Freeman Patterson, A Canadian Photography Legend
In my twenties, I was fortunate enough to hear Freeman Patterson speak at an event in North Bay. He really impressed me at the time although I can’t really remember why. I think it was more the connection that I felt although I was still pretty new to photography. I know I left there thinking that one day I would take a workshop from him. And I did almost 30 years later.
St. Martins, new Brunswick,
I think the thing I remember most about the New Brunswick workshop was that we had time. Time to think, time to take photos and time to be alone as most of the activities were done independently.
We did the ‘stay in one spot for an hour and take photos” exercise and that was truly enlightening. Even just sitting there seemed to quiet you and made you realize that there was no need to rush because the photo would be there once you started to “see”. Freeman would come around to encourage you if you were stuck and then he would leave.
We were also encouraged (told) to use our tripods and that was when I decided it was pretty good advice. It slows you down and makes you consider what you are going to photograph. You also have to learn how to use your tripod so it becomes intuitive. When I asked him if I ‘had to’ use my tripod, he said - “You only need your tripod for the photos you want to keep” - that stuck with me.
There was one session where we were photographing and Freeman asked to use my camera and the thing that shocked me the most was that even I was photographing the same subject, his photo was completely different than mine. He was even standing in the same place as I had been. That was certainly a teachable moment. I really didn’t think there was anything else to see. I was so wrong.
His workshops are retreats. The accommodations, food and locations are chosen carefully to created a supportive atmosphere. A visit to his home is a highlight of the week. I was happy that I also went to Israel for another one of his workshops.
Being the organizer that I am, I was surprised that we could choose when we would show our slideshows at the end of the week. I thought shouldn’t there be a list? One person said she would go first and then as that one finished, another person offered. Strangely enough there seemed to be a logical sequence.
I’ve included a link to the slideshow that I made for the end of the week presentation. As I look back on it, it brings back a lot of great memories. I found this exercise to be such a healing experience. My husband had passed away and as I looked though my library of music on my computer, I chose “Stand by me” because that’s what he always did. I ended up crying pretty well all the time I was working on it and wasn’t sure how I would get through playing it for the group. So I decided to ask Andre to pick another song however he liked my choice and decided to use it but didn’t tell me until he started playing the clip. It really hit home when it played. It’s one of those - ‘you had to be there moments’ - however will share it just because it was and is such a huge part of my photography journey.
Here is the link - oops, guess you have to copy it - https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/376683858/privacy and the password is Freeman.https://vimeo.com/376683858
Workshops enrich you in more ways than just knowledge.