nex·us | \ ˈnek-səs \ :  CONNECTION, LINK a connected group

"You get no points for making the image the hard way. You only get points for stopping people in their tracks with great images."

—Dan Burkholder

Sky Ride. © Steve Anchell

This workshop is NOT about Film vs. Digital.
It is about expanding your creative vision and technique.

September 6 to 8, 2024

Sooner or later all artists begin to repeat themselves, their work, however good it might be, becomes predictable. When this happens, and it does for all of us, the way to reawaken your vision is to try something new.

Photography is dependent on technology, whether it is film or digital. Are you always using a Leica? Do you only use a Fujifilm digital camera? Are your images always sharp and in focus? Time to shake up your game.

In September 2024 we will spend one weekend photographing in the streets of Rome with a plastic Holga film camera. During the weekend, we will develop the film using a Lab-Box and digitize the negatives for enlarging and printing, creating images that are a melding of the best of film and digital.

You will be amazed at how this will change your vision and how much fun you will have.

As part of your tuition, you will receive a Holga camera.

The weekend workshop will be sponsored by ars-imago, a premier camera store in Rome.

Holga Camera Workshop

George Lepp © Dewitt Jones

There are many fine landscape photographers working today. Indeed, one of them is Dewitt Jones, who made this photo of George Lepp. What makes Lepp unique is the extensive breadth of his work, his willingness to experiment, and to innovate.

George is not only able to capture breathtaking images of waterfalls and mountains, a skill held by most landscape photographers, he is equally comfortable making macro images of snowflakes adhering to the window of his home. Between the two extremes, mountains and macro, George is constantly innovating and trying new methods of extending his vision.

George Lepp

Stacked snowflakes, Colorado. © George D. Lepp 2011 Z-SN-FL-0044

Magritte with Easel, 1965. © Duane Michals

I came across Duane Michals' work early in my career, circa 1970, and was highly influenced by his approach to his subject, often using multiple exposures, and his willingness to write words, sentences, and narratives across his photos. At first, I thought this was heretical, but in time, I embraced the idea as unique and courageous.

It is from Michals that I learned that combining words with images could enhance the meaning and understanding of the viewer. It was also from Michals that I first began to realize there was more to photography and art than in my limited imagination, that photography is communication, and every artist must find their own way.

Duane Michals

If you're looking for help with Lightroom, I recommend you attend this Summit. The instructors are among some of the best and there is a free 48-hour pass to attend any or all of the presentations. The VIP pass allows you to access the recorded events for as long as you like and even download them all or indivicually.

Lightroom Summit

Instant cameras have dominated camera sales for over a decade. They've become more than cameras; they're part of pop culture, and it's not uncommon to see special edition instant cameras by the likes of Taylor Swift or BTS.

Even as DSLR and mirrorless camera sales have declined recently, instant cameras, particularly Instax cameras from Fujifilm, have flourished. Perhaps that is due to its appeal as a more tactile, physical and social form of photograph, something that hearkens back to a yesteryear of experimenting with film and spending more time having fun and less pixel peeping.

If you're new to instant cameras or in the market for your next one, we've looked at the landscape and have broken down the seven best instant cameras you can buy today.

Read More

#1 No Matter How Pro You Get, It’s Still a Passion Play
Don’t lose the spark that got you into photography. Your passion for creating beautiful images of things that interest you is the underlying motivating force behind every image you make. When that spark goes out, it also leaves your images. So, treat your inspiration and creativity as the most vital skill you have. Honor it, cultivate it, nurture it.

#2 Establish Your Own Compositional Rules
Whether it’s an adherence to the rule of thirds, a love of circles, filling the frame, dramatic lines, or repeating patterns, your choices in how you frame an image defines you as a photographer. Know what appeals to you and create your voice through your rules, not those dictated by others.

#3 Sometimes Auto Is Exactly What Is Needed
Mastering your camera and all its settings makes you a more flexible photographer, and there are certain kinds of photos that simply cannot be achieved without taking the reins on the camera’s controls. However, there are many situations where auto can be a life-saver. It's about capturing the moment, not how hard you work. No shame in the auto game.

#4 Be Someone Else for a While
“Create your own voice!” You hear that a lot. On the other hand, there’s an incredible amount of inspiring photographers out there doing awesome work — why not try imitating someone else’s style and see if it sparks something new in you? Truth is, you’ll never do exactly what someone else did — it’s too hard to control every single variable anyway. Use someone else’s genius as a starting point then go be your own genius.

Tip #5 Experiment and Play
We all need a reminder that we’ve gotten a little rigid with our style. It happens to beginners and pros alike — we learn what we’re good at, and we stick with it. Don’t forget to do something different. Take on a crazy assignment, or give yourself one. Use a low-tech camera. Take a few photos in an entirely different way.

Dacia Gallery in New York City has a year-round open submission policy for their monthly exhibitions and accepts artwork from emerging and established artists in all media, including photography, digital art, and mixed media.

You may submit your artwork as a “general submission” or to a specific exhibit on their site. All artwork submitted is reviewed by a curatorial panel and kept on file to be considered for each upcoming exhibition.

Dacia Gallery does not charge an exhibition fee to artists to show their work; they select and show artists based on talent. Selected artists are announced on their website after the entry deadline for each exhibit. If your work fits a particular exhibition, you will be notified directly by the gallery.

Dacia Gallery

Morgan in a Moment of Self Reflection, 2023. © Savannah Faith Jackson

Deadline: May 15

The Photo Review has been a respected resource for fine art photography since 1976.

This year’s highly prestigious Photo Review Competition will be juried by Joel Smith, the Richard L. Menschel Curator and Department Head in Photography at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. The Photo Review Competition enables people across the country and the world to see the accepted work in their 2024 competition issue and on their website. The prize-winning photographers will be chosen for an exhibition at the prestigious Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia.

2024 Photo Review Competition

From A Crack in the Mirror. © Cristina Fontsaré

Deadline: May 15

The mission of the AS International Film Photography Awards is to discover, showcase, and promote photographers working across all genres of analog photography worldwide.

Winners will participate in art residencies, solo and group exhibitions across Europe to celebrate work, talent and the new era of film photography.

All winners and honorable mentions will enjoy extensive publicity / Work showcased on the main page of our website and social platforms / Printable AS certificate of achievement / Winner’s Logo to be used online and on printed materials.

The exhibition installation, award, winners packages and promotion are all free of charge.

Analog Sparks

Hoi An at Night

Hanoi - Hoi An -Hue - Phong Nha - Hanoi

If you have been waiting for the photography
experience of a lifetime, this is it.

Prepare to immerse yourself in authentic Vietnam culture. With Hanoi as our starting and ending point, for ten days we will traverse the mountains and forests of the northern region of Vietnam. During that time, we will engage with the people of Vietnam in small towns and villages, photographing and experiencing their way of life.

From Hanoi, we will fly to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An and begin our way back through the beautiful Hai Van Pass to the imperial city of Hue. In Phong Nha, located on the Con River, we will have three days of homestay on a farm with daily excursions to photograph villages and the countryside. There will even be an optional day traveling the back roads on motorcycles (alternate transport will be provided for those who do not want to ride on a motorcycle). As a special treat, we will visit the spectacular Phong Nha Cave which has underground rivers, passages, and Cham altars from the 10th century.

And finally, back to Hanoi.

You may work with digital or film capture with any camera, from a cell phone to a DSLR. I can help you improve your photography with either.

Vietnam Photography Workshop

If you want to extend your stay in Italy and maximize your experience, immediately following HOLGA weekend, join me for 5 days of street photography in Rome

If you enroll in both the Rome workshop and HOLGA Weekend, you will receive a discount on both workshops. Street Photography in Rome is not yet posted on my website. If you are interested in participating, email me, as enrollment is limited.

Keep Me Posted

© Steve Anchell

Street photography is a genre that records unmediated chance encounters and random incidents in public places. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. The street photographer is an outsider, a voyeur in the true sense, in that they watch and wait until the right moment occurs and capture it using a camera.

The workshop will begin Friday evening with a presentation that will guide you through many techniques and pitfalls for creating successful street photography, followed by a Q&A session. On Saturday and Sunday, we will visit two different areas of Portland to practice street photography with Steve’s guidance.

The Oregon Society of Artists sponsors this workshop.

Taking It to the Streets