When Portfolio Center student Michele Cohen was selected as one of the top 100 photography students in the country to participate in Barnstorm XVIII, the Eddie Adams Workshop, she was thrilled. But it took actually being there, immersed in the experience, before she fully realized what a great honor—and life-changing experience—it would be. Competition for that honor is fierce, and applicants are chosen solely on the merits of the twenty images they submit.
Barnstorm was envisioned and established by photography legend Eddie Adams and was intended to be a one-time-only event. Now in its eighteenth year, this by-invitation, full-scholarship workshop, sponsored by Nikon, allows the most respected, seasoned professional photographers to exchange ideas, techniques, and philosophies with America's most promising newcomers. Students gather at the farm Adams bought in upstate New York, where they are paired with the world's leading photographers and photo editors. Theyre then divided into ten teams, and each team is given a distinct, challenging assignment.
Michele was grouped with Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Bill Frakes and Sports Illustrated/Time Magazine editor Jimmy Colton and placed on the Sporting Life team. The only portrait photographer among a team of photojournalists, she was tasked with applying her highly emotive, narrative style to the project. When bad weather threatened to defeat the team, Michele's carefully staged and lighted images, shot indoors, saved the day.
She likens the energy of the experience to Paris in the 20's, being surrounded by kind, caring artists and mentors. Since October, when the workshop was held, the skills and relationships she fostered during that weekend have led to Michele's assisting for Sports Illustrated, as well as an upcoming assignment with Parade Magazine.
