Exploring the World
© Alex Webb
For amateurs and professionals alike, this workshop will help photographers begin to perceive their own distinct way of seeing the world. The weekend will begin with reviews of each photographer's work as a jumping off point for a larger discussion about various photographic issues. Through these reviews, discussions, and exercises, Alex and Rebecca, a creative team who often edit projects and books together, will explore with the class a series of topics, including: the process of photographing spontaneously and intuitively; how to photograph in cultures other than one's own; the relationship between images (such as the sequencing and juxtaposition of photographs); the practical realities of the magazine and art worlds; the emotional and psychological implications of working in color vs. black and white; the difference between images in a book and images on the wall; and how long-term projects can evolve into books and exhibitions.
This is a workshop for photographers who are interested in exploring the world with the camera, not for those who are digitally manipulating images or working solely in a studio. Participants should bring about 30 images and be prepared to ask questions. Their concerns will help shape the ultimate direction of the workshop.
Alex Webb (www.magnumphotos.com) was born in San Francisco, California in 1952. He majored in history and literature at Harvard University, studying photography at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. In 1976, Webb joined the international photographers cooperative Magnum Photos as an associate member. His photographs have appeared in such magazines as Geo, Time, and the New York Times Magazine. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including: a New York Foundation of the Arts Grant in 1986; the Leopold Godowsky Color Photography Award in 1988; a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1990; a Hasselblad Foundation Grant in 1998; the Leica Medal of Excellence in 2000; the David Octavius Hill award in 2002; and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007. He has exhibited widely both in the United States and Europe, including museums such as: the Walker Art Center; the Museum of Photographic Arts; the International Center of Photography; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art NY, and the Museum of Fine Art Houston.
Rebecca Norris Webb (www.theglassbetweenus.com), originally a poet and journalist, had her first NYC solo exhibition at Ricco Maresca Gallery in 2006, the same year her first book, The Glass Between Us, was published. Her series, which uses text and images to explore the complicated and vulnerable relationship that exists between people and animals in cities, has also been included in several group exhibitions, including “Why Look at Animals?” at the George Eastman House Museum of Photography. Her project was awarded sponsorship by the Blue Earth Alliance. Currently, she’s working on a series of photographs in the American West called, “My Dakota.” Rebecca edited Alex Webb’s two most recent books (Crossings and Istanbul) and teaches photography workshops with Alex, her husband and creative partner, in the U.S., Italy, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Cuba, Turkey, and Spain.
