In this workshop we will discuss photography, and the power of images to inspire, connect, educate and motivate others. In a world where we have the ability to record our lives nonstop, are we taking a moment to consider what really matters to us? What will the images we are creating tell future generations about who we are, and what we value? In our time together, we will take a sensory walk through town, noticing the nature that greets us. Participants will make images of what they discover and what they wonder. Back at the library, we will select, print and create a photo mural of these images. Participants may also print a favorite image to keep. This workshop is intended for kids 8 and up. Since we’ll be heading on a walk around town, we ask that all kids please bring an adult!

This workshop is inspired by the NEA Big Read MDI’s Nothing to See Here, and Kevin Wilson's comment that when he is not teaching or writing, he spends long hours with his children rambling through the mountains of Tennessee, exploring their backyard pond, watching old WrestleManias, hiking through the woods and "searching for frogs and lizards, for all the living things moving around us, unseen unless you try to find them."

Equipment: a digital camera, a smart device, or pencil/paper: you will need the ability to deliver a digital image that you make during the workshop , but you are also welcome to join us with a film camera and finish the exercise on your own, afterward. This workshop is less about the technical aspects of photography, and more about using photography as a tool to notice, connecting ourselves with the natural world, and collective storytelling.

"To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." Mary Oliver

“In nature, nothing exists alone.” Rachel Carson