HELLO EVERYONE
Welcome to the Richard Martin Photography January newsletter.  2005 has been a busy year for Richard with tours to Italy, workshops in Canada, assignments in Cuba, serving as part time faculty at St Lawrence College, teaching ‘Photography as Artistic Expression’ for a group of students enrolled in the ‘Digital Arts for Musicians’ program, plus many interesting architectural assignments.

MAY IN ITALY
May is coming upon us quickly, with just four months to go before Richard heads to Italy to lead his tour in Sicily and his Tuscany workshop.
 
A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE – SICILY TOUR  May 5th to 15th
Sicily is an amazingly flavourful place, and fortunately, still very much a secret. So much of a secret that there has been less response to the tour than we had expected.  In order to entice you to this magical land, we have lowered the price by $500.00 to $3380.00 U.S/$3940.00 CAN plus GST.  We have had so many enquiries but the response has generally been “it’s too much for a place I don’t know!”.  We want to make Sicily accessible to those of you who are hesitant to visit an area that is not so well known.  A land that is truly remarkable and unforgettable.

So, just to entice you….
At the centre of the Mediterranean, but on the periphery of Europe lays the island of Sicily. With an exotic appeal that sets it apart from mainland Italy, Sicily has long been known as a "melting pot" of ancient cultures and peoples. Sixteen foreign dominations have touched, changed and marked the Sicilian soul. First the Greeks and the Romans, then the Arabs and Normans, and finally, the French, Spanish and Italians, all of them contributing to an unparalleled historical legacy. The conquerors have left, not only an abundance of art, architecture and archaeological remains, but have transformed the landscape, fashioned the cultural eccentricities, influenced the mixed appearance of the inhabitants and shaped the social attitudes unique to Sicily and the Sicilians.

And to entice you a bit more…
Take a look at Sicily through the eyes of last year’s participants Siamack Sioshansi and Ed Tobin.  They have both produced very unique and wonderfully strong, colourful bodies of work that capture the essence of the land and people.

And a little more…
2005 participant Gillian Little says "I highly recommend that you take advantage of Richard’s willingness to share his passion, enthusiasm and talent for making photographs and of Elisa’s first hand knowledge and love of Sicily, the people, it's culture and it’s history." Read more.

For more info about the tour please visit the Sicily website or email us.

VISION AND DISCOVERY – TUSCANY WORKSHOP  May 19th – 27th
The Tuscany workshop is filling fast with just a space or two left. If you are one of those people who tend to put things off, please act quickly as there are limited spaces.

Imagine yourself immersed in Tuscany, a place where you can live photography for an entire week, virtually free from the distractions of the outside world. Imagine indulging yourself in an environment where the focus is on you and your photography, with all the freedom to play, experiment, and be adventuresome. The workshop experience will provide that opportunity through a variety of lectures and field trips designed to advance skills, provide inspiration, explore new ideas, and deal with the creative process of photography.

"Richard Martin's intelligent and caring workshop philosophy is based on a great deal of experience both as participant and instructor. The creativity of his vision, images and teaching is inspiring." - Freeman Patterson

For more info about the workshop please visit the Tuscany website or email us.

GUANTANAMO BLUES PROJECT, CUBA
Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the U.S. and Cuba.  She has been nominated for Grammy Awards, numerous Juno Awards, and most recently, was honoured with an appointment to the Order of Canada.

LOWEPRO CALENDAR
Richard’s photograph of a landscape made in South Carolina has been featured on the cover of Lowepro’s ‘Year in Images’ 2006 calendar, in addition to appearing inside on the September page. The calendar features the work of Nevada Wier, William Neill, Heather Angel, Rod Planck, and others.

LOWEPRO 2005 Vision Brochure
Lowepro’s 2005 Vision brochure recently received the International Communicator’s Award of Excellence in Design. Richard was one of the featured photographers for a second year. The Lowepro brochure, now in its seventh year of production and distributed around the world, is more than a brochure showcasing the company’s extensive line of protective camera cases and pouches. It has also become a showcase for some of the world’s best-known and respected photographers including Harry Benson, Douglas Kirkland, Joyce Tenneson, Robert Farber, Greg Gorman, Lynn Goldsmith, and George Lepp.