Time with Ossian - What an experience!

Intro by Skip Cohen

About six months ago I "met" Ossian Lindholm for the first time. It was a conference call between me, Lauren Hefferon, founder of Travel Vision Journeys and Ciclismo Classico. Having seen a lot of Ossian's images I couldn't help but be excited to finally talk with him.

I remember hanging up the phone after that first call and just being inspired. His images are stunning, his accent perfect for the role of an adventurer, but it's his passion for the craft that you can't help but feel with everything he talks about.

Although there's nothing he can't photograph, his first love is clearly in the outdoors and landscapes. He's an artist, a photographer, a writer, a TV celebrity, an environmentalist and a teacher with, as Lauren Hefferon shares in this summary of his class in Maine last week, the ability to motivate and inspire.

Stay tuned and bookmark this page, because every week Ossian is sharing another tip to help you raise the bar on your images!
 
by Lauren Hefferon

Last week, 8 amateur/serious hobbyist photographers and I were immersed in the photogenic beauty of Maine in Ossian Lindholm Mindful Travel Photography Course at Maine Media Workshops. The class was the perfect blend of intense classroom instruction and a variety of stunning and fascinating field trips to Rockport Harbor, sunset in Camden Harbor, sunrise and seagulls in Rockland Harbor, the views and micro landscapes of Mt Battie, Acadia National Park (a photographer's dream), the lobsterman culture of Port Clyde and the Grand Finale, a Puffin cruise where we put it all together snapping the adorable Puffins and Wildlife around Mohegan Island. 

There was a wonderful comradery with my fellow students. It was interesting and inspiring to see how 9 sets of eyes could see all of the same landscapes so differently. There's nothing quite like sharing your passion with like-minded new friends. We laughed a lot (even when we were supposed to be mindful), enjoyed lobster, drinks, gorgeous views, quiet moments and learned so much from each other. This creative kinship is one of the best parts of a travel photo workshop! 

Ossian's teaching was engaging, inspiring and masterful. He was able to distill in 6 very full days, the essence of his 40 years of photography experience. His style is hands-on and personal, always available to interact understand where each photographer needs to grow and learn. His ability to take complex photography subjects, simplify them and make them interesting and at times even entertaining, made for a wonderfully flowing and fascinating class. 

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Finally he taught us all to be more mindful photographers, to slow down, be silent and to quietly absorb and feel all the sensations of the place. Before we took any pictures, he taught us to "put our mind in focus, to observe carefully and use all of our sense, hearing, smell and touch...to be silent and thus stay alert, to create and set up the photo in our mind and then to capture the photograph that is in our mind. "

By the end of the week, we all learned to better "Look around and see with new eyes" Gracias Ossian! Thank you Maine Media Workshops for making it all happen! 

Join us for a Mindful Travel Photography experience in Argentina, Chile or Brazil in 2015 or 2016 . More information is just a click away.

Images copyright Lauren Hefferon. All rights reserved.

Photography Trips to Argentina, Chile & Brazil