Wild Landscape
Workshop with Jonathan Levitt
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Nestled in spectacular Howe Sound, North America’s southernmost fjord surrounded by towering peaks that rise straight out of the sea, Bowen Island (Nexwlélexwm is its native Squamish name) has been Vancouver’s paradisiac getaway since the 1900s. This enchanted island is known for its exceptional serenity, centennial parks, artistic culture, and laid-back country living a short 20-minute ferry ride from West Vancouver.
FotoFilmic has called Bowen Island home since 2015, and currently hosts all its in-person mentoring programs there at the FotoFilmic space conveniently located in Artisan Square. The large 1600+ sq ft venue is set up to accommodate a wide range of hands-on artistic activities and lab type experimentations, while also acting as a photography gallery. The island’s lush natural settings yearlong, its small and relaxed coastal town feel and few amenities all combine to offer an immersive, inspiring and nurturing retreat experience unlike any other.
FotoFilmic acknowledges, with gratitude, that the land on which it operates is the unceded and ancestral territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.
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Schedule: Meets in-person on Bowen Island at FotoFilmic on Monday October 2, Tuesday October 3, Wednesday October 4, Thursday October 5 & Friday October 6, 2023 from 9am to 5pm (subject to change)
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Early Bird $1700
Regular: $1895 USDREGISTRATION DEPOSITS
Applicants selected to register must confirm their participation by sending either a $950 USD tuition deposit, or a full Regular or Past Attendee tuition payment.
If choosing to send a registration deposit, the remaining tuition balance will then come due in full by Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
PAYMENT PLANS
If interested in a payment plan, requests must be made by Monday May 22, 2023 to Bastien at bastien@fotofilmic.com.
Workshop Details
Join famed San Francisco photographic artist John Chiara for 5 intensive yet fun days of workshop intended for photographers who are looking to experiment with the purest form of analog photography while pushing the boundaries of their practice outside of the digital comfort zone. Whether you’re a novice, professional or enthusiast of photography, this workshop will display a raw, hands-on, alchemist approach to the medium you can keep building on for years. Known for making large scale photographs with hand-built cameras — the largest a 12 feet deep and wide Camera Obscura yielding unique organic photographs as large as 50″ x 80″ — Chiara will teach participants how to make one of a kind images using a variety of cameras and techniques.
During the first two workshop days, participants will learn how to hand-craft their own makeshift box cameras and take them out for a spin exploring the majestic Bowen Island landscape shooting onto direct positive black and white photographic paper (no negative) sized to their new equipment.
Chiara will also guide participants through a discussion on previsualization and other ideas on how to use the photographic process to empower them to envision the landscape around them unmediated (such as how to move beyond ‘framing’ without any viewfinder).
Using these techniques, participants will be able to slow down their approach and take all aspects of the scene into consideration to make single, original photographs that can simultaneously stand as image, object and document. Back at the FotoFilmic Space, Chiara will show participants how to develop their images using black and white processing methods.
The workshop will end with a group critique where participants will display all the images made in the workshop along with any other work they would like to show and receive feedback on. There will be time for one on one conversations about the work with the artist. Participants will take home their own one-of-a-kind photographic prints.
Limited to 12 participants.
Apply Now
Applications are reviewed on a weekly basis, with regular email communication from reception to final decision. The entire review and acceptance process usually takes 8-12 days from the day your application is received.
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Applications to register are free (no fee to apply). Enrolment will be limited to just 12 participants. Photographers from all educational backgrounds and at all career stages are welcome to apply (film & digital). A portfolio of 10-20 images focused on past and/or ongoing projects must be submitted as a prerequisite for consideration (please include images from no more than 2 different series/projects).Description text goes here
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Flights, local transportation, accommodations and meals are not included in the registration fees. A detailed information packet will be sent to confirmed participants to help coordinate their stay on Bowen Island, inclusive of on-island accommodations options (single or shared), local transportation directions, a list of restaurants and other amenities available, and general island life tips.
Schedule
Meets at FotoFilmic on Bowen Island on Monday October 2, Tuesday October 3, Wednesday October 4, Thursday October 5 & Friday October 6 from 9am to 5pm (hours subject to change).
Location
FotoFilmic Space
103-555 Prometheus Pl
Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G2
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The deadline to withdraw your participation and request a refund is Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Please note a $500 USD cancelation fee remains applicable. Cancelation and refund requests received after July 19 will not be accepted.
In the event the program was not meeting minimum enrolment, or needed to be canceled for any reason, paid tuition will be refunded in full without any cancelation fee. Please also note FotoFilmic cannot be held responsible for any traveling expense refunds if the program gets canceled: purchasing travel insurance is therefore highly recommended.
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REGISTRATION DEPOSITS
Applicants selected to register must confirm their participation by sending either a $950 USD tuition deposit, or a full Regular or Past Attendee tuition payment.
If choosing to send a registration deposit, the remaining tuition balance will then come due in full by Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
PAYMENT PLANS
If interested in a payment plan, requests must be made by Monday May 22, 2023 to Bastien at bastien@fotofilmic.com.
