Live from FotoWeekDC: Momenta Workshop & Jodi Cobb Artist Talk

FotoWeekDC is an exciting annual event in Washington, DC that is a wonderful celebration of photography. There are exhibits and workshops happening in different venues till November 19.

Momenta Workshop

On Monday, November 13, I attended a Momenta workshop on Photography as a Force for Change at the Leica store. It was a great way to learn about resources for photographers, and borrow a Leica at lunch to try it out. I tried the Leica V-Lux. I loved how light the camera is, the great zoom lens, its fast focusing ability, frames per second and a sharp lens. It's a great camera for travel and street photography.

After the Crisis Exhibit

In the same space where the workshop was held, there was an exhibit going on called After the Crisis by Photographer Sara B. May. I was really moved by these powerful images taken in Sierra Leone after the Ebola crisis.

Photo Resources

Here are just a few of the photo resources I learned about during the workshop.

• Candid Frame Podcast
• Social Documentary Network
• B&H Event Space
• RocketLawyer
• Copyrighting Images

Stranger in Strange Lands: Artist Talk with Jodi Cobb

In the evening, I walked one block over to the Smithsonian American Art Museum for an Artist Talk: Stranger in Strange Land by Jodi Cobb, a National Geographic photographer. It was inspiring to see her work, and listen to her stories about her images.

She shared how difficult it was to shoot a atory about women in Saudi Arabia and the geishas in Japan. She told us how she grew up in Iran with her family and traveled a lot during her childhood. She said that her brother once asked his mom, what is something new I can do today that I have never done before and she still asks the same question today.

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She did some difficult stories about modern day slavery and trafficking that made her cry every day while working on the project. She said that raising awareness has become a trite phrase, but she believes it's important to do whatever you can to help make the world a better place.

During the Q&A, she said that every photographer needs to have a good editor. She is currently working on a retrospective book of all her work. She also enjoys working on her own projects, such as one on colorful reflections in the water in Venice. Check out her work on her website.

Thanks to ASMP, SAMM and FotoWeekDC for organizing this wonderful event. For a young photographer, it was like listening to an elder share her wisdom and tales of adventure, sorrow and triumph!

FotoWeekDC continues this week, and I hope to check out more events and exhibits. [Click here to check out the schedule of events.