As the season gently shifts here in Canada toward fall I am reminded of a favourite autumnal memory from recent years. I originally shared these photos and story in my newsletter back in 2021. If you enjoy thoughtful photo explorations like this and would like access to an exclusive subscriber discount on prints, you can sign-up for my quarterly newsletter here!
Finally, autumn has truly arrived. The temperatures have dropped, and leaves are being shaken from their branches by crisp breezes and rain showers. We’ve even turned on the furnace as the nights have become a little frosty.
At the beginning of October and while the weather was still warm, I attended a photography workshop in a very rural part of the province. Led by a remarkable local photojournalist, the theme of the weekend was “storytelling”. Out in the midst of wheat fields and gravel grid roads, our subject was a ghost town which is actually experiencing a bit of a rebound. It was inspiring to see each photographer in our small group enter the assignment from a variety of creative perspectives. I found myself drawn to details throughout the community; repeating colours, textural elements, and of course those fleeting moments of especially beautiful light.
In the editing process, I have been exploring the visual themes that I was subconsciously drawn to. This has also given me time to further consider some of the storytelling wisdom that was shared throughout the workshop.
I have learned that I have been stuck on a pretty big misconception about photojournalism, thinking of cohesive visual stories as only possible if their subjects and themes are clear from the outset. But of course it isn’t true, that the bones of a project must be somewhat defined from the beginning for the work to have any purpose at all. Now I find myself challenged to set aside the story I thought I wanted to tell, and to instead dig deeper into the themes I encounter as they arise.
As I embrace this process of discovery, you can see a few examples of the ideas I am working through – which visual themes stand out to you?
I hope to have an opportunity to photograph Holmfield, Manitoba again, and I expect there will be fascinating new stories emerging as the town grows and adapts. What I have learned in Holmfield has made me even more curious to explore the visual stories I encounter everywhere.
