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We all begin our photography in much the same way: by walking around with camera in hand, looking for nothing in particular and finding patches of light, anomalies, things that are nice, things that are strange.
Things that, above all, surprise us.
We make some pictures. One of them opens a way for us. So we start looking for more such pictures. Suddenly we are … photographers.
This online workshop with Sean Kernan is about going back to our beginnings. We set aside the photographers we have become, while still drawing on the skills we’ve acquired over the years. Assignments reawaken awareness of the childlike mind that is the heart of creativity. We listen to a few lectures and presentations, and we engage in a series of exercises that loosen us up and carry us forward in our work.
We use photography not to picture what we know, but to find reflections of what we don’t. The more we let go of ingrained habits of seeing and thinking, the more we can make work that doesn’t strive to capture images of something external.
Ultimately, we are not after photos that affirm what we already know. Instead, we seek ways to make our experience of things clear and real, first for ourselves and then for others. We are rewarded with fresh and compelling images that surprise, delight, and maybe even amaze us.
Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Participants must be able to select and organize images using image editing software for class sessions.
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Sean Kernan is a widely-exhibited photographer, writer, film maker, and teacher, focused on the exploration of creativity. He is the author of The Secret Books (with Jorge Luis Borges), Among Trees (With Anthony Doerr), Darrell Petit In Stone, and Looking Into the Light, on creativity and photography.
His photographic work has been exhibited and published in France, Mexico, Egypt, Greece, China, Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Korea, and across the U.S. He has made the award-winning films Crow Stories, The Kampala Boxing Club, A Mind of Winter, and The Visitor. He has also collaborated with the dance company of choreographer Alison Chase on a theater/dance/multimedia work, Drowned that premiered at MASS MoCA. Clients include AT&T, Knoll, GE, Pratt and Whitney, New York Times, Smithsonian, Bloomberg, and Harvard.
He has taught and lectured at the New School/Parsons, Art Center Pasadena, Yale Medical School, ICP, and the University of Texas, and he has written for Communication Arts, Lenswork, and Graphis.
Website: seankernan.com
Instagram: @seankernan
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