanting to explore and expose urban ideas - she is not a slave to gear or technique and in fact she prefers a minimalist approach to photography. Her drive and passion comes when she has an idea to explore and find a way of expressing it in a cohesive body of work. For example, her Urban Remnants exhibit was about street art and how or if we value it - her pieces were intended to get the viewer thinking about street art differently and they did. There is beauty in unlikely locations - wonder in trying to understand why people chose to make art in these locations - and curiosity at the impermanence of this art. I admire Heather’s focus and the way her mind takes in the world and comes up with these questions to explore through her photography.
Jean Pierre has been photographing for a long time and there has been a continual evolution to his work. He has explored subjects at a personal level that speaks about his perspective on life - a self portrait so to speak. He photographs natural subjects as well as more abstract ideas, but with a curiosity about how he can tease out the beauty in the subject. There is a rich personal history woven into his images that really invites you in to explore along with him. I am inspired by his curiosity and willingness to try new things and learn different ways of approaching his photography.
Valerie intrigues me. Her creativity and unique way of viewing the world is so different from mine and yet her talent is clear to me. However, she will often downplay her abilities and vision despite creating art that takes my breath away. Her ability to “see” multiple exposure potential in images blows me away.
There is a lightness and playfulness to her work as well as a deep respect and thoughtfulness to others’ perspectives and how they might receive her work. Her generosity of spirit comes shining through her images which are full of movement and colour and that generosity extends to all of us as she did a hands on lesson on her approach to abstract “criss cross” multiple exposures. She has evolved in her photography so much in the last year that I am truly humbled by her growth.
ICM (intentional camera movement) image of the autumn colours in the forest at Jouvence Quebec. (EXIF data f20, 63mm, 1.6s, ISO160)
Me. Hmmmmm now that’s a bit tougher for me to articulate. I have approached photography from the perspective of trying to express how I feel and interpret the world around me. For me words and images go together and are so interwoven that I find myself writing excerpts of blog posts in my head as I make images. My photography is definitely evolving and becoming less representational and more abstraction, but I am not sure where I am heading - nor am I sure that it matters whether I have certainty of an end goal.
When I make images of identifiable subjects - it is more about capturing something about the subject - an expression, a gesture or movement and translating that into a feeling - or more accurately - how it makes me feel. The longer I make photographs the more I am enjoying being curious and playful - not being as fussed about tack sharp focus or being able to identify what the image is.
Where we’re headed
The week has only begun and I’ve found inspiration galore which is one of my goals for the week. Conversations have flowed freely, language barriers float away as English and French intermingle and the laughter is spontaneous and rich.
It is shaping up to be an amazing week despite the fact that the colours are a bit past their peak. In fact I prefer the colours this way as it is so much more fascinating to capture the decline of the season rather than the perfection of peak autumn colours.
We have so much to cover this week - sharing images and feedback, visiting nearby towns and villages, enjoying meals together and of course the time with our cameras. We have come to see that this week is about nourishing each others’ creativity by sharing thoughts, ideas and energy.
Have you ever spent time with a diverse group of like minded people and felt the synergy and inspirational sparks from your conversations or time together? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or drop me a note directly by clicking on the Connect With Me Button.
ICM (intentional camera movement of red maple leaves reminds me of a Japanese print. (EXIF data f22, 2s, 91mm, ISO64)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
