Introduction

Mission Statement:

The BlissWood photographic retreat and workshop is a boot camp for aspiring photojournalists, led by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Skeeter Hagler.

In this two-day workshop, students will be exposed to what it is like to be a working photojournalist on assignment for a major publication. The students will experience working under a tight deadline, always under the watchful eye of a critical editor.

The workshop assignments must be completed under whatever conditions the student encounters. The student must always keep a watchful eye for deviations in their stories and be ever alert and flexible when their story takes an unexpected turn.

Skeeter and his staff of award-winning editors and photographers will keep a close eye on the student's story progress and will offer suggestions as to how the stories can be improved upon and made stronger.

Our goal at the BlissWood workshop is to make each student a more thoughtful and confident shooter.

The Visual Narrative:

The concept of the BlissWood workshop is to produce images that tell a story, A Visual Narrative.

Sometimes the Visual Narrative is achieved with a single image, sometimes with a series of images. The photographer should strive to establish a point of view, developing a personal vision and edit these images into a coherent story.

The editing process, having to come up with 3 to 5 strong story-telling images from a shoot of 200 or more images is as much of a learning experience as the shooting itself.

Skeeter and his staff, with years of shooting and editing experience, will tutor the student through the process which will make them a better shooter the next time they go out.

There is one simple goal at the Blisswood Photography Workshop, have fun, enjoy an environment that is abundant with wildlife and interesting people, develop your eye, and become a more confident shooter.