A longstanding, symbiotic relationship exists between photography and the natural environment: the camera is a tool used to document the beauty of the natural word, and in turn, that imagery is used as evidence that these sensitive, ecological areas must be preserved and protected. Therefore, landscape photography is both an art form and a platform, giving its practitioners a chance to elevate their craft while becoming stewards, raising awareness about such issues as coastal erosion, deforestation, drought, rising temperatures and tides. The museum’s current exhibition, This is Climate Change, explores climate change not as a primary element of the composition, but as a now inescapable feature of landscape photography.
Photographer Benjamin Dimmitt offers his audience An Unflinching Look at the result of rising sea levels on the palm hammocks and the hardwood forests of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Reserve. As a photographer and ardent environmentalist, he turns his lens on the salt-damaged sawgrass savannas and spring creeks of his native Florida. “My intention in bearing witness to this loss has been to portray the ruined landscape with respect, nuance and beauty.”
In another portfolio, Primitive Florida, he explores the “lush and fecund places where land merges with water” because he considers it to be the essential Florida. “I am most attracted to scenes of animated and layered growth that exhibit the urge for survival and the persistence of life.” Would you like a chance to explore your own backyard and capture unique imagery that celebrates the tenacity of Florida’s flora? Then join Benjamin for a informative and interactive workshop near Lake Ashby on a private ranch in Osteen, in southwest Volusia County, FL. This workshop is designed to help students make compelling images–with the goal of producing a cohesive body of prints– by exploring personal vision, various approaches in the field, including observation and framing techniques. Participants will receive personalized instruction, learning to adapt and develop their artistic aesthetic.
INSTRUCTOR: BENJAMIN DIMMITT
COST: REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS FULL.
Note: Requires travel. This workshop meets at an offsite location and requires the use of appropriate footwear and mosquito repellant.