At Home, In The Berkshires
4th Annual Workshop
With John Stanmeyer And Fellow National Geographic Explorer,
Ana Caroline de Lima
23 July through 29 July, 2024
Only two spaces remain, register soon…
with John Stanmeyer and Ana Caroline de Lima
At Home, In The Berkshires
23 July through 29 July, 2024
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Two spaces remain
I am extremely pleased to share with everyone that photographer and fellow National Geographic Explorer Ana Caroline de Lima will be partnering with me this year for At Home, In The Berkshires!
This is our forth annual gathering at my old, gentle home in the Berkshires. We will spend seven days creating together in the garden filled with yurts, on the porch, and flowing through the entire 124-year-old house.
This yearly spiritual gathering explores the vastness of storytelling to empower you through grants and other funding that manifests your stories into publications, exhibitions, and books.
With Ana's incredible co-giving, this year's At Home will focus on grants and having your photography funded and published. Ana and I have deep backgrounds in grants, exhibitions, and publications, such as National Geographic and many other international magazines.
This July, we return to the House of 24 Windows. Expanding with the vastness of possibilities that empower your ideas and purpose.
Living, cooking, and existing together, we collaborate in the fathomless universe of telling visual stories. We will explore the art of understanding to demystify the maze of grants and storytelling. This intimate gathering at my home, available to only 10 photographers, is designed to bring you to a place where you enter the rapture of creating and publishing.
Through photography and video, you have already created or from ideas moving within needing to be told.
At Home, In the Berkshires is a meditation and an awakening of consciousness of what is possible.
Workshop
We will create, commune, and inspire each other during our seven days while sharing the most profound insights into how Ana Caroline de Lima and I create long-form stories funded through grants and how to have your completed stories published — earlier this year, I met Ana at the annual National Geographic Storytellers Summit in Los Angeles and taken aback by her talent and commitment to long-form storytelling. I am so pleased she will be joining me.
Our gathering this year is to go into the meditations of concept…from the beginning of a story idea, which always manifests as "I do not know," to researching, planning, grant preparing, grant writing, taking your ideas and manifesting into being, the same process both Ana and I do when receiving grants from the National Geographic Society, and in creating stories for National Geographic and other publications.
Also, we will go into my archive to show you how to develop stories from your archive, such as new unexpected essays and short films.
These are long days and nights, in sessions collectively and individually, going through the photography you have been creating.
Our week together is not a "workshop."
These are Therapy Sessions.
In meditations (not the act of meditating, though you can join me each morning before sunrise for yoga and breathing meditations), we gather as a family at my home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Overview
Each photographer will bring a large body of work you have already created (1000 to 5000+ images/videos) and, most importantly, your thoughts and desires on which grants you want to apply for.
Be in completeness within where you know resides a beautiful idea you seek to shape into a completed essay. There is no one way to approach life or photography; each is a most beautiful daily leap into the unknown.
We only ask that you come entirely open and vulnerable…this is where the well of unfathomable power already resides within you and pours from.
Each day and night, we are together, in complete presence. Moving from the studio onto the enclosed porch into the garden. When seeking more solace, take walks along the Housatonic River. Again, these days, together, introspections bring forth ideas.
Communal
Food will be a collaborative event. All food will be plant-based, tasty, and healthy! We cook and eat all meals together, turning this old home of love into an ashram for photography and creating a most intimate gathering in the beautiful Berkshires of western Massachusetts, surrounded by nature and water.
Each person joining can choose to sleep in one of four sizeable garden yurts (sharing with another photographer on separate beds) or one of four private rooms within the house (private rooms are first requested, first received)—I will be sleeping in the garden bale.
This special event is only available to ten photographers.
Update: Five spaces remain and all bedrooms are now full, only shared yurts are available. Yurts are equally comfortable, even more magical being in the garden than in the house ✨
Costs
Our special gathering is all-inclusive—food, drink, and housing. This event will be the least expensive of any workshop I've hosted when factoring in all costs. Nestled in the hills of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, a delightful two-hour drive from New York City or Boston, all you need to do is arrive in Great Barrington, MA. The workshop fee starts at $3400, offering early registration discounts of 15 percent and special discounts to the returning Workshop Family, offering a total discount of up to 20 percent.
The workshops I host are to give lifting, love, and expansion…not to torment your pocketbook.
Further details are in the Registration, and of course, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Epilogue
This workshop is a spiritual gathering on how to expand ourselves, our careers, and our photography. Ana, Frida (Elfriede The Great Dane), her sister, Eleanore, and I look forward to opening our home, ourselves, and your inner being to go beyond photography into the realm of limitlessness.
With much love and light,
John, Ana, Frida, and Eleanore
Porch Talks - 2023
Book Editing in Garden - 2023
Sarah Leen book editing - 2023
Under the Dreaming Tent - 2023
Trimming print in studio - 2023
Our At Home Family - 2023
Garden meditations - 2022
Vegan kebobs and drinks - 2022
Outdoor garden shower - 2022
Eric Nomburg - 2022
Editing in the garden - 2022
Where we create in garden - 2022
Patrick on the porch - 2021
Editing with Alice Driver - 2021
Yurts in the garden
4 yurts for 2 photographers
Arshaluys bookmaking - 2021
Projections in the garden - 2021
Patrick Raycaft’s book - 2021
Meditations in the house - 2021
Workshop Options
This unique workshop is all inclusive—housing, food, even drink. Only costs to arrive and depart from Great Barrington are not included.
Registration & Payment
Please read all sections of this webpage before submitting your registration to join this workshop. We accept Apple Pay, PayPal, and Venmo for deposits to guarantee a space and final payment to attend each workshop. We kindly ask if you are using PayPal, please send workshop payment as “To a Friend” to avoid PayPal fees.
$2720
Early Registration - Returning Workshop Family Photographer
• 20% Discount for early registration
• Registered and full payment received before 25 April 2024
• Returning Workshop Family Photographer
$2890
Late Registration - Returning Workshop Family Photographer
• 15% Discount
• Registered and full payment received after 25 April 2024
• Returning Workshop Family Photographer
$2890
Early Registration - New Workshop Family Photographer
• 15% Discount for early registration
• Registered and full payment received before25 April 2024
• New Workshop Family Photographer
$3400
Late Registration - New Workshop Family Photographer
• No Discount
• Registered and full payment received after 25 April 2024
• New Workshop Family Photographer
Registration
Each participant is required to fill out the registration form and submit to participate in the At Home, In The Berkshires, with John Stanmeyer, workshop.
FAQs
Is this workshop open to everyone?
This unique gathering is open to everyone at all levels of photography. If you are genuinely passionate, committed to expressing yourself through the visual arts, and willing to journey into the unimaginable state of, I do not know, this event is truly for you.
I cannot afford but want to attend?
For each workshop I host, there is always one scholarship offered. To submit for the scholarship, you must be a photographer from the Majority World or a US resident who otherwise would not have access to such educational opportunities for economic reasons. Due to the intimacy and limited accommodations for this unique event, one space is provided free for At Home, In The Berkshires. The only expense is your transportation to and from your residence to Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
How will we live in your home?
Aaaah, excellent question!
This old home of 24 windows has four bedrooms…one large, two medium, and one small. Rooms within the house will be private rooms. If you are a couple attending, that bedroom will be yours. Within the home are two bathrooms and two showers.
The most magical place to sleep is in one of four large yurts located in our private garden. Each yurt has two separate single beds that require you to share a yurt with another photographer based upon gender. We create a magical outdoor shower with hot water in the garden, screened by colorful Rajasthani curtains, and an open-air waterfall beneath a large tree…during the At Home workshop in 2021 and 2022, everyone preferred using the garden shower! A third toilet is also placed in the garden with no need to enter the home at night if duty calls.
We will be living in a private yet communal way, so comfortable and warm even now; those who attended previous workshops often write how unique the experience was.
How much will it cost?
Wanting to share the love, costs for this workshop range from $2720-$3400 with new discounts (see above). No other expenses other than personal incidentals, and transport to and from your place of residence to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, are needed.
How do I submit for the scholarship?
Fill out the form below and check "Scholarship." Include a sample of your work—an Instagram URL or a website URL. Or a collection of 20 images and/or videos submitted via WeTransfer or DropBox. The recipient will receive full, equal access to the workshop here at my home, including housing, food, and drink, with the deepest love and support. Visas and transport must be done individually once receiving the scholarship.
Can I stay at a nearbyAirbnb?
Of course, you can, if you wish. However, you will become more isolated from the Workshop Family, and during high season in the Berkshires, an Airbnb stay can cost hundreds of dollars each night. We ask that you rethink such an idea of living off-site, understanding the various layers of expenses, and disconnect from the group.
For those wanting an Airbnb, there are numerous options in and around Great Barrington. Please keep in mind the Berkshires in summer are filled with visitors from all over the world, with Airbnb prices becoming expensive and difficult to find. There are no discounts offered for anyone not staying at my home. This is due to all the other costs for food, drink, etc., included in the workshop fee.
It is therefore each participants own decision whether to consider alternative housing, assuming that expense individually or collectively.
I highly recommend to stay in this old house with me. It is in this very intimate setting where we commune together that your photography and spirits will rise the most.
What about Covid concerns?
Out of kindness to others, we ask that each participant must be fully vaccinated with any of the world's primary COVID-19 vaccines.
Where and what is the Berkshires?
The Berkshires is a hamlet in the mountain foothills of western Massachusetts that borders Connecticut in the south, New York on the west, Vermont to the north. I live in south Berkshire County in the town of Great Barrington, a picturesque village founded in 1761. The home of 24 windows where I live and where the workshop will be held was built in 1900.
The Berkshires is the heart and soul of art and culture in New England, with summer filled with events, music, and more. The Boston Symphony summers just up the road at Tanglewood. Jacob’s Pillow, the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States, is also close by. The world rebounded Shakespeare and Company theater, the Norman Rockwell Museum, MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), Edith Wharton’s residence, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville’s home where he wrote Moby Dick, are all nearby. Civil rights activist, W.E.B DuBois, was born in Great Barrington, and his childhood home is just up the road.
Local residences include Meryl Streep, Yoyo Ma, Bette Midler, and James Taylor. Many artists choose to live here because respect for privacy is given…don’t be surprised if you run into Meryl at the Coop or James at the local hardware store. They are just people.
All seasons in the Berkshires are lovely. Summer is warm but not dreadfully hot (average 27c/80f during the day, 15c/60f in the evenings). My home does not have air conditioning. Old homes in New England are built in a way that stays calmly cool at night, with only window fans needed.
There are no safety concerns in the Berkshires. My home is located at the end of a private road, our neighbors looking after each other.
The Berkshires a place of extreme beauty and nature, with hiking, rivers, and lakes. The workshop venue is located along the Housatonic River, and there is a kayak for anyone wanting to experience this mystical river of flowing energy. Expect each day and night to be long and beautiful. A therapy together in creating and being.
Anything else do I need to know?
There are always more questions than answers. The answer shifts, expanding as each moment passes.
All you need is already within…the desire to be taken places you haven't been before.
Opening yourself to being lifted by each other in this communal gathering of coexisting where Frida, Eleanore, and I live.
Giving to the limitless that resides within all of us.
I look forward to being with each of you this summer at our home in the Berkshires...✨
Can I arrive early?
Of course, you can! You only need to sort your own housing and food needs until the workshop begins. I cannot host anyone before the start of the event due to preparation needs.
Can I stay longer?
Of course! However, the following day, after the close of the workshop, anyone wanting to stay longer during the beautiful days of summer in the Berkshires, I kindly ask you to find alternative housing…Frida, Eleanore, and I need to clean up our beautiful mess too!
Can I eat, drink, anything?
All food we will cook together in the kitchen. To reduce our carbon footprint, all meals prepared will be plant-based — yes, I know how to cook the tastiest burgers, yummy chicken, all made from plants!
Water, fruit juices, coffee, tea, beer, wine, and spirits (especially Lori Dress drinks!) will be supplied.
If you have any special dietary needs, please let me know when registering.
This is a plastic-free home. I ask everyone to refrain from any plastics whenever possible. Recycling is provided when needed.
What do I bring?
Your mind, spirit, and photography.
This workshop is more the immersion into self. Not about self. A movement towards a clearer understanding of why you are here in this life, the giving of your being through visual storytelling. The need and purpose to open space within yourself to feel, in the greater sense, to see more, to deeply understand the stories we create.
Expect each day and night to be long and beautiful. A therapy together in creating and being.
Please bring an extensive collection of images, videos, and audio recordings for us to fall within for our special group therapy sessions.
Before you arrive, I kindly ask that you already have organize your story (stories) and bring every image, along with related video and audio files in an external hard drive, already organized in Lightroom.
Please only use Adobe Lightroom for all editing and organizing of your photography. I will not have the time to learn other digital image management systems. Therefore, it is not a request; You must use Adobe Lightroom. If you are on a Apple computer, I thank you. If you are on a PC, I will manage the torment with your guidance:)! Thank you kindly for your understanding and allowing the editing sessions we do daily, less painful!
Bring whatever clothing you usually wear to feel and dress comfortably in. There is a washer and dryer in the home for any needs of clothes washing, so consider arriving with not too much other than personal toiletries and other items you usually use that are specific for you.
Our time together is more in discussions. If you wish to work on a story, there are numerous options in the village and across the southern Berkshires to create—you will need a car. May I suggest you approach a theme or topic that interests you, reaching out to me as we do story planning remotely before the workshop begins.
Liability WAIVER
This workshop is solely organized and run by Shaker Dam LLC.
Shaker Dam LLC, John Stanmeyer, Ana Caroline de Lima, the VII photo agency or any assistant, manager, organizer or support staff nor any other participant does not assume liability nor responsibility for death, injury or accident to any participant participating in the workshop in western Massachusetts or while traveling to/from the workshop venue from their home countries.
Shaker Dam LLC, John Stanmeyer, Ana Caroline de Lima, the VII photo agency or any assistant, manager, organizer or support staff nor any another other participant does not assume responsibility of a participant if they are arrested, if their equipment is damage, acts of robbery, kidnapping, loss of personal items, damages to other person’s property or other acts of neglect by the participant or neglect caused by someone else. As well as any pre-existing or none pre-existing health issues, including illness or death caused or related to COVID-19.
Shaker Dam LLC, John Stanmeyer, Ana Caroline de Lima, the VII photo agency or any assistant, manager, organizer or support staff nor any other participant does not assume or cannot be held accountable for any cancellation of workshop due to war, conflict, demonstrations, act or terrorism, social unrest, pandemics or acts of God or the Universe.
Each foreign participant is required to have a valid passport and is required to pay for their own visa into the United States of America or through a US Embassy or Consulate office prior to arrival. NOTE: Many nationalities are offered free visa on arrival. Check with the nearest US Embassy near you or Consulate office for details as each passport holder’s country has different visa rules.
Shaker Dam LLC, John Stanmeyer, Ana Caroline de Lima, the VII photo agency or any assistant, manager, organizer or support staff nor any another other participant does not assume nor are liable if the participant is refused entry into the United States of America for any reason whatsoever.
Each participant is required to pay for their own air travel and/or land travel to and from Great Barrington, MA, and any ground transportation during the workshop. Food, drink, and housing are included with your workshop fee. Only off-site housing and food or drink consumed away from the workshop venue are not covered in the workshop fee if choosing not to stay a John Stanmeyer’s home.
Minimum of 8 participants is required to host the workshop. The workshop can be cancelled if not having at least 8 participants with refunds offered only for the workshop fee. All other refunds related to hotels, air transport, etc, are the responsibility of the registered photographer in the event the workshop is cancelled due to falling below 8 participants.
No refunds will be given after April 7, 2024, unless workshop minimum has not been met and the workshop is cancelled.
In the event that the workshop does not reach a minimum number of participants (which has never happened) before April 7, 2024, full refunds will be given however travel costs and other incidental costs incurred by the participant will not be refunded. Refund will be minus all bank transfer fees.
If John Stanmeyer or Ana Caroline de Lima becomes ill or are injured during the workshop, he will do all they can to continue to host the event. If John Stanmeyer or Ana Caroline de Lima becomes incapacitated or dies during the workshop, no refunds will be offered.
Shaker Dam LLC, John Stanmeyer, Ana Caroline de Lima, the VII photo agency or any assistant, manager, organizer or support staff nor any another other participant will not be held accountable for any schedule/date changes.
It is recommended that all participants purchase travel insurance from a reputable source.
It is recommended that anyone requesting special health vaccines receive those before traveling to the United States of America.
Each participant and/or their spouses/partners, must abide by the laws and rules of the United States of America, the State of Massachusetts and Berkshire County.