Our Women’s Eye Podcast Travel Series continues with guest host and travel writer Laurie McAndish King in conversation with Catherine Karnow. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Catherine is a world traveler who is passionate about her work as a photographer and educator. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, French & German GEO, and other international publications. Based in San Francisco and Provence, Catherine creates inspiring—and even transformational—photography workshops.
I first got to know Catherine Karnow a decade ago when I participated in one of her photography workshops in Italy. I’m on the road a lot, and this workshop of hers was the most fun I’ve ever had on a trip—a combination of visually fascinating locations, insightful photo instruction, delicious home-cooked food, local guest lecturers, and impeccable planning.
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Here I reconnect with Catherine to talk about her workshops. I’m not the only person who thinks they’re terrific. Catherine’s participants say things like:
- “She provides unique access to people and places, making for a truly once in a lifetime, transformational experience.”
- It was “life-changing, extraordinary one of the best trips of my life.”
- “Her workshops are transformative.”
Listen in to hear the stories of how these photo workshops affect both the photographers and the people they’re making images of. There’s the “non-photographer” spouse, for instance, who came along on a lark, only to discover that he had real visual creativity. “I get shivers thinking about it,” Catherine says. “I’m so I’m so warmed and happy, and his wife was so proud…”
And there are stories about experiences in southern India and in Vietnam in which both the photographer and the photo subject, or the subject’s family, were deeply moved. After one of these incidents, the woman of the house told Catherine, through an interpreter, “Now you are my sister, and no matter what great distance separates us, I will always look forward to the day when you come back to visit us.”
Catherine talks about photographing “not in an invasive way, but in a way that says, I see you, I affirm you…
“I give you the space to pour yourself into my camera, into me and into my compassion for you, for me. What I’m saying through photography is, I accept you fully.”
Photo: Hà Tiến Anh
During some courses, Catherine offers people-to-people Philanthropy Days, which have become her favorite part of the workshops “because it’s so full of joy and so giving. And isn’t that what travel really should be about?”
We also hear:
- Catherine’s secret for finding out-of-the-way locations and “hidden gems” when she’s on the road.
- Practical tips for staying organized.
- And the three things Catherine never travels without.
Enjoy this podcast!
Connect with Catherine Karnow via her website: CatherineKarnow.com (Best for special early-signup discounts).
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