Focused Opportunity: Fredericton edVentures.

By Matt Carter @m_j_c73

City’s edVentures series offers two workshops with award-winning New Brunswick photographer Freeman Patterson.

When it comes to summer activities and entertainment, I find it hard to believe any other city on the East Coast could come close to matching the opportunities offered annually by the City of Fredericton. From incredible outdoor theatre to jaw-dropping live music performances from some of the region’s best, the city really goes all-out when it comes to summer fun.

As a long-time resident of the city, I must admit there are times when I take some of these opportunities for granted. The list of events and things to do can be a bit staggering at times and as a result, I end up missing out on something really important. Until yesterday I had no idea this year’s edVentures series included two opportunities to learn from one of Canada’s greatest living photographers – the one and only Mr. Freeman Patterson.

Freeman Patterson is a national treasure. As a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of New Brunswick, two honorary doctorate degrees, countless medals for excellence in photography and more published photos than most of us have ever considered hanging on our walls (grandparents included!), he is without a doubt one of Canada’s most important living photographers.

For me personally, Patterson’s work has always been very much ahead of the curve. Before mobile phones and the convenience of digital cameras put photography into the hands of an entire generation, Patterson was there finding the beauty that exists all around us. Before Instagram brought our attention to shadows, pets, street signs, colour filters and manipulations, Patterson was there, camera in hand.

He remains a pioneer in capturing the unnoticed, the overlooked and the disregarded and helped countless artists come to see the smallest gifts of beauty that exist everywhere. Patterson has found in nature what Hollywood has strived so hard to create onscreen – vibrant beautifully landscapes and out-of-this-world scenic microcosms of colour and texture. Things we never thought existed.

Patterson has taught a generation of artists to see the world through new eyes. Don’t miss this opportunity to spend a day with a true master and his craft.

Visual Design with Freeman Patterson | One-day workshops | July 10 & 11

Visual design is the craft of visual expression. Pictures are like sentences; knowing the building blocks and ways of arranging them means you will communicate your feelings and ideas effectively. This one-day workshop with Freeman Patterson will include a two part instructional lecture illustrated with photographs on visual design in the morning. In the afternoon, participants will have the opportunity to take photographs, which will be followed by an evaluation of their images. Late registrations accepted.