Picturing Place Downtown Workshop: First Session
The first Picturing Place Downtown workshop at the Hillsdale Community Library was today. We’re still getting the word out about the workshop series, but had two participants and we covered lots of great material about how photographers can create a sense of place through their design and content choices. We discussed what it means for a photo to convey a sense of place and in looked closely at the following statement by contemporary photographer Jim Clark to gain even more insight:
“A sense of place expresses the essential character and spirit of a location—what makes it special or unique, such as its cultural or natural identity. It is a moment in time captured in an image where the viewer can sense being there. A sense of place may ignite a memory or spark an interest from the viewer who perceives the sights, sounds and/or aromas of the moment. A sense of place tugs at the heartstrings, enticing the viewer to want to be there.”
Source: http://www.nanpa.org/natures-view-capturing-a-sense-of-place-story-and-photographs-by-jim-clark-2/
After talking about things like “character” of place and “cultural or natural identity” and the “sense of being there [in a particular place]” we thumbed through a nearly 10 year collection of National Geographic magazines to find examples photographs that use content and design to convey a sense of place.
For out final activity we walked to Howell Street with both a digital and a film camera in hand (yes, each of us carried two cameras!) and practiced making photos with a sense of place in mind.
Here are some images from our adventure…
