He talks about the power of community. And how that community can cause change. He says:
what i want to do is create some production money for you.....so that a selected few of you would be able to go work on a project of your choice....i would have to go find money....from corporations , from generous funders...this is not anything i have ever done.....but imagine if these donors ended up endorsing some truly creative photography that would be printed in an annual super quality magazine format where the photographers had all the control..with just a little help from me maybe!!! and an exhibit of course.....
another piece of this corporate funding i would want to go for free photo workshops in developing countries where the emerging photographers cannot possibly afford one of the current workshops ....another major piece of good press for our donors...even patch it in with some worthwhile ngo projects and build a workshop around an issue....have part of this mythical magazine use these pictures too...
And this has always been a dream of mine. To create a community that serves a community.
APhotoADay was started as a conversation and a way two friends could share pictures back and forth, and look at us now... hundreds of members spanning the majority of the states, and several continents. There was obviously a need, for some discussion and some constructive criticism, and as we say on there, "a place for pictures we shot for us, not them." And despite its headaches, it has been such a wonderful community to be a part of.
We have our 5th semi-annual gathering soon. Geekfest 2007 - Portland. It's always a great time to come together, put faces with email addresses and photographs, and enjoy each other's real company as opposed to the virtual kind. There are speakers who inspire, and little "assignments" to push. But it usually devolves into more of a party, which there's nothing wrong with. There's certainly a time and place for having a good time, and what better time in a fun new city, with fun new friends and beer.
But there's part of that weekend always leaves me longing for more.
It's a pretty amazing group of people involved in APAD... talented... smart... driven.... There's something brewing there, with me, them, us... Something more than drinking beer and talking about doing... But actually getting out there and doing... I can smell some sort of photo revolution underway.
Or at least there could be with a select few. Hand-picked because of their eye, heart and mind, that could help to create an amazing start at causing change and giving back and finding a greater fulfillment through our photography.
I like where David Alan Harvey was going with the thoughts on finding an NGO to get hooked up with though. Imagine if you can contribute to a good cause the only way we can, by offering them all we have.... documentary photography. By getting the chance to tell stories that matter and have them seen and shared with a bigger global audience.
As he says, build a workshop around an issue... or a cause...
Stay tuned.
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