Richard Sobol
Follow “The Traveling Photographer“ on location around the world. Richard Sobol brings dynamic image driven presentations to students in grades 2-12. Currently offering audio-visual programs featuring first-hand encounters with wild animals, wildlife conservation projects, the protection of endangered species as well as encounters within African and Asian Cultures. The programs can be tailored to fit your studies in science, natural history, social studies or the arts. The Traveling Photographer audio visual presentations and artist in residency workshops are highly popular at school visits throughout North America and Asia.
All of the presentations share in the exciting career of a traveling photographer as I bring the students along with me to unique destinations around the world. In words and pictures I share scientific and historical information while engaging students with vivid photographs and first person accounts of encounters on location with animals and people. Presentations include overviews of conservation projects and issues in Asia, and Africa and specific talks on elephants (both wild and domesticated), endangered mountain gorillas, whales and whale migrations, harp seals, Asian rice farming, silkworms and silk production, the mysteries of Angkor Wat, the people and machines on a construction site, African vanilla and coffee growing and daily life of an African village. Often I will do different class programs and then a larger school wide assembly on conservation or diving into the challenging world of book publishing and sharing some ideas about artistic expression and the process of bringing a story to life, step by step, in completed printed book form.
Over the past ten years I have presented and led workshops, master classes and artist-in- residency programs in schools throughout North America and at schools in Southeast Asia and Africa. Single or multi day programs are available. International school programs are welcomed. As “ The Traveling Photographer” I am always looking for new story topics around the world. Maybe the next title will come from your neighborhood and involve some of your students! Feel free to contact me to discuss your school’s needs.
Three new exclusive presentations are available this year for the first time.
HOW TO BE A STORYTELLER
This workshop takes students through the step-by-step process of telling a story and developing a multi image progression of photographs that detail a theme of their choosing. Although children today are adept at taking pictures and snapping photos, they have not had much exposure to appreciating what makes a good photograph or how to assemble a group of strong images into an informative and entertaining story. The goal of this program is to help them understand the value of each image and how it helps to express the idea that they wish to share. The final products can be shared as digital presentations or as exhibits in the classroom. This is a multi day workshop and can be geared towards either advanced or beginning student photographers and writers.
CONSTRUCTION ZONE
Construction Zone tells the story of a how a building is built. The project that I follow for five years, from a hole in the ground all the way until it is fully 
occupied, is the Frank Gehry designed engineering and robotics building at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. The sweeping glass, waves of metal, and angled layers of brick defy the conventions of traditional architecture and challenge the carpenters, welders, plumbers and engineers that designed and built it. This is the story of construction; craftsmanship and vision as they come together to build a building that many thought couldn’t be built.
DELICIOUS PEACE – an Interfaith Journey
The second new presentation (and forthcoming book, Delicious Peace) focuses on a quiet corner in East Africa that is positioning itself to change the world. In a remote corner of Uganda; Christians, Muslims and Jews have come together to raise coffee and vanilla in a spirit of cooperation and interfaith harmony. This is one of the few places on earth where religion is bringing people together as they help one another to move forward economically, struggling together to feed their families and find the money for yearly 
school fees for their children. It is a rare story of hope and faith coming out of Africa. This program also shares the joyous African music, song and drumming that the local children’s music groups have played for me.