How the Steve McCurry x Eolo Perfido Workshop Changed The Way I Approach Photography
July 16, 2023
Back in October, I saw an ad on Instagram for a workshop in Rome taught by one of my favourite photographers of all time, Steve McCurry. At first, I thought it wasn’t real, but it was coming from his official instagram page which I had been following. The ad led me to a website that had all the details of the workshop including a little surprise, that it would also be taught by a photographer who’s work I wasn’t yet familiar with, Eolo Perfido. Curious, I quickly looked up Eolo’s work online. He worked almost exclusively in B&W with a wide 28mm focal length, something I had basically been doing for the last few years with my Leica M10 Monochrom and 28mm Summilux lens. I really dug his work. He did street photography and studio portraits and it was very different from the work I had been seeing online on social media (which by the way is the worst place to find creative inspiration- PSA GET BOOKS!). The itinerary consisted of a six day workshop that included lessons in Street Photography, Street Portraits, Studio Portraits with Models, and Post Production. It was the ideal workshop for everything I was interested in with now TWO photographers who’s work I admired. Prior to this, I had never taken any photography lessons or workshops. I have been self taught. Without hesitating, I put my non-refundable deposit down to secure a spot. The next day, I received a personal email confirmation from someone in Steve’s office. I was in. Now there was just over 7 months before I was going to depart to Rome on a short journey of a lifetime.
Over the next several months, I didn’t think too much about the workshop if I’m to be honest. I was busy working. I had told a couple family, friends, and coworkers of my plans and they were all very excited for me. It almost seemed like they were more excited for me than I was. I’m not too sure why I didn’t feel the excitement leading up to the workshop. It’s difficult for me to really get excited about anything until it’s happening or even after it’s happened. I think maybe I’m just always concerned that I would have the rug pulled from under me at any moment.
I didn’t book my flight or accommodations until just a month or two before the workshop. By then, prices to travel to Rome were skyrocketing. Still, the amount of money I was about to spend on the workshop and travel mixed in with the looming WGA Writer’s Strike that I knew would put me out of work for who knows how long, really put a cloud over any anticipation I really could have had. About two or three days prior to departure, I was feeling stressed. I think I was having a mini existential crisis. I really started to think about what led me to this decision to spend this money and take this workshop. I was psyching myself out. I was starting to wonder what exactly I wanted to get out of this workshop in order for me to feel like I got value out of it. I couldn’t even answer that question. I didn’t know what I wanted to get out of it. This goes in line with how I feel about my photography. I have no idea what I want to do with it. I just know that I love it. Well, I thought, it’s too late now. Bags are packed and in a day or so I would be on my way to Rome to learn from the greatest photographer of all time (IMHO).
STEVE McCURRY: “CHILDREN” EXHIBITION IN FLORENCE… A WORKSHOP APPETIZER
I planned my trip to arrive in Rome three days prior to the workshop. I did this to have a few days to adjust to the timezone and also to give myself a day to go to Florence to attend Steve’s exhibition “Children”. I had booked my ticket in advanced opting for one of the earlier entry slots. When I had arrived, there was maybe about two other people in the exhibit with me. I have been to a few photography exhibits before, but none of them were a McCurry exhibit. Prior to this, I had only been exposed to Steve’s work through what I could find on the internet and from one of his books, “Afghanistan” which I own.
Seeing a small carefully curated portion of Steve’s work exhibited on large prints was truly inspiring. The way the museum had lit the pieces made it seem like the photographs were glowing. I even checked to make sure that it was just the light hitting the canvas and that it was not backlit. The precise lighting and natural vibrancy of Steve’s work made each piece so pleasing to look at. As I slowly examined the exhibit and absorbed its over 100 pieces, there were two main thoughts I kept thinking. I wondered where every single child in this exhibit was now (some of those photos were taken in the 80s/90s), and that Steve truly has been everywhere around the world. Another thing I wondered, was how the hell does Steve produce such incredibly beautiful and emotionally moving photographs so consistently. It seems no matter what country or decade he’s in, his work is stellar. About twenty minutes into my time at the exhibit I noticed a lot more people had trickled in. Singles, couples, families and guided groups were now with me admiring Steve’s work. Then I remembered, I was going to meet the artist behind these photographs the next day and learn from him. Now, it’s finally starting to hit me the journey I was about to embark on. I had landed in Rome, and I was at an exhibition surrounded by Steve’s beautiful work and all of a sudden, I am excited for this workshop to begin.
CLASS IS NOW IN SESSION
Our first day of the workshop was an in-class/studio session where both Steve and Eolo had presentations about their careers, history together, inspirations, and approaches to their current work. It was evident off the bat that these two had very different personalities. I was even more surprised to learn that Eolo was Steve’s assistant for several years prior. Despite the two very different personas, these two had chemistry that was only elevated from their passion for photography and history together and it showed.
The practical portions of the Street Photography days were divided into two parts. A morning session where we would break up into smaller groups with an instructor or their wonderful aids (switching instructors every hour so we could learn from everyone) and then an evening session where we would focus on Street Portraits and have a model with us to practice on.
Despite liking all the other students in the workshop (each of them a gem in their own right) and enjoying their company immensely, I found it difficult to photograph in a group setting (I’m sure the others felt the same). I prefer to shoot alone when I’m photographing the streets, a sentiment that Steve and Eolo also share. Rome is busy enough in the summer with people, and having a group with you makes it more challenging to concentrate and be more in tune with your surroundings; Because of this, I found myself observing more than practicing. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing.
EOLO, THE APEX PREDATOR
As I watched Steve and Eolo work on the streets independently, I began to understand what I would be potentially taking away from this entire experience. Eolo appeared to be more active or concentrative while scanning the streets hunting for a worthy shot. He has this energy to him that begs you to pay attention. He is relentless in his pursuit almost like a panther hunting for their prey. He’s not afraid to speed up, follow, and get in close to his subjects to get the shot. I watched him zig-zag behind a couple figuring out his composition before finally settling on darting to their right and taking a shot straight on with the building beside them as the backdrop. Even though this took maybe six seconds and I was behind Eolo, I could see the gears turning in his head quickly calculating every possible scenario that was available for him to take a photo before the couple had a chance to notice him.
Eolo really taught us to not only be dauntless in our pursuit, but to also do it with respect to those we are shooting. He challenged us to be hyper aware of our surroundings and to be able to try and assess and predict things right before they happen. As he says, if it’s already happening, then it’s likely too late.
He taught us a lot about all the other elements within a frame of a street portrait besides the main subject that can help enhance the subject and tell a better more interesting story. Suddenly, taking a random photo of someone standing alone or simply crossing the street or walking towards me just didn’t cut it anymore. Leading lines didn’t cut it anymore. Symmetry and geometry alone, does not cut it anymore.
So what does? The same thing that always mattered that I feel a lot of photographers seem to forget. A story or emotion. Whether its beauty, comedy, irony, tragedy, love, hate, big or small, story is king. I used to think street photography was simply documenting the streets and how you see them, but one of the most important things I learned from Eolo is that street photography is the reconfiguration of reality through the subject(s) framing and composition as opposed to simply documenting it. Eolo is an incredible instructor for photographers of all levels. The way he is able to communicate his thought process without any ego and with added humour made it easy to learn from him.
WHERE’S STEVE?
My first smaller group session with Steve was interesting. I knew from the previous day that he would not be the same type of instructor that Eolo was. In my first hour with Steve on the street, it never really looked like Steve was hunting for a photo to take. He really took his time and aimlessly wandered. He blended in as a tourist (whether intentional or not), save for the odd time he’d stop mid step and pose. At first, I thought maybe he’s taken so many photos over his lifetime, many of them in Italy, or perhaps it was too hot and crowded and he just was not “in the mood” to take photos. When he did take out his camera, it was to take a photo of a statue. I was curious as to what had peaked Steve’s interest. I observed but also gave him space to work. I watched him clean the surrounding area of litter or as he later referred to it as “analog photoshop”. He carefully framed his shot, snapped a few and then immediately started a conversation with another man who was resting nearby by asking him about the book he had on his lap.
During our first short walk together, Steve would often smile and have small conversations with people. It felt like he was genuinely interested in what they had to say or learning anything about who that person was or what they were currently up to. These interactions were often short lasting anywhere between 15 seconds to a minute, but always ended positively with both parties smiling. One of Eolo’s assistant, Flavia, was often in charge of wrangling Steve and making sure he and whatever group was with him, got to our rendezvous points on time (a task I would quickly learn was not easy). Often when we’re making good time or en route, we’d turn around and be like “where’s Steve”? When we did find him, he was often around the corner or in a shop having a nice little chit chat with someone.
Some may consider his seemingly lack of proactive instructions as dismissive, but I knew immediately that this was a clear case of Mr. Miyagi wax-on-wax-off type of training. Everyone who attended this workshop came from different backgrounds and had different levels of experience with photography, that in retrospect, I can’t imagine how I could have had any sort of realistic expectations on what I would learn by the end of it. In order for that to happen, we would all have had to be close to the same level of experience and knowledge of photography, and we would all have had to have similar goals I feel. After meeting and working with the other students, it was clear we all wanted and expected different things from this workshop.
This goes back to the question, what did I want to learn that I didn’t already know?
The truth is, I didn’t know what I wanted and in retrospect, that’s a pretty big gamble to spend this much time and money on an experience where even I didn’t know what I wanted out of it.
I think there is a reoccurring theme here. I had previously mentioned that I wasn’t particularly overly excited for this trip. Any excitement I could have had was drowned out by self doubt as is often the case with me. This is true before any photoshoot that I plan with actors or models. Absolutely zero excitement beforehand, just one hundred percent nerves.
They say that expectations often lead to disappointment. What I did not realize was that by not having any sort of expectations, it left me open to absorb this experience with a different perspective and this is the best thing that could have happened, even if unintentional.
Over the next week I watched as Steve took his time taking in the streets of Rome and interacting with its people. He photographed more as the days went on. Even though Steve had been to Italy several times, he still looked at it with bright eyes almost as if he was there for the first time. As I noticed this, I remembered something that he had said on the first day in class; whenever he lands at a new country or city (even ones he’s been to before), he will often walk around town all day for the first few days from morning into the evening. He wants to have a feel for the place he’s in and really be engaged that way. Steve avoids doing too much research about a place before visiting so that he does not have any preconceived notions on how to photograph a place and its people. He wants his work to be a genuine reflection of how he sees and feels at any given time. In a digital climate where every photographer on social media seemingly wants to gain a following by taking the exact same photo as the photographer before them (see @insta_repeat, or literally any wedding photographer on instagram), it was refreshing to hear the exact opposite approach of not planning a shot or a set piece brings more of a genuine spontaneous and humane touch to your work. I mean, this is obvious, but it’s not said or practiced enough in our creative spaces these days.
As we got to know more about Steve through his stories and how he treated others (I also watched his documentary “The Pursuit of Colour” prior to the workshop, which I highly recommend), something significant; the answer to what I would learn from this workshop.
Prior to this, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my photography. I was slowly building a body of work that I was keeping safe on hard drives and cloud storage. I only had one clear idea for a project that I am still working on to this day that I thoroughly enjoy and find creatively fulfilling. I didn’t quite have an urge to try and become a photographer professionally despite those around me encouraging me to do so. Nothing about commercial, travel, wedding, personal/family, editorial, or fashion photography really enticed me enough to look into them as a viable career. What I did know, is that I loved to photograph what was happening around me, whether it’s the places I go to or the people in my life (past and present).
When I think about Steve’s life, and what I know about him from his work, his stories, and having worked with him for a week during this workshop, I realize that the secret to his work wasn’t in how he shot his subjects on a technical level. There’s not a specific focal length he always uses or an aperture he’s accustomed to. There’s not a particular angle he always tries to capture when taking someone’s portraits. Steve’s work is a deep reflection of who he is as a person and his life experiences. Through Steve’s travel and struggles early on in his career, he’s learned to develop a greater empathy to those he’s been around and photographed. Because of this, he knows when to pick up the camera, and more importantly, when not to. When I looked at Steve’s body of work spanning decades across the globe, it was hard for me to imagine a single person having witnessed all of these things and all of these moments in a single lifetime. Some of them beautiful, some of them tragic, mostly cathartic. Steve has seen the the world through and through and more importantly, he has seen it change.
What would the person who has seen it all be like? As it turns out, incredibly kind, warmhearted, and nurturing. Steve has a kindness in his soul that you can really feel. It disarms you. After the workshop, I went back and revisited a lot of his work, now having a better understanding of the man who took these photographs. When I look at the incredible portraits he has taken, I can now imagine myself being there with them. I can understand how his subjects can give Steve what they do in their portraits. Again, it’s not a secret lens or camera setting or film stock (because Steve is unapologetically all digital now). It’s because they trust the person behind the camera capturing their portrait. No matter what country or culture his subjects are from, Steve is able to not only empathize with them quickly, he’s also able to make them feel comfortable and respected.
Steve’s work is iconic because it is authentic. I’m not talking authentic in that the colours are accurate or he frames and scales his subjects to be correct; I mean it’s authentic because it is how Steve sees the person, and what we are getting back, is how that person feels around Steve. As mentioned in his documentary, ”a photograph is in some ways a self-portrait” and I could not agree with this any further. To circle back, Steve’s empathy comes from living a life of having witnessed the world through the good times and the bad and understanding humanity on a global scale. For someone who’s seen the world, Steve’s constant state of curiosity and wonderment is incredibly inspiring and motivating.
Photography aside and above all else, Steve is a witness of the world and his body of work and unique grasp of the human condition showcased in his photographs can only come from someone who has and continues to be a witness of the world.
So what did I learn?
Right… as I take my time to write this, my first ever blog post, it forces me to be really reflective about my time with Steve and Eolo and the overall experience of the workshop with my incredibly gifted fellow students. I have learned above all else, to be more confident in my own work and the path that I am currently on. Photography isn’t about getting that great shot or even being recognized for it. What I learned is that, truthfully, I can’t really “learn” how to take a great photograph, at least not what I would define as a great photograph. I believe that I will be able to eventually create work that have significant meaning to me as I get older and as I experience the world and life itself more. My perspective of the world needs to grow and I simply cannot do that by being in one place all the time, doing the same thing day in and day out, walking the same route, taking the same photos, referencing the same recycled photos on social media. I cannot reasonably expect to grow as an artist or storyteller unless I am able to live that story myself to some degree. My writing and creative thoughts can only take me so far on the page and in text. It’s time for me to be a witness. Always be hungry for knowledge of the world and its cultures, and the people around you. What I learned is, being a great photographer isn’t about the photos you take, it’s about the life you live and make for yourself. The photographs you capture along the way are just a bonus and hopefully one day, someone else can resonate with and be inspired by what you’ve seen. and how you see it.
Steve, Eolo, Anto, Carlo, Flavia, Guiseppe and my fellow students of this workshop, if you happen to be reading this, Thank you so much for your generosity, your knowledge, and your kind heartedness. My life is forever changed because of what I’ve learned from each and every one of you and I hope to see you all in the future. Grazie Mille.
