APF Bangkok 4.0 Workshop

APF Bangkok 4.0 workshop

1 A couple of years ago, as I was trying to get a bit more serious in my photographic development,

I joined my first workshop, held by the APF collective in Bangkok (see the chronicles of that

experience here). Fast forward 2 years and another workshop by APF was going to take place in

Bangkok again and, for several reasons (one of them being that I had been quite dormant in

photographic terms for the past year and a boost to my motivation and inspiration was needed), I

thought this would be a great opportunity for me to join them once more, since my previous

experience had been such an eye-opener. Same mentors, different theme, new colleagues to

meet: nothing could go wrong and, spoiling the final revelation, nothing did, tough in unexpected

ways, as I will explain below

A couple of years ago, as I was trying to get a bit more serious in my photographic development, I joined my first workshop, held by the APF collective in Bangkok (see the chronicles of that experience here). Fast forward 2 years and another workshop by APF was going to take place in Bangkok again and, for several reasons (one of them being that I had been quite dormant in photographic terms for the past year and a boost to my motivation and inspiration was needed), I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to join them once more, since my previous experience had been such an eye-opener. Same mentors, different theme, new colleagues to meet: nothing could go wrong and, spoiling the final revelation, nothing did, tough in unexpected ways, as I will explain below.

Red world, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Double mirror, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Triple mirror, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Last year was a transition for me in the photographic side of things, coming from 2 very active and rewarding years somehow I felt I had reached a plateau and there was nothing ahead of me to keep me motivated like before. Had my skills peaked? Had my inspiration faded? Had my enjoyment of photography abandoned me? Or was it gear disinterest? Probably a bit of all those reasons came together and, for the most part of a full year, my camera remained untouched, my blog receiving less attention, my eyes losing their interest in their surroundings. And then this workshop was announced; I must admit I had to fight with my own laziness, but something inside me said I had to take this chance and end this drought once and for all and, luckily, I did just that.

Ice and clouds I, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm 

Ice and clouds II, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Ice and clouds III, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Ice and clouds IV, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Ice and hands, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The workshop was labeled under the topic 'visual storytelling', or photographic narrative, something that has always interested me as a link between words and images, two different languages that bond together quite well. I don't mean that images need captions or explanations to be understandable (quite the opposite), or that images complement words adding layers that would be otherwise impossible to explain: both languages are completely independent, but a marriage of both where the two of them stay at the same level is also possible, and this conjunction is what I have been trying to do in this blog since the beginning: words that visualize, images that speak, both autonomous yet coexisting together to show different sides of the same reality. The theme of the workshop, therefore, couldn't have been more appealing to me.

Ice and clouds V, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Ice and clouds VI, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Ice and clouds VII, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Ice and clouds VIII, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

I was unable to deliver what was requested from me in the different exercises the workshop was structured around, however: I failed in my assignments and I lacked focus and clarity of ideas, yet I didn't feel discouraged or scolded for that anyway; at the contrary, these detours were necessary for me to understand what was missing, and so the three mentors pointed it out for me, always with a positive approach that really helped me see things with new eyes and with a much needed perspective. All pride disappeared from me and there were no ill feelings, regrets or self-indulgence left, only a sincere will to listen, reflect and analyze remained. Probably that was the only way this could have worked for me, because it slowly penetrated my conscience and shook off the rust that I had been accumulating without noticing to the point of paralyzing my desire to take pictures.

Greasy transparency, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Three legged, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Three waiting, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Now, after the workshop has ended and some time has passed, I can see very clearly what I was lacking before, and what the workshop brought me back: I didn't learn anything new (from a technical or theoretical point of view) nor my pictures during those three days were specially memorable (much less than the ones I took two years earlier, lacking definition and feeling), but I feel happy nevertheless, because that was not the most important thing I could have achieved that weekend, but something else: it helped me remember why I like photography in the first place, it gave me a stimulus to go back in track and recover all I had lost due to laziness and disillusion. What a different experience this was! Despite not being able to create anything of much value, I felt so excited and encouraged about photography once more, that the material results didn't matter much and I was, once again, willing to go out with my camera for the sole sake of taking pictures!

Painting and reality I, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Painting and reality II, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Painting and reality III, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Painting and reality IV, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

APF gave me direction and focus, isn't that a more precious gift than taking a handful of worthy images without enjoying the process? It definitely is to me, and I'm sure the joy will eventually bring back the satisfaction (along with the practice), and I'm eager to start walking the streets again to recover what I had lost. For this I must thank everyone in the workshop, without whom I would probably still be wandering in the mist.