Foundations of Photography

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Sharing memorable events or places, documenting the world accurately, or creating fine art are just a few of the many reasons one might pick up a camera. Photography serves many purposes, especially in today's world, where it is both extremely versatile and ubiquitous. The approach used to quickly share a snapshot with your smartphone will differ greatly from that required to document a newsworthy event, or to communicate your deepest feelings about a photographic subject. What a photographer does to inform a viewer is not the same as what is necessary to inspire the viewer. When it comes to making effective photos, an awareness of why you are making a photo is where it all starts.

Your photographic intentions inform your vision and your choice of tools and technique, but developing your vision, and the craft required to realize it, takes time – sometimes lots of time. Although sometimes the point and shoot strategy is ideal, making photographs that accurately reflect your vision is far more involved. For most photographers the learning process involves learning basic skills then revisiting them repeatedly, peeling back another layer each time, and gaining a deeper understanding.

For new photographers, for photographers who are frustrated by frequently-unexpected results when they make photos, and for photographers who can't understand why their top-of-the-line equipment doesn't necessarily make top-of-the-line photos, these workshops will get you pointed in the right direction. The skills we cover in our two Foundations of Photography workshops are essential for all types of photography and without a solid grasp of this knowledge, more advanced aspects of photography will remain elusive.

Getting The Shot

This one-day workshop introduces you to the world of photography beyond the snapshot. In addition to documenting, photographs can provide a powerful vehicle for self-expression and, as such, they can become art. Getting The Shot explores what needs to happen when you point a camera at something with the intention of making a meaningful photograph.

We start by looking at inspiration and motivation, and how the photographic process can realize them. We'll cover the basics of exposure and why there is no such thing as a "properly" exposed photo but how exposure is still critical to communicating the feeling you want to express. We'll introduce you to the notion of "seeing" like a camera, which must translate the vast dynamic range and three-dimensionality humans perceive into a flat plane of limited tones.

Before & After The Shot

Building on the basics presented in Getting The Shot, this one-day workshop addresses some useful tools and techniques to help you visualize and predict photographic opportunities even before you have a camera out. The other part of this workshop explores how to employ a computer to store organize retrieve and, most importantly, manipulate your photos to produce results that express whatever you want them to communicate.