The release of Storytellers has, for lack of better words, been incredibly exciting, and it’s receiving a warmer reception than I ever imagined. Thanks to all of you for the support and interest you’ve graciously expressed in what was a great project to pull together with the Peachpit/New Riders crew!

To continue the discussion on photographic storytelling, I’m equally excited to be announcing a workshop that complements the book, and it’s going to take place in Tibet! In June 2012, my good friend and colleague Brian Hirschy and I will lead the very first Storytellers Workshop, a cultural and storytelling intensive nine-day tour of the Tibetan Plateau. This workshop/tour is specifically focused on consciously engaging a culturally-rich place and its inhabitants in order to hone our skills and develop compelling imagery, all in the name of that oh so important globally unifying activity: Storytelling.

I’m extremely happy to announce this workshop in conjunction with the release of the new book, and we’re happy to have some great sponsors for the trip, including my publisher, Peachpit! In addition, the world’s best camera strap manufacturer and all-around cool company, Black Rapid (have you seen Black Rapid TV yet?), and outstanding tripod company, 3 Legged Thing, are on board, and in a big way! From what I’ve heard so far, we’ll be providing some great gear and swag to tour attendees, and I know we’re going to be having some giveaways coming up soon.

I’ll not belabor the announcement, because you can find much more information (overview, costs, cultural highlights, photographs of the area, etc.) on Plateau Photo Tours’ website. If you have any questions about the tour, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Brian directly or through the tour’s website.

Below is the overview of the tour and the location in which it will take place. A sign-up/registration form is live on PTT’s site now. I hope to meet a few of you on the plateau!

More to come!

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ABOUT THE LOCATIONS:
Covering an area the size of the state of Montana, the Amdo region of the Tibetan Plateau has everything a photographer could dream of: Beautiful, high altitude grasslands filled with grazing yaks, alpine forests and rivers, ancient Buddhist monasteries, rugged mountains and one of the world’s most fascinating cultures. Tibet is one of the few remaining places on earth that is relatively untouched by the modern world. Many nomads still live in yak wool tents like they did 1000 years ago. Amazing, once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities will surround you each day as we explore the monastery towns of Rebkong, Labrang and Lhamo.

This 9 day workshop will take you 350 miles overland through the heart of Amdo, one of Tibet’s three traditional provinces. The culture in Amdo is some of the best preserved in all of Tibet. We will be exploring ancient monasteries, walking ancient religious circuits, photographing lush landscapes and spending plenty of time with local Tibetan communities.

Most of the teaching in this workshop will be done on the field in an organic fashion. We will have reviews and teachings most evenings to cover events from that day and to prepare for the next. You will also have opportunities to break away from the group and to wander around each destination to find your own adventures! The group size is limited to only 10. With 2 workshop instructors, there will be plenty of time for one-on-one instruction to really take your photography to the next level. We’ve built this workshop around flexibility, community, discussion, freedom and your ability to learn what you want from the instructors while also having the opportunity to photograph what you want.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Cultural and travel photography involves much more than catching a flight to a faraway destination and simply taking the camera out of the bag. Instead, it begs us to immerse ourselves in and tell the story of a place, a people, and a way of life with those tools we bring to the table. Story is what the entire world revolves around, it is the substance upon which societies are built, and it is the gateway to exploring and consciously learning about others.

During this culturally compelling photography tour, we’ll have the opportunity to establish a storytelling foundation and build upon our abilities as photographers to create meaning-filled images that truly speak about and to others. Throughout the tour, we’ll touch on photographic issues such as compelling composition, image dynamics, constructing and shooting along visual themes, and the role light plays in conveying emotions and visual subtleties to the viewer, as well as cultural entrée and engagement topics that will help facilitate photographing in a new place and among new people. All of this will be developed from a storytelling perspective, as opposed to a simply snapshot position. We’ll also develop storytelling technical workflows and use them to create visual narratives of one of the most beautiful and culturally rich areas of the world.

The tour will be both intensely photographic and educational, the field will serve as our learning environment, and organic discussions and critique sessions will be held as a coming-together of visual minds most evenings. The goal of the tour (and the tour hosts) is to provide each participant as much freedom as possible in their photography while also offering professional and constructive guidance from a travel and cultural photography perspective.

Turns out she’s roughly the size of an EF 400mm f/2.8 L…minus several pounds. We were blessed last week with the birth of our daughter (and first child), Eva Korynn. Since then, I’ve talked to quite a few more experienced parents, and they all ask the same question (a question that you don’t hear, I would think, until you become one):

“There’s just nothing like it, is there?”

And no, there isn’t. For the past nine days, Amanda (who, by the way, is the real champ here) and I look at Eva and just marvel at her. We’ll probably continue to do so. There is just nothing like it.

To those of you who offered congratulations and kind words about Eva’s arrival, Amanda and I would like to say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. Everyone from close friends and relatives to even many editors and clients I work with e-mailed, tweeted, wall-posted, and called to wish us well. We have friends on just about every continent that sent great remarks, and we’re certainly appreciative of the means that connect us to everyone out there.

With love,

The Fosters

After nine months in the making, I’m excited and very honored to announce Storytellers: A Photographer’s Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures, my first book with Peachpit/New Riders!

I love story. It’s the reason I put a camera to my eye every time, whether I’m on assignment, creating stock images, or simply setting around the house with family on holiday. It’s also why I enjoy teaching photography and visual communication to my college students. Not to sound too philosophical, but stories are what this whole world revolves around, and the camera is one of the greatest means of creating said stories. Everything from National Geographic features to shots of your child’s first birthday, photographs are powerful conveyors of story, and they always will be. So, when some great folks at Peachpit and I started talking about a possible project in regard to photographic storytelling, I was excited and definitely on board!

Storytellers is complementary to many of the great how-to photography books out there already. As photographers, it’s important that we learn as much as possible about the technical end of our craft, and that’s precisely where this book is complementary. It bridges the how-to of photography with the who, what, when, where, why, and how of story. As I write in the introduction of the book, story is the next topic of discussion in the conversation on how we operate the camera and developing how we see photographically.

The book is broken up into three areas of interest. The first details who we are–not only as photographers, but also visual storytellers–and the significance of photography to society and how we’re informed about our cultural environment. Second, the book goes in to detail about characteristics of successful storytelling images, why we adhere to and break certain photographic “rules” in regard to story, and the types of images that compellingly stitch a story together. The last topical area covers how you can identify and locate interesting story, and the nuts and bolts of putting a storytelling workflow together, all while anticipating the next one worth telling.

Sprinkled among the 288 pages are numerous tips, anecdotes, and exercises to help challenge readers to push their storytelling abilities. Additionally, the text includes several interviews I conducted with some of the visual storytellers I look up to the most–some of the best and most respected in the business. I’m honored to have these gracious folks in the book, and their contributions to the art and craft of storytelling ranges from experiences with National Geographic and some of the premier newspapers in the nation to large commercial clients, humanitarian organizations, and iconic book work. I certainly enjoyed our conversations during the interviews, and I know there’s a few things (or a hundred) to take away from what they have to say!

One of the primary reasons why I write on the subject of photography (on this blog and others) is to highlight the value of making sure we’re actually saying something with our images and not just pushing the buttons. Ultimately, this is what Storytellers is about, and it’s written for both those starting out in photography and pros alike. It’s is a book that hopefully makes you think. I want it to make you think not only about how you’re making images, but more importantly, why you’re making them and why making them in certain ways helps you tell a better story. I believe every image has something to say, and I believe everyone that picks up a camera has the ability to tell a visual story with their photographs. I wanted to write Storytellers to address just that ability.

Many thanks to all of those folks who had a hand in helping this book come to fruition. I can’t say enough good things about the team over at Peachpit/New Riders! The book is beautifully designed, and I can’t wait to see it in print! I’m honored to be part of such a great group of folks committed to developing such great resources for photographers.

Storytellers will be shipping in December (anyone need a last minute holiday gift?), and like all of Peachpit’s and New Riders’ great resources, you can find it online at Peachpit, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. At the moment, it’s available for pre-order, and if you are interested in catching a glimpse of it before it’s in print, don’t hesitate to swing over to Peachpit’s subscriber Rough Cuts version. After the print date, you’ll also be able to find it at your favorite local bookstore!

P.S. There’s another announcement that’s been nine months in the making as well, but that will have to wait until next week–fingers crossed!

More to come!

A couple weeks ago, I was informed that I was selected to contribute to Manfrotto’s School of Excellence for the remainder of 2011. If you’re new to photography, or have been living under an octabox for years as a photographer, Manfrotto has played a vital role in the photography industry since the 1960s, producing the majority of the tripod and lighting support gear available. I’m excited to share this news, particularly since the Manfrotto School of Excellence is a fantastic resource for photographers of all experience levels and frequently features contributions from the likes of David duChemin, Joe McNally, Drew Gardner, and Bill Frakes. Nine additional photographers were selected from a pool of photographers answering a call for proposals and contribution to the educational site.

You can catch me over at the Manfrotto School of Excellence once a month for the rest of 2011, and I’ll be covering a variety of topics (pretty jazzed about what’s coming down the pipeline). The site is established as part of an educational and community initiative, and as a university photography instructor, I’m supportive of Manfrotto’s effort, and I’m certainly appreciative for this opportunity to contribute among an esteemed group of photographers!

Take a look at the other nine contributors for this year, and make sure you visit the Manfrotto School of Excellence regularly for useful, encouraging, and educational information pertaining photography!

You can also keep up with the Manfrotto School of Excellence on Twitter: @manfrotto_tweet

I’m honored to be a guest blogger on the International Guild of Visual Peacemaker’s website today. My post facilitates discussion surrounding cultural photography in the sense that it starts at home. This is a conversation I am continually having with colleagues, and I would venture to say that if you were to prod any successful photographer in this genre about the subject, they would have similar sentiments.

I’ll let you read the post for yourself, but I do want to take the opportunity to thank the Guild for this opportunity, as well as Mario Mattei for the generation and kind guidance for this discussion to emerge!

Hope you enjoy!

I’m on the road again this week, and it seems I can’t hardly find the time to blog, let alone e-mail. Regardless, I wanted to make the announcement of yesterday’s International Guild of Visual Peacemakers site launch. You’ve no doubt noticed the IGVP paraphernalia I have on my site, and for good reason!

The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers is a community of diverse cultural, travel, and humanitarian photographers, open to any visual communicator that relates to the organization’s mission of breaking down those barriers visually that separates sectors of humanity, particularly cultural stereotypes and perceptions of the “other.” The community aspect of the organization brings together photographers from all over the world under the scope of this mission, and IGVP only stands to bring more together over time.

I was fortunate enough to beta test the site and become a member of the IGVP community early, and I hope you all explore their site to how it can benefit you. Endorsed by photography heavy-weights, such as David duChemin, Ami Vitale, Matt Brandon, and Gavin Gough, the site serves as a social community bent on sharing those treasures we capture creatively each and every day. The site is already set up with great galleries of world photography, still and video documentaries, and many great photo essays.

Thanks goes to Mario Mattei and Logan McAdams for providing the insight and direction for this organization. Once you visit the site, establish a community membership (free and monthly premium memberships are available), and begin to interact with other members, you’ll get a feel for how much work went in to establishing such a concerted effort between photographers around the globe.

I encourage you to take a look at the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers for yourself! As I said before, it only stands to grow with members knelt on providing a voice in the global cultural community!

After encouragement from good friend and astute photographer, Jeff Lynch, I’ve decided to add poster sales to the home page of this site (you’ll notice a new tab for Prints and Posters on the main navigation). Periodically, I’ll add to this collection and create poster series, but already there are several posters to choose from. I’m excited about this new addition, mainly because it allows me to share an even more broad spectrum of images from my archives that may not necessarily hit the blog. Each poster is printed on Kodak archival digital paper, and if you need a different size than what you find, then just let me know!

I’m particularly excited about one poster, which I may turn in to a series. Currently, when you click on the Print and Posters tab, the first poster you see is exclusively sold for New Life Children’s Home in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Specifically, profits generated by this poster will go toward medical expenses for one of their fantastic children that I photographed over two years ago, Michelle. At the time, Michelle was 18 months old, and she weighed a little over seven pounds. Needless to say, she was little, very little. Her adopted parents, Kendon and Wendy Wheeler, the wonderful leaders of the children’s home, brought her to the states for some medical analysis, and a university magazine assigned me to do the shoot. You can see a post about that experience here.

Fast forward two years, and Michelle and the Wheelers are now finding out more about her condition. Just months ago, doctors diagnosed Michelle with Majewski’s Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism, type 2 (MOPD II), which surprisingly only 200 people worldwide are affected by this syndrome. Unfortunately, this particular type of primordial dwarfism commonly affects those with it negatively by age four, and Michelle turned three on May 16. Medical tests and trips to the U.S. are costly, and that’s the impetus for the poster sale. I can’t tell you how much little Michelle affected me in a POSITIVE way when I met her, let alone how much she has affected the Wheelers and New Life Children’s Home. This is the least I can do to help out such a wonderful individual and family!

Thanks again for visiting the site, and I hope you browse the Prints and Posters section periodically for new offerings! I appreciate all my readers, and I hope I can keep providing continually resourceful information down the road!

10.Q Logo is copyrighted by Heber Vega.

I’ve been fortunate this past few months to have met several great people who provide fantastic photographic and creative services to not only their immediate surroundings but to those worldwide as well. Heber Vega, a humanitarian and cultural photographer based in northern Iraq is one such person. Heber’s work as a photographer and aid worker deems recognition, and I hope you visit his site often as it is a wealth of photographic and storytelling resources.

One of the more prominent features of Heber’s site is his 10.Q blog series, where he leads interviews with some of the top cultural/travel/humanitarian photographers in the world. A little while back, Heber asked me if I would like to participate in an interview, and I was humbled. Link here to see the interview. This is a great collection of interviews and an even more impressive group of interviewees, including David duChemin, Matt Brandon, Gavin Gough, Karl Grobl, and Brian Hirschy. I’m lucky/fortunate/proud to be included in this series.

Thanks goes to Heber Vega for this opportunity! Hopefully you’ll see more from him soon on this site as well!

To check out more of Heber’s work:

Web site: http://www.hebervega.com

Twitter: @hebervega

On Facebook

That’s right, an HD video/documentary course, in Junction, Texas, Texas Tech University satellite campus, May 12 – May 27. If you are frequent readers, you know I’m a photography instructor (of sorts) at Texas Tech University, and for five years now, I have been teaching a field photography course with Wyman Meinzer at the Junction, Texas, campus. This year, we’ve decided to test out a new course in high-definition video. I’m basing it off of the foundations of the photography course, which is “get your feet wet working like a professional.” For 15 days, students and instructors alike work tirelessly, pursuing the story of the land and the people on it. Each year is a treat, finding ourselves with a new bunch of students and some familiar and veteran areas of the state to point our lenses. We travel well over 1,000 miles during our 15 days, and we see a lot of country. If the video/documentary course turns out anything like the photography course, and it should (we’re going along with them), then it’s bound to be a challenging, yet inspiring, experience for all parties involved.

If there’s anything that can be said about our classes in Junction, it’s one of the only times you can receive that much one-on-one mentoring for the price (which by the way, is a great deal more affordable than other workshops). Also, you don’t have to be a TTU student now to take the course (that’s right, this is sort of a pitch). However, before you sign up, you will have to submit an application to Tech, a formality, to be enrolled in the course. If anything (if you have a degree or not), you’ll get three hours of college credit in 15 days. How cool is that!?

If you’re interested, please shoot me an e-mail. I’m sure there’s some technical details I left out, but I can dig up anything!

Some days I think I could live without it. Somedays I know and do live without it. But then there are the days that I know I’m going to use it, and I’m going to enjoy the utility it provides. Photoshop is officially 20 years old!

Just think of all the terrain this revolutionary software application has seen in the past two decades! Think of all the controversy it has caused (or perhaps we should say the user has caused), how many people should be thankful for its inception, all the images that get processed on a daily basis using this single application. The list could go on! Above is a short documentary that unites the creators and earliest Adobe adopters in a conversation about Photoshop!

Although long for Internet video standards, it’s worth a watch. No matter how you feel about Photoshop, this is fairly insightful, and if you walk away with anything from it, just imagine how amazing it is that this software is the root of many, many things (minute 15:00 of the video states this fact in more eloquent terms). It is useless to beg the question, “What would it be like if it had not been created?” because it would have inevitably happened, potentially later and under a different moniker. The question to ask is “What are we using it for now, and why, and how?”

After you watch the documentary, visit PhotoshopUserTV for live coverage of an event held in honor of the software package that changed and created a lot of what the technical end, as well as the conceptual and perceptual ends, of photography has, in some ways, transformed in to.

***DISCLAIMER: No matter where you’re at in terms of photographic/philosophical/ethical perspective on the very existence of Photoshop, this is just part of the conversation that will continue to take place in the arena of images, photographic or other. I think my first few sentences pretty much sum up my satisfaction AND frustration with the software, feelings I think we as photographers all experience!