WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) – Participants in a Colusa County Arts Council photography program are exploring back roads, farmland and small communities across the region, capturing people and places that reflect life in the Sacramento Valley.
The project pairs guided photography walks with classroom workshops where participants learn photography basics, photo editing and post‑processing techniques. The series will culminate in May with a public gallery exhibition featuring photographs created during the program.
For Tamara Cheshire, a department head at Folsom Lake College, the program offered an opportunity to learn editing skills she typically relies on her students to handle when creating promotional materials for campus events.
“I don’t have the time to take a college class,” Cheshire said, explaining why the community workshop appealed to her. “I want to have those skills myself because I use a variety of photographs.”
Cheshire enrolled in the series with her husband and grandchildren, turning the workshops into a family activity. The drive from Sacramento has been worthwhile, she said, adding that opportunities like this are difficult to find even in larger cities.
Organized by the Colusa County Arts Council and supported in part by the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation and the California Arts Council, the program is designed for participants ranging from smart phone users learning the basics of photography to more experienced photographers interested in developing advanced skills. Organizers said the goal is not only to teach technique but to bring people together to create and share art as a community.
The program reached about the halfway point March 7 with a photo editing workshop at the Education Village in Williams, where instructor Brandon Flores, one of several professionals, demonstrated how photographers refine their images using modern editing tools.
“There’s no right way to edit a photo,” Flores told participants. “Art is subjective.”
Several events remain in the series as the program continues through the spring. Participants are scheduled to photograph the Sutter Buttes on Saturday, giving them an opportunity to apply the skills they have been developing during the workshops.
Daniel LoPilato of the Colusa County Arts Council said the program will conclude May 16 with the publication of a collaborative photo zine and a public reception showcasing images created during the workshops.
Photography enthusiasts interested in the remaining sessions can RSVP through the arts council website. A recommended $15 donation per session helps support the program and future arts programming in the community.