The event was held on November 24, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Note: This is a three-session workshop. Registration for Session 1 will enroll you for all sessions.

Maximum participants = 16. A waitlist will be available.

About This Workshop

This three-session Zoom workshop is designed to provide participants with the basic skills and confidence to move beyond single images to creating collections of photographs that work together to tell a story, express a creative vision, amplify a message, and/or elevate an everyday subject.

This is a hands-on workshop: each participant will develop a photo project on a subject of their choice, a 12-photo digital portfolio to showcase the results of their project, and a vision statement to accompany their work. The workshop sessions are scheduled to provide time for participants to independently develop their project from existing photos, newly created work, or a combination of both. All subjects that comply with VCC guidelines are welcome: nature, people, street, abstracts, architecture, pets, altered reality - they're all good! Please, no AI-generated images (although AI-enhanced editing tools such as those found in Lightroom and Photoshop are allowed).

Participants will have the opportunity to share their completed projects with the workshop group in Session 3. There will be additional opportunities to share final portfolios with all club members in a special VCC website gallery and in slideshow format at the March Members’ Night meeting.

Photographers of all skill levels are welcome. While we will visit some technical subjects, the emphasis of this workshop will be on exploration, fun, and creativity. Cell phone photographers are also welcome.

Workshop Schedule

Session 1 - Preparation (November 24, 2025)

• Thinking in themes
• Defining a photographic project
• Finding inspiration
• Tips for success
• Resources
• Assignment for Session 2

Session 2 – Editing & Curation (January 5, 2026)

• First look at participant projects/portfolios
• Editing for consistency
• Setting your quality standard 
• Visual Flow – sequencing your images for interest and impact
• Creating a vision statement for your project and portfolio
• Assignment for Session 3

Session 3 – Completion (February 2, 2026)

• Sharing and celebrating participant projects, portfolios, and vision statements
• Options for sharing your work beyond this workshop

About Lori Moilanen

Lori Moilanen joined VCC in 2020 and has since become an active volunteer for the club. She currently serves on the VCC Website Team and is a member of the Workshop and External Competition Committees.  She enjoys shooting a wide variety of subjects, with a focus on nature, wildlife, and more recently, horse photography.

Lori found her love of personal photography projects in 2014 with the encouragement of the Western Wisconsin Photography Club. In 2016 she initiated a club-wide conservation photography project to create a cohesive collection of publication quality images in support of the local State of Wisconsin Western Prairie Habitat Restoration initiative. This club project resulted in a database of over 300 publication-quality images, 2 gallery exhibitions, a traveling exhibition hosted at 7 venues, radio and television coverage of the project, an award-winning slide show, and more.

Lori presented an early version of the current workshop in 2022 as a member of the Olympic Peaks Camera Club in Sequim WA.

Photo Credit: Lori Moilanen, selection from the Yellow World project and portfolio

Photo Credit: Lori Moilanen, Blaze-Spark-Smolder triptych from Horse on Fire portfolio