In Mary Oliver’s poem “Sometimes,” she writes: “Instructions for living a life: / Pay attention. / Be astonished. / Tell about it.” Her words are clear-eyed guidance for anyone seeking a more abundant life, but they seem an almost vital manifesto for photographers. In this class, we’ll explore the many similarities in the way poets and photographers approach and find meaning in the world and how photographers might enlarge their vision by learning from poetry and literature’s rich history. Throughout five sessions, we’ll study how poets and writers have woven the stuff and feelings of everyday life into words that thrum in the hearts and minds of readers and how photographers and photographs can work the same way. We’ll learn to read pictures, see poems, and make and share new work that expands the poetic potential of our photography. By finding connections between poems and pictures, we’ll also gain insight into new ways of understanding and describing our photos in words.

“If your pictures are not good enough, you aren’t reading enough.” —Tod Papageorge