Image activist provides photography workshops to cultivate creativity

As the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture enters the last month of the Welcome to Brookhill experience, the Gantt Center celebrates the impact of this exhibit with a course designed to cultivate photographers who desire to shoot with intention.

Award-winning image activist Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr. will lead this series on four Sundays. During the series, Jacobs will detail his overall experience partnering with the Brookhill neighborhood, discuss his career path as a photographer and equip attendees with skills to take strong images that tell a story.

A transplant to Charlotte, Jacobs honed his craft on the front lines of America's social justice movements. He has since emerged as a premier photographer and photo-documentarian. His distinctive aesthetic is marked by a propensity toward highlighting stark contrast and in dealing in black & white - both in photography and in the world.

The workshop series is open to ages 16 and up. All skill levels and camera types - from iPhones to DSLR - are welcome. Each session is 2 hours, from 12 noon - 2 p.m. on Sundays, starting March 15 through April 5.

• Week 1: We will discuss the work of great photographers, and analyze images in Welcome to Brookhill to better understand how fundamentals of composition create compelling imagery. What makes a photograph successful?
• Week 2: This session will include hands-on demonstrations with cameras and basic digital image editing techniques.
• Week 3: Jacobs leads a Photo Walk with a historical and social justice context, designed to put the skills you have fostered into action.
• Week 4: Jacobs will discuss his practice as a photographer, specifically his journey in monetizing his work, and best practices for sustaining a career in photography. The series will culminate with an (optional) presentation of students’ images taken during the Photo Walk, as well as other images taken throughout the 4-week process.

Jacobs, a native of Rockford, Illinois, is a professional photographer and image activist currently living in Charlotte, NC. He is also the 2018-2019 Gantt Center artist-in-residence who was commissioned to photograph the award-winning images in the Gantt Center’s exhibition Welcome to Brookhill.

This talent for capturing the heart of his subjects on camera has led to him being named one of Charlotte Magazine's 2018 "Charlotteans of the Year" and Creative Loafing's "Best Photographer of 2018." Welcome to Brookhill also received top honors by Creative Loafing readers as "Best Exhibit of 2018."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION.

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