The talented and forward thinking editor, Laura Brunow Miner, of Pictory Magazine started PHOOT Camp, an annual photographers weekend, several years back.  If her name sounds familiar it’s because she was the editor-in-chief and designer of JPG Magazine before starting Pictory Magazine.  This year she is taking the show on the road to Woodstock, NY, for an experience of photographic bonding, fun, creativity, fun, and new thinking.   PHOOT Camp 2012, is  taking place June 14-18, 2012. Apply by 4/30!  We need more experiences of creative bonding, away from competition and daily stress.  Bravo to Laura for creating this opportunity.

(Photo modified from a shot from Phoot Camp 2011 by Michael O’Neal)

The reason I picked upstate New York for this year’s event is that I wanted to put extra pressure on my (supremely capable and talented) campers this year by asking them to each have an exhibition-ready photo by the end of camp. When I found out about Photoville NYC taking place in Brooklyn right after Phoot, I could not have been more excited about the potential for a perfect venue to showcase the work. A phone call confirmed that the folks organizing Photoville, United Photo Industries, are the just the kind of energetic, creative people I love collaborating with. Their goal with the two-week-long event is to pull the NYC photography community together, and they’ve got a line up of our photo compadres and heroes, including 20×200, Lomography, and PDN, all exhibiting in one space at one time. Sounds so dreamy, even before you get to the part about the room-sized camera obscura, beer gardens, and dog runs! I couldn’t think of a more perfect location for the very first Phoot gallery show EVER, which will open four days after the camp, on June 22, 2012, and run for two weeks.

(Photos from United Photo Industries’ “Foto/Pods” at the Dumbo Art Festival.)

Beyond that, we’ve also found the local photography community near our lodging in upstate New York to be fantastic. Not only is there the impressive Center for Photography Woodstock, there’s also a wealth of other photo and art centers in such a small area. We hope to get to know and love the locals like we did with the residents of Marfa last year.

(Portrait of Marfa locals by Ryan Schude)

Oh, and last but not least, there is river tubing. YES! After all, what’s camp without a little water recreation?!

(Photo from Phoot Camp 2011 by Michael O’Neal)
Less than two weeks left to apply! 

Deadline: 4/30/12.

DO IT. And help us spread the word if you can!