The Book and The Workshops

Well, there are 'focus' points in the book, that I think I can make a project out of (e.g. collection: favorite colour), but he also has a course within the book that covers chapters on portraits, kids & families, wedding bells, travel, action & the great outdoors, and found objects & subjects.

For example (much into his book, which I have not come near completing yet) Chris has a chapter on portraits, where he does a bit of a lecture, outlines with photos, gives incrdible examples and stories of how to make things work, and then he offers the first of the 'workshop assignments' in a (a) survey (b)shoot (c) share (d) review and respond format for each chapter. This one, portraits, asks you to do a survey (of Annie Leibovitz), shoot (6 assignments to try with your camera), share (photo show with friends/family or on the book site on Flickr), and review and respond (instructions in the book).

 

'Shoot' assignments (in the Portraits chapter) include:

1. Environmental
2. No Faces
3. Subjects you Admire
4. Object to Start Conversation
5. Prop with Subjects
6. Strangers in Same Context

To give you an idea of what an assignment looks like, this is an excerpt from the book...

To expand your people photography skills, do the following assignments. They are intentionally open ended so that you can modify them to best fit who you are.

1. Environmental: Create five unique "environmental" photographs of five coworkers or family members. By environmental I mean, compose the image so that the location and context are integral aspects of the photograph.

5. Prop with Subjects: Create 5 photographs of 5 different people with the same prop. Props help people relax, give them something to do, and draw out different personality traits. Here are a few prop ideas: vintage binoculars, cowboy hat, shovel, guitar, ladder. 

Survey: Throughout the book Chris has 'Guest Speakers," inspirational photographers who share their ideas on photography and good photographers, like Marc Riboud, Pete Turner, John Sexton, Douglas Kirkland, Elizabeth Messina, and Dan and Janine Patitucci.... what inspires you? what makes a photograph good? what character qualities should the photographer nurture? what is your advice for the aspiring photographer? The survey part of the assignments asks you to survey specific sites or artists or photographers with specific ideas in mind, very well guided within each chapter.
Shoot: After reviewing the book, I think that one a week for even PART of the actual assignments is far too time-pressured for me, and I am thinking now that maybe one per month might be more reasonable. That said though, the shoot part of the portraits assignment includes a total of 5+5+5+5+5+15 (40!!) shots to "submit," and that alone is going to take quite a lot of time! They don't get shorter either (don't take pictures and you don't learn, right!?)...

Share: If you're somewhere that you don't have access to a ready dinner-party of friends and family that you wish to share your shots with, the book (Visual Poetry) has a flickr group on the web, and he asks that you tag your photos with the approrpate assignment information (e.g. chapter 5, assignment #2, No Faces), and he is still interacting with people who are interested directly through the site!

Review & Respond: Things like "take some time to jot down a few notes. What worked? What didn't work? What could have been better? If you really want to grow, ask a close friend to help you objectively review each step of the assignment. Try to identify the qualities of the best and worst photographs. Then, work to define your style. How would you describe it in a few words - maybe authentic, edgy, and contemporary?"... After you have spent some time debriefing, close the chapter on what has been done and turn toward the future. At this stage I find it helpful to literally turn a page in my jouranl and start anew. Based on your review write out 3-5 goals (e.g. to get paid to do what I enjoy best; create a best-selling book; have the chance to meet and photograph inspiring people from all walks of life, etc.). Then write out some steps in order to begin your goal-based journey...

So that's basically what's outlined in his book... if you're up for buying a book, I would totally recommend it, it's the best photography book I've ever read (even though I'm not done yet)! If you want to come along on my journey I'll post the assignments as I'm working on them, but there is a LOT of great information in the book too!

Lastly (for now!) you can visit the author's website at http://www.chrisorwig.com/ for more from him... hope you enjoy!