Summer Artist/Mentor in Residence: Eyes Wide Open With Eddie Soloway

The Griffin Museum is thrilled to announce our Summer Artist / Mentor in Residence for 2024 is Eddie Soloway. Eddie will be at the Griffin Museum (in-person) July 14th and 15th for one day dedicated to a MasterClass, and one day for individual, one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Day 1 – Eyes Wide Open: The Joy of Nature Photography (In-Person MasterClass)

Give yourself a day—one day full of photographic sessions, from 10am to 4pm—to honor your creative self. Bring back the joy and wonder of being in nature, and holding a camera in your hand. Learn how to make pictures that soar past postcards, and capture what you are feeling, what you are seeing, and what you are thinking. Eddie will make you laugh when he shows you his first show, and you will “get it” when he clearly shows what he didn’t understand in his early years. Looking at the work of world class photographers, he kept asking, “How Come Mine Don’t Look Like That?” Digging back into his mistakes—his “good ones” at the time—he will lay out simple ideas to understand light, avoid chaos, create beautiful backgrounds, lead the eye with thoughtful compositions, and understand that if there is magic, work It, hang out, and slow down.

His sessions will honor the classic landscape, giving you ideas to make it fresh and your own, and he will wholeheartedly dive into the interpretive landscape, exploring the boundaries of light, focus, and movement. Our day will swim in the creative, but honor the thoughtful. Get ready for a day to set you free, to shake you out of ruts, and charge you up to make new photographs, right now. The day is built around Eddie’s presentations, but for those wanting, there will be a creative challenge over the lunch break requiring the use of a phone camera and the ability to email the result. The day’s sessions are open to all photographers wishing to expand the way they see the natural world, and express themselves.

The Eyes Wide Open seminar is built upon a series of presentations. There are three things you might want to bring for the day: First, there will be an hour break for lunch, and you are welcome to bring a lunch, or leave to grab a quick lunch. Secondly, there will be an optional creative exercise over the lunch break that requires a phone camera, and the ability to email one photo made during the break. Lastly, a pen and paper might help you keep track of your creative ideas.

The lectures on July 14th will be followed by a welcome reception from 5pm – 6:30pm.

Day 2 – In-Person Mentorship Sessions (Eight Sessions Available)

There will be eight spaces available for 30-minute, one-on-one mentorship sessions with Eddie, from 10am – 5pm on July 15th. Individuals may utilize these sessions to get feedback on a project, have their images reviewed, ask questions, and seek advice. Preparation guidelines will be sent after registration. You must participate in the Day 1 MasterClass in order to be eligible for the Day 2 Mentorship Sessions.

Level: All

Dates: July 14th and 15th, 2024, at the Griffin Museum, in-person.

Times: July 14th: MasterClass from 10am – 4pm. / July 15th: Mentorship Sessions are 10am-5pm.

Course Fee: 

Day 1 Pass Only: MasterClass – $175 members / $250 non-members (non-members will receive a one year membership to the Griffin Museum, a $75 value).

Combined Day 1 and Day 2 Pass: MasterClass and one 1-hour Mentoring Session – $300 members / $375 non-members (non-members will receive a one year membership to the Griffin Museum, a $75 value).

About the Artist / Mentor in Residence:

Eddie Soloway is a photographer, teacher, and storyteller committed to opening our eyes to the natural world. He has taught photography and creativity for leading photographic institutions and schools around the world. He is the founder of Taproot, an online creative gathering. As an educator, Eddie has received the Excellence in Photographic Teaching Award from CENTER and been named one of America’s best photography workshop teachers by Photo District News. Eddie is the author of the book, One Thousand Moons, the SEE THINK DO photo cards, and the Expressive Landscape video series. Eddie’s photography may be seen at eddiesoloway.com, his writing at substack.com/eddiesoloway, and his workshops and teaching materials at anaturaleye.com.