PILOT Sandbox Session: Sat, Nov 19, 2026. 9a-12p ET, Zoom
This session is FREE in exchange for feedback.
Future sessions will be offered for a reasonable fee.

What’s a Sandbox Session?

It’s a small group, virtual mini-workshop that blends real-time practice and mentoring. In each session, you’ll stretch your seeing and creativity through a practical photography challenge, then expand your self-assessment skills by partnering with your peers to give and receive creative and processing feedback on your challenge images.

How does it work?

You’ll join a small group of photographers (10 max) for three hours of photography practice and feedback. Part 1 (10min): we'll gather on Zoom, introduce ourselves and determine the photo challenge. Part 2 (60min): everyone goes off camera to take photographs, wherever you are. Part 3 (1hr 50min): we regather to share our results, processing and discussing an image you’ve uploaded.

How does the “fast feedback” happen?

During the challenge time, you’ll upload your images into your processing software and pick one or two that you think have potential. (NOTE: this is an opportunity to practice slow, intentional photography. It will be a lot easier to cull 30 images than 300!) Next you upload those images for Beth using a provided link. You can choose to do a few basic edits on them before sharing or upload the RAW.

When everyone returns to Zoom, we’ll open your image for processing and/or discussion. The discussion is less critique, more feedback loop. You’ll tell us about the image and your creative choices. Beth will then facilitate a conversation with you and the group about what we can learn from the image, whether it’s about processing, composition, expression, or technique… or all of the above! If you want to focus on editing the image, we’ll work together to process according to what you want to express. Depending on how many session participants we have, each person will have about 10 minutes of mentoring/feedback.

What do I need to participate?

Your camera, comfort with connecting on Zoom, and three distraction-free hours. That’s it. This is a low-stress experience, designed to support “seeing something in everything” and making images wherever you happen to be. For most folks, that will be home. No travel, no hiking, no backpacks, no extra equipment, and no concerns about food, water, weather, or finding a bathroom. A great field workshop is an amazing experience… a Sandbox Session helps you get ready to make the most of it when you go!

What kinds of challenges will we do?

At the start of each session, we’ll spin the virtual Wheel of Photo Fortune to determine what you’ll photograph for the challenge. This is our “productive play” time. The idea is to keep it simple. You’ll be looking at ordinary objects around your space: furniture, books, clothes, utensils, etc. The challenge will always involve something simple… but as we know, simple doesn’t equal easy! Your photo challenge will be to capture those objects in creative, non-literal, or abstract ways. By focusing on the everyday, we’re learning how to find the interesting in the ordinary, remove labels and assumptions about what makes a “good” photographic subject, and keep our vision fresh in familiar environments.