"eBooks and Curation"
A unique online workshop run by Ewen Bell, designed to offer a different way to think about your photography and how to present your images. It’s not about a single photo, it’s about the connection between them. Ewen will help guide you through a process to turn your photos into a story.
Build and curate a consistent theme through the creation of an ebook, and find new ways to express your photographic ideas.
4 Week Online Program
Expression through Photography
Create your own “Photo Essay”
Curate a Story
Create Connections
Build Consistency
Interactive learning and Discussion
Get Feedback
Prepare for Print
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The "eBooks and Curation" program is sponsored by
How It Works
Everything is run online, with a two hour session every week for four weeks. The first session is very intensive, setting down the concepts, introducing an online tool for publishing and design, and defining a homework task to be completed in time for the second session. We try to guide you gently into the challenge, but it does take effort for everyone. In the following weeks we review the homework submissions and refine the concepts. As we change the rules so to the challenge and opportunity to learn change as well.
Each week participants are preparing a new version of their book for discussion, but with new guidance each time. This is why the group size is limited, as the time required for feedback can be demanding. We want to offer genuine critique and a chance to encourage your creative expression. While the core ideas and concept for this workshop starts from the same place, each time we run it is a new experience, shaped by the participants.
How do we join?
If you think this program might be well received at your camera club, please drop me an email and let's have a chat. We have limited places in the schedule to run these events and are committed to offering the best possible experience every time we run the program. Once your club committee has decided to go ahead with the program, we will supply a signup form and handout for your club, and coordinate the online sessions directly using Google Meet.
Drop me an Email
Course Requirements
Participants of the course will need to have a desktop or laptop for the online sessions, and for working on their eBook. iPads or similar are not suitable for this program. Some experience with processing your RAW files is useful, and a working internet connection is essential. It does not matter if you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned enthusiast – anyone can participate. Each online session runs for 2 hours starting from 6:30pm in the evening. There is also a significant time commitment required in between course sessions to complete the individual creative tasks.
Why is this FREE?
Ewen want to share his vision of photography and help others to find their own voice and their own path with the camera. We recognise that not everyone can afford to join them on a two week tour in the Himalayas. Many people join camera clubs to connect with other people who share their love of photography, so Ewen decided that was a good place to lend a hand. The courses are supported by Lumix and Panasonic Australia to ensure that there is no cost to camera clubs or their members.
This is our way of contributing something to the clubs, and thereby the art of photography itself.
Sponsored by Panasonic / Lumix
This workshop is offered with the support of the Lumix range of G and S series cameras, and Panasonic Australia. Their support makes it possible to offer this course at no cost to the camera club or participants.
Camera Not Included
Ewen Bell recently released a special 80-page eBook called "Camera Not Included", which is full of gorgeous black and white images in the Himalayas and a small collection of new articles about the philosophy and art of photography. This was an extension to his 2019 book called "ReIMAGINE".
You can get a free copy of "Camera Not Included" when you subscribe to Ewen's newsletter.
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A few words from our recent workshop participants
John Hay
Brisbane Camera Club
I would like to say thank you very much for your mentoring during our recent eBook workshop. I found the experience wonderful and a great start to an interest in this form of photographic publication. I have been really inspired by others' work within the group and your positive comments to everyone. Each week, it has been great to see what other people have been working on and their improvement in skill each week.
I feel that the workshop experience will be a game changer in my photographic journey. There are many issues that I have learnt from tight texture photos, to pairing of photos, to shooting for a purpose and many more.
August 2022
Cara Williams
Redlands Camera Club
Thank you for your recent ebook workshop which I attended over 4 evenings in March through the Redlands Camera Club.
This was a great opportunity for exposure to a new software package and to better understand the principles for design of an ebook and curation of sets of images rather than focusing solely on individual images in isolation.
The fact you were able to bring together a group of people who had never been exposed to the software before and have them creating such diverse but amazing ebook designs within such a short period of time is a testament to the course design and your support, inspiration and patience.
Thank you for devoting so much time and energy to assist local camera club members - I would definitely recommend this opportunity to other camera clubs and their members.
March 2021
Barry Povey
Berwick Viewfinders
Well, I have just completed the online, zoom workshop with Ewen Bell and David Norris on producing an eBook. This has been an eye-opener. We are so indoctrinated into examining one image at a time that we miss out on using the story/connection/conversation that two or more images can have on a page. Doing this workshop has altered/enhanced my way of thinking about such images.
The practical task we were involved in led us clearly though stages, resulted in an eBook that we can share and show. Seeing the eBooks, from participants, develop over the four sessions was most enlightening. The supportive atmosphere helped us talk about and share thoughts on the concepts introduced.
I found new respect for images in my collection that I would never use in a competition but are ideal, when paired (and viewed) with a second or more images. I now see where several images on one page/slide can have a strength greater than their individual sum.
A superb workshop which has influenced how I explore photography. So valuable!
December 2020
Elyane Geltch
Brisbane Camera Club
I have just recently completed Ewen's Build Your Own eBook - Online Photography Workshop. This was a terrific 4 session workshop. It taught me how to curate and sequence images to produce a great story. There were ten members of Brisbane Camera Group involved in the workshop and each week we got to share our ebooks as they evolved, it was a great learning experience and Ewen was such a great mentor in helping me put together and sequence my images. I highly recommend this workshop to all photography clubs. It takes you out of the one image mind set to win awards, but instead to put together images they may not stand alone, but put together they become outstanding. I will now shoot with a purpose and to think more creative. Thank you Ewen for you time.
August 2022
Arun Sankaragal
Berwick Viewfinders
“Build your own eBook Workshop” organised by David Norris & Ewen Bell was an amazing learning experience. Learnt how to put an eBook together using the images which are going to complement, not to create contrast, start a conversation, and have some diversity.
I love to capture street & landscape, some of my images have never seen a viewer's eye as it’s hidden in my hard drive. This exercise has given me a new perspective of demonstrating my images and moreover able to narrate a story which was experienced by myself while capturing those images.
Lastly, this course has reignited my creativity and will certainly use this skill on my next outing. Using the images which are going to narrate a story and not rely on my best images of the group (kill your darlings )
Thank you very much David and Ewen.
December 2020
Gina Auciello
Moreland Camera Club
What a rewarding experience it was to take part in the Build Your Own Ebook Workshop with Ewen Bell and David Norris. It was easy to attend online and such an enjoyable way to do the course with many of my camera club members. Ewen and David are so generous with their time, sharing their experiences and providing constructive feedback along the way.
The learning has been valuable. It will definitely change my approach to taking photos in future and I will most likely have a better set of images as an outcome. As an active camera club member, I will still be taking photos for camera club purposes, however this course has taught me to perceive photography in a different way and to create a greater story through a series of images.
The workshop challenged me to create and curate a collection of images, which were both diverse and consistent to a theme. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning how to bring this all together to tell a story in an Ebook, rather than being lost on my hard drive forever.
Thank you Ewen and David for bringing this workshop series to photographers. A very valuable learning experience for anyone who wants to do more with their photography.
January 2021
Nerissa Turner
Moreland Camera Club
I really enjoyed this ebook workshop. The course was inspiring and forced me to think a little differently about my photography and how I present my images. It also re-invigorated my creativity and desire to be creative. I appreciated the effort and detail that both Ewen and David put into presenting the course, it was concise, well developed and easy to follow. I have also enjoyed seeing the different collections and concepts others in the group came up with and watching them develop as the weeks went on.
A well structured and enjoyable workshop that I would recommend to anyone wishing to step into the ebook space to develop their photography into something special they can enjoy and share.
January 2021
Judy Tricker
Berwick Viewfinders
I would like to thank you for being the generous person you are and taking the time to run the eBook class with us. I learned so much about telling the story about my rocks and how to approach different layouts and text ideas.
It was so nice to be able to showcase the photos that get left behind in the system because they are not 'competition worthy'. I'm looking forward to attempting my next eBook in colour just for a challenge.
I would suggest that if anyone else has the chance to do this class, that they jump at it. Well worthwhile and given me so many ideas to use this idea for.
December 2020
Gail McTaggart
Berwick Viewfinders
Recently some of our camera club members participated in a course, with Ewen and David on how to produce an EBook. It was a fantastic course, in addition to learning the Ebook process and software, which to start with I found quite challenging, I learnt heaps about my photography, how to match photos to tell a story, what photos match together and what ones don't and why. Since the first week I have also changed the way I go about taking photos when out in the field. I take time to consider the wide angles, cropped angles, details and textures of a scene, this has been a huge learning curve for me.
Ewen and David were there to help all the way through, encouraging and challenging me to explore the new concepts I was learning and thoughts I was having through the learning.
Last Wednesday we shared with the whole group the results of our Ebooks and it was fantastic to see how others in the group had improved as well... I'm sure they will all agree with me.
I would highly recommend this course to anyone who (a) wanted to produce Ebooks and (b) wanted to improve their storytelling through photos.
December 2020
