Iconic image-maker Keith Carter will conduct a unique personal-style workshop in Cusco, Peru – cradle of innovation and inspiration. Through sermon and passion, Carter and Co will venture from our home base each day, to capture the spirit and soul of the Andes. From community weaving villages to rustic Alpaca and Llama outposts, we’ll take day-trips to the off-the-beaten-track places. Keith will serve as vision and voice to our wanderings while offering insights, lessons and commentary at a personal level. We’ll gather as a group and review our progress, have personal critiques along with festive evenings to complement our long days out in the field.
From Homer and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega through Irving Penn and Keith Carter, countless artists have taken cue from their surroundings to discuss and inform their work. A whirling wind through the Sacred Valley can mimic our thoughts of history; a coble-stone path, bulging from years of hooves and tire-soled shoes burdened with the weight of their charge make for wonderful sense of place. Transformed plazas and evening light can inspire our visions and frame our content enough to provoke mystery or illusion. Weathered campesino cheeks – cracked and rustic – scream for a rendering of the native plight.
A few days in bustling Cusco itself and your understanding of this phenomenal terrain will be complete, along with a better understanding of your own inspirations. We’ll gather our work at the end of the week and have a music, food and dancing Peña and slideshow of our own stories.
Content:
This workshop is to help serious amateurs and professionals achieve more passion in their work by clarifying the narrative, aesthetic, and emotional aspects of image making. With an emphasis on simplicity and the use of natural light, we explore the use of metaphor, symbolism, and culture – making the terrain in Cusco especially valuable!
Through practical demonstrations, field trips, individual portfolio reviews, and the review of work of historically significant as well as little-known photographers, we refine our views on producing work and balancing the various aspects of a busy life. We will discuss how to develop projects and exhibitions, editing, and the ins and outs of the publishing world. Ultimately, we build a foundation to take home and build upon. Everyone is encouraged to bring a sense of humor, adventure, and purpose.
