Dear Photographer Workshop

When I began to think about my May Personal Project, I became overwhelmed.  I had no idea what I was going to do.  In the midst of trying to decide what to do, my husband and I were packing for our move to Texas.  I became so anxious that I was paralyzed.  What would I do?  The answer came in my trip to Chicago for the “Dear Photographer” workshop.

I have been a member of the “Dear Photographer” Facebook group for over two years now.  The premise of the group is for women photographers to come from behind the camera, and get into the frame.  All too often, we’re documenting everyone else’s lives, but never ourselves.  This group is filled with amazingly beautiful and talented women.   I am inspired every time that I visit the room which is quite often.

The creator of the room Adri De La Cruz, who is an extremely talented photographer based in the Chicagoland area, planned a meetup/workshop for the group.  The event was kept to about 40 photographers, and it was held in Chicago.  This was perfect for me.  I would have the opportunity to meet some of the women, talk shop, and hopefully spark my creativity.    This would be my May Personal Project. 

The event was the Memorial Day weekend.  We met that Saturday for lunch.  As we sat around the table enjoying lunch, we formally introduced ourselves.  We shared our genres of photography, our businesses (if we were in business), and a couple of personal details.  The entire atmosphere was very relaxed.  We broke into little groups where we talked shop or photographed one another.  It was exactly what I needed.

After lunch, we took the El into the city where we went on a photo walk.  Chicago is a magnificent location for photo walks.  The architecture is fantastic.  We photographed not only one another, and we were able to have people pose for us as well.  I am so grateful that I was able to attend.  It met a goal that I set for myself which was to meet more of my online acquaintances in person.