Building A Creative Community
One Photo Walk At A Time
Welcome to Adopted Lens, my monthly newsletter dedicated to the journey of self-discovery through photography. In this month’s edition, I’m going to share how I went from roaming the streets all by myself (camera in hand), to finding value in creating a community of photographers to shoot with!
When I first picked up my camera in the summer of 2019, I never would have imagined that in a few short years, I’d be building a community of hundreds or possibly thousands of like-minded individuals, who share the same passion for photography as I do.
This past weekend I hosted my 6th Community Photo Walk of the year and afterwards I took some time to reflect on how important this community has become.
When I decided to start photography as a hobby, I was in desperate need of something creative that was for me and me alone.
I had hit a point in my life where I knew I needed to create time and space for myself to be creative, and photography seemed like the answer.
After 6 months of shooting solo on the street, the pandemic hit and shut down the entire world. For the next year and a half, the streets were empty, people weren’t allowed to gather in groups and my enthusiasm to get back out on the street and shoot was growing stronger by the day.
It was a weird time.
Some people had gone deeper into seclusion, while others were longing for that human connection all over again. That need for human connection is what ultimately led to me hosting my first Community Photo Walk in the summer of 2021.
I didn’t really know what I was doing at the time, but that’s never stopped me before. So I put out an invite on social media and a small group of about 10 people signed up and joined my first photo walk.
The day was filled with fun photo challenges, great conversations, and an opportunity to feel connected again. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the most popular question I kept hearing was, “When’s the next one?!”
For those of you who might not know, community has always been a part of my DNA.
Sometime around 2005 or 2006 I volunteered as a creative mentor at a community initiative here in Toronto called The Remix Project. It’s a non-profit, charitable organization that aims to help level the playing field for ‘at-risk’ youth from underserved communities, who are looking to enter the arts, music, fashion, entertainment and culture-based industries.
The experience of being a mentor and feeling like I was genuinely part of a community literally changed my life path forever. Believe it or not, almost 20 years later, I’m still working closely with The Remix Project to this day!
During that time at Remix, I was simultaneously building an even larger community with a passion project called 1LOVETO. For those of you who are not from Toronto, or too young to remember, 1LOVETO was one of the first and possibly largest movements dedicated to celebrating the often overlooked stories of the people, places and things that make our city one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.
After looking back at my past, it seems like it was inevitable that photography would become something bigger than myself.
I’m beyond grateful for everyone who’s joined this journey so far and I’m excited to see what this becomes as we continue to grow and learn together. I can’t believe I’m saying this again, but building a photography community has changed my life path all over again.
If you’ve never been to one of my Community Photo Walks, but you’d like to see what they’re all about, CLICK HERE.
The Benefits Of Community
There are countless benefits when it comes to being part of a community, but for anyone who’s still on the fence, and may not feel comfortable meeting new people, I’ve listed a few reasons/benefits as to why you should think about joining!
Meet like-minded, passionate photographers in real life
Gain an appreciation for different perspectives
Try new experiences in a safe and supportive environment
Find inspiration and encouragement from others
Feel happy and healthy doing something you love
Build lasting personal relationships
Gain creative accountability from others
More opportunities for success
Additional resources and equipment
Learn from others and be challenged to be better
I hope to see you at one of my upcoming community events (see event listings below)!
If you’d like to join my community text group to receive event invites, project updates and all things photography, feel free to text me here: (647) 424-2278
Peace,
PHOTO OF THE MONTH (JUNE)
Most Recent YouTube Videos (Links)
Upcoming Events
The Life of Phys Podcast - I recently had the honour of being a guest on The Life of Phys Podcast with Indigenous/Canadian Photographer and Host Tyson Martin. My episode comes out sometime later next month (July), but in the meantime, do yourself a favour and check out some of his previous interviews with photographers like Jason Roman and many more! LISTEN HERE.
Community Photo Gallery - Earlier this year I hosted a special edition of my community photo walk series in partnership with ILFORD and Memento Film Lab. 25 Photographers were gifted 1 roll of ILFORD HP5 400 Plus (and an ILFORD Sprite Camera if needed). The goal was to capture “Life As We Know It”, during a 2-3 hour photo walk through Ossington, Queen Street West and Parkdale. Each photographer will be showing 1 select photo from the walk at our Community Photo Gallery in July (date TBD). Invites coming soon!
G44 Annual Members Exhibition - I’ll be showing my work at G44 (The Centre For Contemporary Photography) as part of the Annual Members Exhibition on Friday, July 19th to August 3rd, 2024. Opening reception is July 19th from 6-8pm.
Save The Date - August 11th (Riverside Community Photo Walk)
For more information, check out bryan-brock.com/community
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