Seeing Different; Workshop That Taught Me to Shoot with Intention
I have been looking around for a workshop to join for quite a while now. Most of the workshops that I came across are focused on the technicality of photography. While I cannot proclaim that I am a master at the technical side of things, I am still quite confident in my ability to create technical image if I have to. Rather, I was more intent on finding something different. Something that would challenge my right side of the brain more. That was when Rammy reached out to me about his upcoming workshop, Seeing Different. The moment was rather surreal and scary, akin to the core concept of the Bhagavad Gita “you are what you have thought” -thoughts shape ideas and identity- a core concept of some of the works of psychologist Carl Jung as well.
In this body of text, I will describe my experience with the workshop without giving much away so that potential participants can discover that for themselves.
Why I Signed Up
In short, I felt from the chemistry check/ pre-workshop session that the ordeal would adhere strictly to the name of the workshop itself, Seeing Different. Different being the keyword. I could sense a genuineness during the session with Rammy and the fact that he was more focused on self-discovery rather than the images produced throughout the workshop (which is the whole premise of this website as well). This was evident as we delved into each session, where he allowed participants to choose their own paths and focused strongly on Productive Struggle.
The Sessions and Assignments
Each session was focused around a single key concept and studies of great photographers from around the world and throughout the different era of photography that builds on the concept. In addition to that, conversations and discussions were encouraged. Participants shared their struggles, visions, etc. This is where I was also able to learn from other more experienced participants from the workshop.
Each assignments were designed to improve the way I see and also what is possible. Since the assignments themselves are abstract concepts, we were allowed room to interpret and form our own opinions and understanding of them. As the weeks progressed, we are encouraged to stack these different skills that we have learnt the previous weeks to form our own “style” or “signature”. While it was difficult to do that within four weeks, it is a very good start.
Upon submission of assignments, whether it be looking back into our catalog or shooting new stuff, we are not judged based on the output. We are encouraged to share what we have learnt and what those concepts meant to us. Rammy would help us reflect and understand our output. He has a talent for reading photographs like many other photographers I have worked with. I find this approach to be more useful, less intimidating and more self-exploratory than judging the outcome itself.
The Take Away
The take away here for me from this four weeks are
Figuring out and understanding what each of the concepts means to me
Spotting the patterns in my work and realising the kind of subjects that matters to me
Learning that shooting with intention or assigning myself a task when I go out to shoot works better than going out to shoot with nothing on my mind
Overcoming my fear of shooting and getting close to people, a mindset shift in how I approach my subject (learnt this from the sharing of other participants in the workshop)
As with any workshops, the responsibility and the value of it lies in the participants involvement and engagement.Therefore, if you do the work before you go out to shoot, you will learn to shoot more intentionally and be able to stack the different skills and concept together to make something uniquely you during the four weeks. Overall, I highly recommend anyone looking to dip their toes into a photography workshop that does not repeat what others offers out there.
