Lupines in New Brunswick, Canada
It was the third week of October, 2001 when my friend Carol and I boarded a plane from Indianapolis to Saint John, New Brunswick for our long-awaited, week long photography workshop with Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant. Only three weeks after 9/11, we had debated long and hard about going. Patterson and Gallant graciously allowed all of us to decide if we would make the trip or not, without penalty for cancelling. I think all but one came.
We were a diverse group with a common love of photography. The approximately 12 participants came from all over the United States and Canada, plus one couple from South Africa. We came with all of the emotions of the tragedy of 9/11 still swirling inside of us. Soon, we were immersed in the beautiful landscape that is New Brunswick, and those emotions started to emerge through our images. It was a week we would never forget.
Why New Brunswick?
Well, that takes me way back. After graduating from college, my mother gave me my first SLR camera and a book by Canadian photographer, Freeman Patterson, called Photography for the Joy of It
Fast forward thirty years. I took a lot of photos over those years – during my six month stay in British Columbia, through travels with my husband, to the raising of our three children. But, it was reading about the life of Ansel Adams that made me want to learn more about photography.
After taking a couple of darkroom classes and attending a photography workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I finally delved into the book my mother had given me so many years ago. I loved Freeman Patterson’s writing and photography, and became determined to attend one of his renowned visual design workshops for photography. This is how I found myself in New Brunswick in 2001.
Learning about visual design (lines, shapes, perspective, etc.) was brand new to me. But, what I soon discovered was that I was really learning how to see; that is, seeing without filters or judgment, without naming and labeling. Seeing is non-conceptual. It’s about being totally immersed in the present and experiencing what is actually there.
“The meaning of life is to see.” ~ Hui Neng
I remember flying home with Carol and it was like we were in a different world. We were seeing lines, shapes, and textures everywhere. And it was beautiful! That workshop has stayed with me ever since and is the foundation for my photography today.
Part of the magic of that experience for me was sharing with the other participants what each of us saw. We learned so much from each other – mainly, that each of us had our own unique perspective to offer and that these perspectives were limitless. Now, I share that experience of learning to see through online and in-person workshops, many years after my New Brunswick experience.
The first workshop I offered online was called Photo by Design, where participants could learn about visual design and share their practice with participants from all over the world. I’ll be doing the workshop right along with you. And we’ll all learn from each other. This workshop is no longer available but it set the stage for workshops to follow and my book, Adventures in Seeing.
Of course, Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant are still offering workshops in New Brunswick (and South Africa) and I would highly recommend them. Or you could buy their book, Photographing the World Around You: A Visual Design Workshop 