Photography workshop by Image Arts alum lands international acclaim

In the past few decades, technology has revolutionized art, dismantling barriers to photography and empowering amateurs and professionals alike to create masterpieces once reserved for a select few. This shift has granted students in a Photo Workshop led by Photography Media Arts alum Rob Davidson the opportunity to showcase their photos at the Pingyao International Photo Festival in China.

From an early age, Davidson thought he’d follow in his parent's footsteps and become a doctor. It was only when he heard stories of his parent's colleagues and their makeshift darkrooms that he thought of potentially pursuing commercial photography as his career.

So when he opened his mailbox some 30-odd years ago and saw an acceptance letter from both McGill for Pre-Med and TMU (formerly Ryerson) for photography, he figured he’d give photography a shot. In Davidson’s mind, if photography worked out, he could always “practice medicine as a hobby.”

New obstacles present new opportunities

Davidson went on to practice and teach photography to pursue his passion. “Teaching is in my blood, from both Mom and Dad, and I inherited their passion,” said Davidson. With classrooms shutting down in the Winter 2020 semester and a new normal taking its place, Davidson was forced to adapt and transition his photo editing classes to an online format. It was a new form of teaching and learning, one in which many physical barriers were lifted, and it was also where Davidson dreamt up the idea of The Photo Workshop - an open-invite, bi-weekly workshop held over Zoom created for amateur photographers looking to challenge their skills and expand their perceptions of what’s possible with photography.

“I was initially inspired to create The Photo Workshop by my students,” said Davidson. “They wanted to know how they could continue their creative growth despite the cancellation of classes and all in-person opportunities. I realized that I could use Zoom to create a creative workshop and challenge students to continue developing their visual and aesthetic skills in their own time.”

For the last four years, students have met every two weeks to learn more about the work of a particular artist, an artistic movement or a genre of photography to better understand the motivation behind the work. When Davidson invited Professor Emeritus Dan Synder to do a presentation for the workshop, he was so impressed with the calibre of work that he asked him if he could include his student's work in a proposal that was asked of him from the Pingyao International Photo Festival taking place in China later that year.

To his surprise, the festival was interested, and when Davidson asked how many photos they wanted to feature from the book he shared, an expression of excitement spread across his face when his reply was ‘all of them.’

The ancient city of Pingyao 

Nestled on the east bank of the Fen River, Pingyao is an ancient walled city in central Shanxi, China with a rich economic history originally settled more than 1,000 years ago. The annual festival is held in an old industrial part of the city that has since been converted into display rooms, one of which was reserved entirely for Davidson’s Photo Workshop exhibition.

Designated as a UNESCO historical site, Davidson and his partner, Nadia Cheema, were able to take in the breathtaking sites of the city and hang up and showcase the work of a dedicated group of Canadian amateur photography enthusiasts to an international audience in China's largest photography festival. What’s more, they were invited to give lectures on the workshop during the festival and speak at the Nanjing University of the Arts, where Davidson held a Photo Workshop for a group of 30 students.

For many of his students, this was the first time they had seen their work framed on a wall, let alone at an international exhibition. But as Davidson will attest, inherent abilities and skills are far less important than one's love of enjoying the process.

“I’m a huge believer in the importance of amateurism which doesn’t deserve the negative connotation that’s usually attached to it,” remarked Davidson. “Amateur comes from the Latin word ‘to love,’ and that’s exactly what The Photo Workshop was intended for: people who love photography regardless of their skill level.”

Interested in learning more about Davidson and The Photo Workshop? Check out his website (external link)  for more of his featured work and read his book, Making and Thinking: The Idea of a Photo Workshop (external link) .

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