Mastering Light: An Online Workshop

How to Use Photography’s Most Essential Tool to Make Landscape Photographs with Emotional Impact
Curves at dusk, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
• November 2-3, 2024
• Online Workshop
• Focus: Composition
• Level: Advanced Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
• Maximum 16 Participants
• Tuition: $350
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In photography, light is our medium. It’s our paint and canvas. Every photograph is a recording of light, and how you use that light determines the mood, message, and story of the photograph. Light is everything.

I think most photographers can recognize great light when they see it. But can you anticipate that light, and plan for it? And what about all those times when the light isn’t exceptional – do you just stay home, or can you find ways to work with that “ordinary” light, and make strong, expressive photographs even when conditions aren’t special?

In this online workshop I’ll take you on a deep dive into this vital topic, starting with the fundamentals, then delving into the subtleties and nuances of light that can help you create photographs with a strong message, and powerful emotional impact. I’ll give in-depth presentations covering multiple aspects of this essential topic, including:

  • How light and color draw the eye
  • Building compositions around light and color
  • How light conveys mood
  • Using contrast: light against dark, and dark against light
  • Beautiful, overlooked light you can find every day
  • Special kinds of light, and how to find it
  • Anticipating light
  • Planning with PhotoPills and The Photographer’s Ephemeris
  • How to choose locations based on the light, weather, and conditions
  • Basic color theory
  • Color and mood

We’ll also conduct group image reviews to reinforce the lessons given in the presentations. Image reviews have proven to be highly valuable learning experiences during our in-person workshops. People find they learn as much from analyzing other people’s photographs as their own, and that discussing what works and what doesn’t work in a variety of images helps them absorb and retain fundamental concepts of composition more deeply. We’ll replicate that experience online by reviewing one photograph from each participant, with a special emphasis on light and color.

The workshop will take place over two days (Saturday and Sunday). All sessions will be live and interactive, and total about six hours each day (with a break for lunch). Sessions will also be recorded so participants can review them later. The workshop is suitable for all photographers except real beginners.

We hope you can join us!

More details about this workshop…

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