Family Now: Picturing Connectedness

Since the dawn of photography in the early 19th century, photographers have captured images of their families, typically recording the important moments and rituals of family life for keepsake and posterity. In this new two-day online workshop, led by fine-art photographer Elinor Carucci and contemporary photographer David Hilliard, you explore the deeply personal space of family through your camera. Elinor’s emotionally rich, intimate photographs of her own family life and David’s narrative-driven, panoramic images serve as a foundation for the themes you examine together.

Many artists find that their most meaningful work stems from personal experience: the places they live, the lives they’ve built, and the people closest to them. By photographing within spaces of intimacy, you reflect on your own circumstances and create imagery that resonates with others. We all have a family.

While much of the photographic canon has centered on traditional, heteronormative depictions of family, today’s image-makers are reshaping that narrative. Blended, chosen, and queer families expand the definition of what family can look like. These evolving structures, set against the backdrop of complex social, political, and environmental times, offer new possibilities for photographic exploration.

Throughout the workshop, you explore the visual language of memoir, personal storytelling, and familial narrative. You engage with work by Elinor, David, and other artists working in this space, and reflect on how these themes connect with your own creative voice. You refine your approach through portfolio reviews and group discussions. Writing prompts and artist statements offer another way to dig deeper into your ideas.

By looking closely at your process and your perspective, you strengthen your ability to make images that are not only personal but also powerful, and you leave with greater clarity about the direction of your work and your studio practice.