Lauren Henkin Blog » Workshops

What’s Ahead for 2012…

Lauren Henkin — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:45:43 +0000

I want to take a moment, before talking about 2012, to thank those of you that have made 2011 inspiring, educational, and memorable. It’s been a great year filled with images, books, shows, decks of cards and new challenges. I am so grateful to all of you who have supported my work and me…

I have big plans for 2012 and hope you all can share in them in some way:

Teaching
I’m thrilled to be teaching two upcoming workshops, “Turning Toward Books” on bookmaking and self-publishing. Lúz Gallery in Victoria, BC will be hosting a two-day version of this workshop on April 21st and 22nd and I will be teaching a full week workshop starting on July 8th at the Maine Media Workshops.

Topics will include:
Why self publish?
Benefits and challenges of self publishing
How to publish
How to market & distribute
Case studies
Resources and Tools

We’ll be looking at lots of sample books and case studies, evaluating your own work, and I will be providing in-depth presentations of the steps required to complete a book. My hope is that you will leave with the inspiration, tools, and resources to finish your book project. All of the following material will be presented within the context of my own experiences in publishing.

I will also be teaching a workshop at Newspace Center for Photography on ‘Building a Portfolio.’ I have wanted to teach this kind of intensive workshop for a long time, so I’m really happy that it’s finally happening. I believe, right now, there is only 1 slot left, so if you’re interested, please don’t wait. For more information, click here.

Books
I am now working on my next handmade book of my series, Still Standing, Standing Still. This portfolio contains 14 images of a single tree in Oregon. I’ll be working with binder Rory Sparks on what is going to be a very unique book. I’m working on a second handmade book as well, which I hope to release this Fall.

I am partnering again with Kirsten Rian on a new project, details to follow. We have met a few times to talk about this new project and I feel that this will be something completely new and challenging for us as well as viewers. Stay tuned for more details on that project which is unnamed at this point.

I’m also looking to expand Vela Noche’s published works with a handmade book of another artist’s work, as I did with Dale Schreiner. I will not be taking submissions, but will be hunting around for work that inspires me. I already have a few ideas in mind, but haven’t committed yet.

All of my completed projects are now available online at the just completed website for my imprint, Vela Noche.

Shows
I will be having my first show of books at 23 Sandy Gallery here in Portland during Portland Photo Month. Really looking forward to exploring how an exhibition of books differs from one of prints. I’ll be writing more about this as I get a little closer to the show, which I believe will be in April. Still Standing, Standing Still will be presented for the first time at that show as well as all of the other titles I’ve published including Dale Schreiner’s Thereafter.

I’ve also been busy redesigning my website which will enable me to present my work in a much more flexible and interesting format online. I hope to get the new site completed in the next month.

Travel
I will be traveling down to Los Angeles in January to attend photo LA and continue photographing for Growth. Fotofest 2012 will also be a destination for me this year. I’ve never been to Fotofest so I’m interested to see how it differs from photolucida and other portfolio review events. My aim, in going, was to meet with reviewers outside the US as my work has always been well received in international competitions. I will be writing more about my experiences and reviews when I’m there in March.

For the first time, I will be spending the whole summer in Maine. I will be staying close to the workshops in Rockport and spending a good deal of time photographing for a new series.

Writing
I’ve been really excited about expanding The Photographer’s Alternative Reading List. I’m reading another book right now that is perfect for this list and as I consider titles, I am realizing how valuable this can be for photographers. Look for the next post in that series in the coming month and please let me know if you have any suggestions!

I’m also writing my first article for PDN on handmade books which should come out in March. The article talks about the benefits and challenges of handmade books, financing issues, and marketing and distribution. While it’s difficult to squeeze all of that into only a few words, my hope is that it will get you started, or even prompt you to take one of the longer workshops to gain even more of an insight into this wonderful area of self-publishing.

I think that about covers it! As I’ve learned, there are always new surprises and challenges that I don’t anticipate. Glad to know you all will be there with me, through the good and bad, for another exciting year to come.

May the coming year be filled with open spaces…

Introducing Thereafter and Vela Noche

Lauren Henkin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:26:27 +0000

I am so pleased to introduce my latest foray in publishing… Thereafter is a new book of photographs by artist Dale Schreiner published by my imprint, Vela Noche.

This is the first time I’ve published someone else’s work so I feel the process is worthy of some explanation. I met Dale in early 2009. He was attending the critique group I led at Newspace Center for Photography here in Portland. In 2010 I taught an intensive portfolio building workshop. The class had three students which meant there was time in each session to deeply delve into what they had made and discuss where to go next with the work. The goal of the workshop, which lasted over 4 months, was to complete a body of work between fifteen and twenty images. Dale was one of my students in the class and up until the class, all I had seen from him were singular images.

It wasn’t until the end of the workshop that he started to bring in images that would begin to have focus. He began photographing a local park as frequently as he could, and although unsure about what the draw was to it, he persisted and slowly, a series emerged. We didn’t quite know what to make of it at first. There were classical landscape images but also ones that suggested a hard beauty—images that subtly referenced crime scenes.

When he fully committed to this series, the workshop ended and because it had taken him a while to find something worthy of a series, we continued to meet about the work. I wanted him to finish it, he was on to something, although we both still weren’t sure what yet. By then, I had known Dale for a couple of years and had the luxury of knowing what was happening in his personal life. During the months in which he made these images, he had suffered a tragic loss. His father had been shot to death in the middle of the night in his home. There weren’t many details to be had, acceptance was the only option. There was an ambiguity to the crime that haunted him. I started to see that come through in the images—references to crime scenes, hardscapes within the natural, and general uncertainty.

I’m not sure Dale saw these references at first, or if he even wanted to see them. He didn’t talk about what happened to his father very much. It was my belief, that instead, he spoke of it through the images. We started to feel this project could come together as a book, a short tale of loss and forced acceptance. After about eight months of photographing and meeting, we started to pair images together. Everything started to make sense. Where individual images presented a singular perspective of what happened, the pairs presented the full story. With some spreads, we purposely paired one hardscape image with a softer one; with others, we instinctually matched images that felt like partners to communicate ambiguity, loss, and evidence.

I had never followed the development of a series like this in someone else’s work. Of course I knew what it was to build one, but what I didn’t have in trying to guide Dale, was the context of the images taken. I didn’t know what he had left out of the frame, what it was like to walk through these areas, or his perspective on what were the strongest images, which were the weakest and which he had an emotional connection to. I could merely see them multiply from an outsider’s view and hope that my eyes would accurately lead him to a place that made sense, both conceptually and visually.

At this point, we still hadn’t talked about how this book would be published. We agreed it should be a handmade book. The thought of creating new life from our own hands (in the form of a book) from death, felt like the right and only path here. I didn’t know, moving forward, that I would be the one to publish the book. I had been publishing my own books for a few years, and I was in the process of building a website for my imprint, Vela Noche. But at that time, I hadn’t planned on publishing the work of others—it was simply to be a site to sell my own books. But, as this project grew stronger and stronger, and as I became as equally embedded in it as he was, I felt compelled to move forward as both editor and publisher.

Here are images of the spreads:

We started to work out the details, from sizing of both of the book itself as well as the images on the pages, along with quantity for the edition, image tone, book cloth, end sheets, and the ultimate struggle, the title. We eventually, painfully, concluded that Thereafter was the best title. It would allude to the conclusion of one’s life and Dale’s ongoing struggle to cope with the aftermath of the events. The design started to take shape. We settled on book cloth that had a distinct texture resembling tree bark and chose to vertically align the grooves to make the reference more obvious. And once all of these decisions were made, I got to printing the edition of 20. We went together to meet with Sandy Tilcock (lone goose press), the binder I worked with on my last book, to decide the final binding method, solve out how the title would be embedded into the textured cover, and other final details.

Here are images of the completed book:

We received the first copy of the final book on Dale’s birthday last month. I know it was important to him, to see it, hold it, and realize this achievement on the marker of a passing decade. Maybe it will help him resolve this ugly chapter in his life, maybe it will redeem a part of this difficult year, maybe it will simply validate that he can build a cohesive series of images. Whatever the result, it is a huge accomplishment for me. In one act, handing over the first copy of his first book, I experienced a level of pride and satisfaction I’d never had before, as an educator, fellow artist, and now, publisher.

I don’t know if I will publish other artists’ work. Maybe this was a one-time deal. For now, I will simply make introductions to both Thereafter and Vela Noche, and thank you all, as always, for your continued support.

To visit Vela Noche, or to purchase Dale’s book, please go to www.velanoche.com.

What’s ahead for 2011…

Lauren Henkin — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:22:06 +0000

Well, I came through 6 hours of surgery in good shape and I’m so happy to have that behind me. So happy am I, that I am now focused on what’s ahead for 2011 and thought I’d share some, not all (don’t be greedy) of what I’m thinking.

Silence is an Orchard
I am getting ready to release my second artist book, titled Silence is an Orchard. The book should be completed in about three weeks and as soon as it is, I will post detailed images of the book which is the result of contributions from five Northwest women artists. I’m so thrilled about this being done. You never know, especially when working with so many people on a handmade object, that what you originally imagined will actually be completed true to the initial vision. I can say that this surpassed my expectations—it is a lovely journal of meditation and peace in the fields of Maine.

Codex International Book Fair
Thrilled cannot begin to describe my excitement to be participating in the third biennial Codex book fair that will take place from 2/6 – 2/9 on the campus of the University of California in Berkeley. This fair attracts an international audience interested in learning about as well as purchasing fine press and artist books. This will be my first opportunity to really immerse myself in the book arts community. I can only imagine the what I will learn from other book artists and get a sense of how many photographers are representing their work in this kind of venue. I will be sharing a table with Sarah Horowitz, the artist who created the original etching for Silence is an Orchard. I believe our work is very complementary, and that anyone interested in my work will love hers and vice versa. I hope those of you in the Bay area will make use of how wonderful it is to have an event like this in the area and come by for a chat. To find me, look at the directory of exhibitors for ‘Vela Noche Press.’

The dates of the show are:
Sunday, Feb. 6 12:00 – 4:00
Monday, Feb. 7 12:30 – 6:30
Tuesday, Feb. 8 12:30 – 6:30
Wednesday, Feb. 9 12:30 – 4:30

I hope to see you there…

Photo Radio
I am about to post the recent interview I did with Todd Tubutis, the Executive Director of Blue Sky Gallery. In 2011 I will be interviewing many types of professionals in the visual arts with more frequency. I will be, in a sense, ‘covering’ the upcoming photolucida portfolio reviews here in Portland. My goal is to conduct between 6-10 interviews of both reviewers and photographers. I will be promoting this jointly with photolucida and hope it will give people around the world a sense of what this specific event, as well as portfolio reviews in general, are all about. My hope is to provide audio coverage like this for other events. If you have suggestions on how I might be able to do that, or on photographers who might be interested in being interviewed, please post a comment. I would appreciate your thoughts. To visit Photo Radio, go to www.photoradioblog.com.

Workshops
I have two upcoming workshops that might interest you or other photographers. They are both in March, the first on the 12th which I will be teaching with fellow artists Ray Bidegain and Fritz Liedtke, and then on the 26th in Victoria, British Columbia at Lúz Gallery. Details about both are below.

The Artist’s Job: Making a Life and a Living as an Artist
Date/Time: March 12/10am – 5pm
Place: My studio on N Mississippi in Portland, OR
Cost: $180
Description: Why do most art school graduates fail to become active, successful artists? How does one balance work and art and all the other responsibilities of life? Portland artists Ray Bidegain, Fritz Liedtke, and I are offering a one-day workshop on how to create a life that makes time and money for your artistic passions to flourish.

My part in this workshop will focus on “Getting Exposure: Marketing that Works”. I will be presenting tools and specific marketing methods you can use to boost your exposure and sales of individual artworks. Topics will include: defining your goals, identifying a target audience, creating the optimal marketing piece, knowing when to scrap the trends and think creatively to get your work out, traditional methods of marketing (juried shows, portfolio reviews, web sites, etc.), and expanded methods (blogs, social media, multimedia, etc.)

I’m really excited about this workshop. We’ll cover many issues that artists face on a daily basis, but are rarely able to get practical help with.

For more information on this workshop click here.
To register, click here.
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Marketing for Fine Art Photographers
Date/Time: March 26/10am – 5pm
Place: Lúz Gallery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Description: I will be returning to Lúz to teach another one-day workshop on how to better market your work to the fine art photography community. Topics covered include the following:
What is marketing?

Before you start…
1. Setting short term goals
2. Figuring out long term goals
3. Materials to gather to start

Getting started with traditional methods…
1. Email campaigns
2. Portfolio reviews
3. Juried shows
4. Publication submissions
5. Gallery submissions

Moving forward with expanded methods…
1. Setting yourself apart
2. Social media
3. Submitting to blogs
4. Self publishing
5. Blogging
6. Going beyond the photography world

Pushing ahead

Questions

Thank you so much to Lúz for inviting me back, I’m very excited to see my new friends in Victoria again!

For more information or to register for this workshop click here.

Featured Publications
My work will be published in three wonderful publications in the next few months. Displaced: Part I will be included in the third issue of Landscape Stories which should be released in March. I am very excited to be a part of this online magazine dedicated to visual storytelling which focuses on the land.

In April, I will have a feature in Diffusion Magazine. Displaced: Part II will be featured, but even more exciting (for you anyway) will be a big, big, comprehensive article I wrote titled Adventures in Publishing. I am so proud of this piece for a few reasons. The first is that I have never published an article before and I’m pretty damn excited about that! I’ve been doing more and more writing (in part because I’ve gotten used to it doing these blog posts) and I hope to write for more publications. Second, most of the articles I’ve read recently barely scratch the surface of the topic presented. I’ve tried to go beyond that and believe I’ve succeeded. I hope you will support the magazine and let me know what you think of the piece. You can preview the next issue and subscribe at their website, www.diffusionmag.com.

Finally, in the fall of 2011, the Fine Press Book Association’s beautiful journal called Parenthesis will review Displaced. Photographer David Evans will be writing the review. Parenthesis presents reviews, essays, commentary, news, how-to articles, and profiles of fine and private press printing as well as bookbinding, typography, collecting, publishing and related areas. It is published twice a year and alternates between North America and Europe. If you are interested in what is happening in the fine press book community, it is a thoroughly enjoyable way to learn.

Upcoming Shows

From January 27 – March 12 Displaced will be showing in an international exhibition of artist books incorporating photography as a primary element which debuted at Abecedarian Gallery in Denver in November and will move on the 27th to 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland. The show, titled Photo Book Works was juried by Mia Semingson, a photographer, book binder and educator. For this exhibition, Semingson selected the work of 31 artists from the United States, Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia. The opening for the show will be on February 4, 2010 from 6–8 p.m. Unfortunately, I will not be able to be there as I will be en route to the Codex fair, but please take a look at the great books showing. For more information, click here.

I will also have a solo show most likely in November of 2011 at Newspace Center for Photography. The content for the show will be determined later, but I believe, right now, that it will mostly present Present Tense, Past Lives. I have to figure out what that will mean, as I’m envisioning something radically different than what I’ve done in the past. I am uncertain if I will finish that body in time for November, but I will most likely present that as well as my Urban Growth portfolio which I am actively working on.

Thank you all, so very much, for your support. Working through the many issues that arise in creating art, books and marketing, along with a consistent dose of rejection makes your optimism all the more valuable. I hope you will continue on this journey with me into 2011…

workshop: MARKETING FOR FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lauren Henkin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:12:26 +0000

I will be teaching another marketing workshop this fall in my studio. To register, click here.

Marketing For Fine Art Photographers
Date: Saturday, October 16, 2010
Location: My studio in the Mississippi neighborhood of Portland, OR
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (includes 1 hour for lunch)
Cost: $90

Photographer Lauren Henkin will demonstrate how to best market yourself and your work. We’ll start with an evaluation of your work and your marketing successes and challenges to date. We’ll cover tools and specific marketing materials you can use to boost your career and sales of individual artworks. Some of the topics covered will include: defining a target audience, creating the optimal marketing piece, writing query letters, entering juried shows, participating in portfolio review events, attending trade shows, designing and creating self-promotion materials such as web sites and general best practices for presenting your work. This workshop is targeted toward photographers who already have bodies of work they wish to present and who are actively marketing their work.

This will be an opportunity to get feedback on materials you may already be using or preparing to create. You’re encouraged to bring your current marketing samples.

Student Comments
“I thought the information was presented well…the order of the areas talked about was a good logical progression and I particularly enjoyed all the specific real-world examples you presented all along. Very instructive to see an actuality illustrating a principle as opposed to discussing theory.”

“You packed a huge amount of information into 6 hours and it was a great introduction to the many ways that are available to market one’s work.”

“You really had a huge effect on me in terms of charting my path as an photographic artist, and for that I am deeply grateful.”

If you have any questions, please e-mail lauren@laurenhenkin.com.

Upcoming Events: Lúz Gallery Workshop, Reviews and Book Launch

Lauren Henkin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:57:37 +0000

I am pleased to announce the upcoming events at the Lúz Gallery in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia.

MARKETING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS WORKSHOP
I will present a morning seminar on effective marketing strategies for fine art photographers. We will discuss how to develop relationships with curators and galleries, the benefits of portfolio reviews and producing effective marketing materials. Lauren will also make a presentation on the emerging book market, funding opportunities, logistics, and marketing for limited edition artists books.
Saturday, July 31st / 9:30am – 1:00pm / $75.00

PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
I will be offering 20-minute individual portfolio review and coaching sessions to assist photographers in their marketing and artistic development.
Saturday, August 7th / By Appointment / $60.00

BOOK LAUNCH &; SIGNING: DISPLACED
Saturday, August 7th / 7:00pm

To register for either the marketing workshop or a portfolio review time, please click here.

I hope to see you there!

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Quick Updates

Lauren Henkin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:42:42 +0000

Blue Sky Drawers
I have been asked to participate in Blue Sky Gallery‘s NW Drawers program, featuring the work of photographers based in the Pacific Northwest. Ten prints will be housed in the gallery for at least 1 year. Prints should be delivered to the gallery in the next month.

Here is the description of the program from Blue Sky’s website:
In July 2007, Blue Sky established a program to specifically feature the work of photographers based in the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. While Blue Sky’s gallery exhibitions rotate on a monthly basis, photographs featured in the Drawers remain for longer periods.

You are welcome to have a look by simply opening any one of the Drawers. Should you want to see more work by a particular artist, please ask the Gallery Attendant for assistance. Artists provide prices for all prints that are for sale.

Displaced Update
I will be heading down to San Francisco shortly to deliver the final printed pages to John DeMerritt of John DeMerritt Bookbinding. I will be posting information on closing thoughts about the production of the book. It has been a journey… For those of you contemplating buying a copy, there are only a few left at the $350 price and I believe with the announcement of upcoming book launches that I will be making soon, the rest at that price will be gone quickly. Email me and let me know if you have any questions.

Marketing Workshop
I have been working diligently preparing to teach this workshop on April 3rd. A general (very general) outline of what we’ll talk about includes:

1. Marketing for Photographers
a. What is marketing?
b. How to Market Your Work:
i. Before you Begin
ii. Exhibitions
iii. Alternative Ways to Promote/Sell your Work
iv. Getting Traditional Press Coverage
v. Getting Online Press Coverage
vi. Networking
vii. Promotional Mailings
viii. Web Presence
ix. Email Blasts/Updates
x. Lectures/Artist Talks
xi. Publishing A Book
2. Fundraising
3. Resources

More to come including new work…

Upcoming Workshop: Building the Portfolio

Lauren Henkin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:24:20 +0000

Here is another workshop I will be offering beginning in April. This will be a small, intensive class that you will have to apply to participate in. If you have any questions, please contact me by e-mail at lauren@laurenhenkin.com. To register, go to my website at www.laurenhenkin.com and click on the “Workshops/Events” page. If you scroll down you will see the register button that will take you to Paypal to pay for the class. Thank you!

BUILDING THE PORTFOLIO
Dates: Every other Saturday starting on April 10 for 6 sessions; 7th and 8th sessions on Saturdays July 10th &24th
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: My studio in the Mississippi neighborhood of Portland
Limit: 7 Students
Cost: $300

This intensive course is designed to help you either complete a new body of work or an existing series that you may have trouble finishing, with the goal being to have a completed portfolio of between 15-20 prints. We will spend the first half of each class discussing such topics as developing a concept, image quality, print quality, print size, printing materials, editing, sequencing, general craft, bookmaking, marketing, and writing your project statement; the second half will be devoted to evaluating your progress on the development of the work.

This is not a ‘technical skills’ workshop, although we’ll discuss technical skills as it pertains to making the work stronger. The emphasis is on creating the work itself, and shaping its form so that you will be able to present the portfolio to your chosen audience whether that be a gallery director, collector or the media. You’ll develop both the tangible product—a portfolio—and the ability to explain its importance. We’ll sharpen your ability to critique your own work, as well as others’, and work through the project from conceptualization to final printing.

Admission is by review. A pdf of current or past work will be required for acceptance. To apply, please e-mail me a low resolution pdf with 20 images of recent work, I will be in touch shortly.

Upcoming Workshop: Marketing Your Work

Lauren Henkin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:21:00 +0000

In the coming months, I will be offering a few different workshops in my new studio in the Mississippi neighborhood. The first will be an intensive 1-day class on marketing your work. A description is below. To register, please go to my website and click on the “Workshops/Events” page. You will be able to register from there, or you can just e-mail me directly at lauren@laurenhenkin.com. Please let me know if you have any questions as well.

MARKETING YOUR WORK
Date: Saturday, April 3
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (includes 1 hour for lunch)
Limit: 10 Students
Cost: $110

Lauren Henkin will demonstrate how to best market yourself and your work. We’ll start with an evaluation of your work and your marketing successes and challenges to date. We’ll cover tools and specific marketing materials you can use to boost your career and sales of individual artworks. Some of the topics covered will include: defining a target audience, creating the optimal marketing piece, writing query letters, entering juried shows, participating in portfolio review events, attending trade shows, designing and creating self-promotion materials such as web sites and general best practices for presenting your work. This workshop is targeted toward photographers who already have bodies of work they wish to present and who are actively marketing their work.

This will be an opportunity to get feedback on materials you may already be using or preparing to create. You’re encouraged to bring in your current marketing and work samples.

Be on the lookout for future workshops/classes!