Workshops based on Reflective Photography, Place & Care
Field Notes workshops are delivered in half -day, one-day, two-day and week long gatherings designed for photographers and creatives who want to slow down, deepen their practice, and think more carefully about how photographs are made.
These workshops are grounded in documentary and travel photography, but they are less concerned with technique and more attentive to presence, responsibility, and relationship — to place, to people, and to time. In our experience technique will come as you learn to build trust in the field both with others and with yourself.
Each workshop combines:
- Guided reflection and conversation
- Time in the field with cameras ideally with people, landscape and wildlife
- Gentle prompts rather than assignments
- Group debrief and shared learning
- Editing and portfolio support
ONE-DAY FIELD NOTES WORKSHOPS
Format
One-day, in-person workshops focused on a single theme. Designed for local or regional participants and those new to reflective practice.
Structure
The delivery of our one day workshop will include an opening orientation and prompt setting followed by a slow field session (walking, observing, photographing). During the midday we will focus on a reflection and group conversation with additional field time. In the afternoon we will leave some space for editing support, a debrief of our day and final integration.
Participants are encouraged to work quietly, photograph selectively, and reflect alongside image-making. Critique is replaced with conversation and shared noticing.
Ideal for
- Documentary and travel photographers
- Students and emerging practitioners
- Artists seeking to reconnect with their practice
- Anyone interested in photographing with greater intention and care
Find a sample agenda here for our one-day workshop focussed on Noticing
TWO-DAY FIELD NOTES RETREATS
Format
Two-day immersive retreats that allow for deeper engagement with place, return, and ethical practice.
Structure
The structure of our 2 day retreat will include an orientation on day one as well as field practice and group reflection. Day Two, we will return to place for a walking practice that focuses on integration and a longer group dialogue he extended format allows participants to revisit locations, sit with questions longer, and reflect on how their presence shapes what they photograph. Both days we will set aside time for editing support that can be integrated during the group discussion or reflection.
Ideal for
- Experienced photographers
- Educators and facilitators
- Long-term project development
- Those seeking sustained time for reflection and return
WORKSHOP THEMES
Attention
Exploring photography as a practice of noticing rather than capturing. This workshop focuses on slowness, restraint, and learning to see before photographing.
Place, Memory & Return
Working with repetition and familiarity, participants explore how returning to a place deepens understanding and changes how photographs are made.
Care & Ethics
A reflective exploration of photographing people and environments responsibly. This workshop centers ethical presence, consent, and the choice not to photograph.
HOW FIELD NOTES WORKSHOPS ARE DIFFERENT
Field Notes workshops are not about productivity or output although we are certain that understanding your relationship to place and your subject will vastly improve your photographs. Our workshops are about learning how to stay with a place and understanding the impact of your presence. This can be true of a community within your own city or a place that you have never travelled.
Photography can also require practicing restraint and understanding when not to photograph and instead focus on building trust and ethical awareness. Our programs focus on this through our lived experience of having travelled in some of the most complex rooms and territories on the planet.
It is our goal that participants leave with:
- A clearer sense of their photographic values
- Shared language around care and responsibility
- Written reflections and prompts to continue the practice
- A strong sense of image development and a cohesive approach to building a portfolio
A NOTE ON APPROACH
These workshops are delivered intentionally with consideration to detail. Participants are asked to engage respectfully with people and places, to photograph while remaining open to reflection. No prior technical expertise is required — only curiosity and patience. .
Field Notes workshops are intentionally small, creating space for listening, care, and thoughtful exchange.
2026 workshop dates and locations will be announced soon!
“A significant moment deserves a considered prelude. Be ready.”
