"Informational & Interest Meeting on New Workshop to Be Held"
by Ken Carlson, GPSA
Wednesday, May 3, 7:30 PM


Below is information from member Ken Carlson who has moved to Harrington, Maine and is offering to drive down from Maine to hold a very new idea- interesting workshop on an online PDF book with printed copy if you wish. Please read all the info below and then respond directly to Ken at email listed below if interested- we must get a clear idea of who may be interested in this workshop before we book it and plan to hold it, as Ken lives a long distance away and special arrangements would need to be made for him to drive to the club to teach it.

From Workshop teacher Ken Carlson, GPSA

My Offer to Lead a 2023-24 Workshop at GLPA -please see syllabus of the workshop and images of book covers below

A common question is ‘how do we share our art or photos’. On the Club web site, we can submit our 4 ‘member images’ for the home page, we get name recognition at the Club competitions of we win a placement or HM or we can join a group such as Nature, Landscape, etc. But what if you have something more to say about your work or what if we wish to give a gift of our art to someone. For those of us who strive to improve and produce something that has impact and holds the viewers interest, how do we do it. This is where a collection of images comes in. If you have something that you want to say or impart to the viewer, a thematic group is going to be more effective

Through this workshop, I am offering to work with a group of intermediate to advanced photographers who would like to make a meaningful portfolio as part of a group anthology to be produced as an online PDF and possible printed book. The PDF will be available to each and can be distributed to whomever they wish, and we will investigate the possibility of printing individual Blurb books that can be purchased at the participants own expense. Having led the Portfolio Group at GLPA a few years ago, I found that the printing, matting, and framing 12 images was significant expense for members. This is why I came up with the idea of a PDF online book.

Even though I have not been living in Mass for a couple of years, I have been very active in my photographic journey. In lieu of short-term photo conferences, I have been working with mentorships from well-known photographers including JP Caponigro, Daniel Gregory, Julia Anna Gospodarou, and Alistair Benn. I have self-produced 10 Blurb books for family, gallery shows, travelogue and a personal value photo-essay. I have been an assessor, mentor and Director for the PSA Portfolio Distinction program having reviewed hundreds of portfolios and I have had my own portfolio reviewed at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Santa Fe Photofest and by Paul Caponigro.

I am trying to gauge interest from GLPA members for attending a workshop during the 2023-24 season. There will be a minimum and maximum number of slots available. If there is enough interest in the workshop project, I will travel from Maine for an orientation/information meeting at the Club on May 3, 2023-7:30PM- the workshop itself would take place in the 2023-24 club season over several meetings both by zoom and in person live at the club on an off Monday night much like the groups meet and will have a fee attached to it. If you would be interested, contact me at kacarlson261@gmail.com with your thoughts and questions. If the minimum number is not reached, we would not hold the information meeting or workshop as it is a very long distance for me to travel.

Purpose of the workshop would be
1.Produce a PDF Book of photographic collections of several photographers
2.Expose photographers and teach principles of editing and sequencing needed to produce a collection
3.Create a meaningful collection-not just your greatest hits
4.Practice using words and photographs as a communication tool

Understanding
1. Each project will have a theme, stylistic similar photos, titles, and captions
2. Each project will have between 8 and 12 images
3. Participation will be a mix of Zoom meetings and in person meetings at the Club and will take place in the upcoming 2023-24 camera club year
4.Workshop fee will be a 50 Dollars per participant-payable by check made out to GLPA, cash or online via PayPal, plus cost of the Blurb Book if you wish to produce one from the online PDF
5. Excluded subjects/themes with be politics/social causes and anything deemed in appropriate by the editor-Ken Carlson
6. Material for the project will be a collaboration between the maker and the editor but the final decision will be the editor’s.