Going With The Flow
Iquitos, Peru 2014
The group Going With Flow has been to date the best workshop I’ve taught in thirteen years of workshops. Why? I’d say that the noble spirit of the group, its generosity, its openness and a good sense of humor are among the main reasons. As you can see, I’m not even mentioning their images, which are so beautiful and yet talent and intimate pictures come second. The more I photograph and teach, the more it becomes clear that being a decent human being with others, especially people that welcome us with open arms comes first. Our pictures are the just a small reward for our kindness.
The Amazon with all her elements including rain, water, rivers, trees, animals and the amazing people who live there gave us a very warm welcoming.
My students did so well overcoming the heat and the lack of amenities. But in spite of the adversities the group courageously moved on and we went with the flow as the good Baron would say.
We continued delving into the many poetics epiphanies of life that unfolded surprisingly before us. Watching Calvin and Frank visiting their young patients with so much care and the long boat journeys on the mighty Amazon river and all of its affluents on our wooden peke peke slow boat with that unexpected downpour were some of the highlights of our adventure.
I’d like to congratulate each of my students: Baron, Calvin, Frank, Nilo, Sophie, Santi and Stan for their amazing performance. Sophie deserves a few extra words of praise for her stupendous and simple images. She daily surprised the entire group with her intimate pictures. More than the record number of photos chosen by one student (thirty-eight ) what was the most pleasing was to watch how much she enjoyed taking pictures. The photographs taken in her first 5 workshops with me belong to another phase in her life. If she will continue to return to the Amazon I foresee the creation of en exceptional body of work! Brava Sophie! Bravi tutti! I’ll see you next year. EB
