Concept to Creation: Hosting My First Conceptual Photography Workshop
On-set light test for an art piece created live at The Photician’s 2025 workshop Concept to Creation.
Teaching has been a bug in my brain for much of my adult life. When I graduated college with an Art degree I wanted nothing more than to stay in school with a fully equipped art studio. The best option I could think of was heading to grad school and beginning a career as an art professor. In part selfish—the dream of unlimited studio access and endless learning—but only in part. I know I LOVED being a T.A. for one of my professors—getting to assist in classes, as well as fill in when he was absent. My love of sharing knowledge and helping other artists even spilled over, unplanned, into countless late nights where I guided and collaborated with other students before starting my own work in the quiet wee hours of the morning.
Alas, life took a different turn and I did not end up at grad school. (However, I sometimes still dream of making it happen as a non-traditional student in my 50’s). What never changed is my desire to be in community with other creatives. As my career in photography grew, creative play dates with friends, sharing Photoshop tutorials over FaceTime and having mini master-mind meetings naturally became a regular part of my life. Clearly, the desire to teach in some capacity had stayed with me. The thought of making it a formal endeavor triggered my imposter syndrome. Nevertheless, I kept getting the feeling it was on the horizon.
The day I finally said YES to teaching a workshop (just a few months ago) was scary, a bit surreal and felt absolutely right. The opportunity came at the tail end of a dark personal season, and I welcomed it with open arms. It was time to jump in, embrace what has always lit me up most, and share it in an official capacity. So, thank you to my friend Roxanne and to Professional Photographers of Iowa for the gentle push and belief that I had something worth sharing.
Where We Started
We started the day with conversation, sharing why we were there and what it means to work from a place of emotion, memory, and pain, and also simply for the joy of being creative. I shared parts of my own journey—what shaped me as an artist, and how conceptual photography became the language I needed when words weren’t enough. We dipped our toes into use of symbolism and color harmony, then dove into how to plan and prepare for your own conceptual art piece.
What We Made
As primarily a self portrait artist (on this side of my work), I first demonstrated how a recent piece was created without a model or assistant—sharing tips on how I manage the technical side of self portraits now, as well as how I managed it before newer technology. Sometimes you just need to see it’s possible before you believe you are capable of pulling it off. Students got to see fully behind the scenes—everything from sketches and plans to posing and compositing. And honestly…figuring out how to share all this has helped me better organize my process and work more efficiently. Totally a win-win! ;)
Conceptual self portrait by The Photician (Stacy McDonald) demo’d live at the June 2025 workshop Concept to Creation.
Next, I brought in two models to demonstrate how to plan and execute a client-commissioned art piece as well as using a model (instead of yourself) for your own vision. One was more complicated with a variety of symbolic props and the other was intentionally more simple. The image here, Replacement Parts, is one of the images I created live during the workshop utilizing a handful of old road-side bolts and lug nuts that captured my imagination on a recent walk, the perfect rusty wrench from my dad’s garage, and a glass jar I found at a garage sale that, sadly, doesn’t quite fit an adult sized head…yes I tried lol!
Art piece by The Photician (Stacy McDonald) created live at the June 2025 workshop Concept to Creation.
This piece was the offspring of a feeling I had when I found some long-lost hardware, rusted and coated in years of gravel dust. If these were lost, maybe an important piece came loose, became problematic before the source of the issue was discovered. Replacements can be secured and installed on things like automobiles, buildings, bicycles…But what if my brain feels coated in years of life’s road-dust? What if I want a replacement part (or parts) of my body? Imagine if that were possible. Would it feel relatively easy like replacing a tire, or would it be a mournful and emotional process of saying goodbye to a piece of your past-self while welcoming a fresh start? It’s a bit existential. But that’s where my imagination sometimes takes me, and I’m sure I am not alone in that.
Even more rewarding than creating my own piece was watching the attendees work through their thoughts, grapple with some insecurities, brainstorm with each other and then bring their ideas to life. They didn’t just take notes—they showed up with vulnerability and vision, trying new things and trusting the process. Some made plans for future projects, while others rearranged the studio, selected symbolic props, directed the model, and captured the images for their art piece. A special thank you Toni for sharing a few of the beautiful images she created that day. I loved seeing her jump right in! I am so excited to see what else the attendees might bring into the world after our day together!
Attendee image by Toni Harryman & behind the scenes clips from the June 2025 workshop Concept to Creation with The Photician and PPI.
In Reflection
The energy that day was collaborative, curious, and full of heart—exactly the kind of environment I hoped to create! Hearing positive feedback at the workshop and after on social media filled my cup. Here is what a few of the attendees shared:
“Stacy did an amazing job and it was so fun to see people and get inspired again. I really needed this day to regroup.” — Toni Harryman
“Such a great creative, fun day!! ❤️” — Elisha Hamm
“Nothing fills the spirit like a great creative class!” — Portraits by Michelle
(Fun fact: I walked over 3.5 miles just inside the studio that day…my feet loudly reminded me of this the next day 😂)
Looking Forward
This experience reminded me that teaching isn’t about being the authority in the room, the biggest voice or the most knowledgable. There’s no room for imposter syndrome here. This is about holding space for growth and experimentation—for letting the work be a little messy, a little weird, and totally real.
I do hope to host more workshops in the future. If you’d like to attend one (or come back!), I’d love to hear what you’d be interested in exploring next. What would light you up to learn about? Send me an email through the contact page or message me on social media with your ideas! (Quick links below).
For the Art Lovers
Are you someone who would love to see yourself as the subject of an art piece? Whether its art that moves you with symbolism, heals you through visual expression, sparks joy with a cherished memory brought to life or a fantasy character that ignites your imagination—I’d be honored to work with you.
If this piques your interest, give me a call to explore the possibilities!
Let’s Keep Creating
To everyone who attended—thank you for making my first workshop such a powerful, joyful day. Your openness and creativity left a mark on me, and I hope you walked away feeling inspired to keep creating, even in the quiet moments.
And to those who feel a tug toward this kind of storytelling—whether you want to learn how to do it yourself or want to become the subject of it—there’s room for you here.
Let’s make something beautiful.
“The Divide” by They Photician: Stacy McDonald
PS…
If you haven’t attended an event with Professional Photographers of Iowa (PPI), I encourage you to give one a try. You’ll find new friends, fresh perspectives, solid education, and a whole lot of fun! You can attend before you decide to become a member…but I know you’ll want to join once you’ve had a taste 😉 There are a couple exciting one-day courses coming up later this year that you wont want to miss—Mini Session Mastery in September and a day with Dan McClanahan in November. Check out all the upcoming events here!
