Prairie Spirit, Rugby and Bottineau, North Dakota
Welcome to the unique opportunity to tell the story of life’s challenges on the prairie through the photographic possibilities presented by isolated, abandoned farmhouses and the charming small towns of north-central North Dakota. This workshop will increase your skills, challenge old habits, and help you eliminate a creative rut. Your focus during the week is not so much on making the perfect photograph but on approaching subjects differently, shifting your perspective, and taking creative risks. This combination of working in a new environment and altering how you approach your subject will change your photographs long after you leave the workshop.
Visionary Wild instructor Tillman Crane has arranged exclusive access to abandoned prairie homesteads and other slowly decaying structures on private land ordinarily off-limits to the public. The prior occupants of some of these farmhouses seem to have just up and left, leaving behind family photo albums, dishes in the cupboard, and antique furniture. With the aid of a local assistant, Tillman will lead the group through these photogenic ruins, emphasizing making the most of this special opportunity to spend time among them.
This workshop pairs the best of two locations. We will spend the first part of the week based in Rugby, close to the geographical center of North America, with a population of approximately 2,200, then relocate north to Bottineau for the second half. Each base opens onto its own array of homesteads, farmyards, and small-town subjects, and the change of ground midway keeps fresh territory in front of you throughout the week.
Numerous locations will be accessible each day, offering a varied array of subject matter, most within a 15- to 45-minute drive, and participants will be free to revisit locations they find particularly appealing and where they wish to focus their time and creative energy. Conditions of the structures range from windowless shells to intact buildings containing the personal belongings of the long-departed occupants. Far beyond the genre of “architectural” photography, these structures and the surrounding grounds provide rich possibilities for photographers interested in still life, abstraction, landscape, and even portraiture.
Details for travel, accomadation, fees, and other details can be found on the Visionary Wild Prairie Spirit web page.
