I can’t say enough about the value of photographic workshops – either online or in person. If you truly want to be a better photographer then studying with masters should be on your list of things to do. I started taking workshops about 12 years ago and continue to do so toady. Workshops taught me not only skills and techniques, but helped me discover what kind of photographer I really am and where my strengths lie. Even if all you want to do is take better pictures, workshops should be high on your list. I have attended workshops at both Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and Maine Media and encountered amazing teachers at both.
My most recent workshop was with the legendary Sam Abell. I had signed up five years ago for Sam’s workshop only to have it cancelled because of COVID. I kept my name on the list for his future events and finally all the stars aligned and I found myself in Maine working with Sam this July. Thinking back, perhaps I would not have been ready for Sam five years ago. Sam has made me think differently about how I approach my work. We all are stopped in our tracks when we see a scene or person we know we just have to photograph. Something catches our eye, the light, the setting, the person, etc. Sam teaches us to stop and take the picture, which he calls “first”. It doesn’t stop there. You then observe and try to figure out how to make the picture better. You move around, get closer, get farther away, get low to the ground, etc. You find all ways you can make that photo better – and that might involve revisiting the scene at different times of day or in different weather. You then select what you think is your best. So you have “first” and “best”. Sometimes your first is actually your best!
Framing is important and how you place the elements in the photo matters. What is the foreground, what is the background? If you remove the main subject is it still a good photo? Frame your shot with the intention of NOT needing to crop the photo. Frame what you want. Take many exposures and don’t rely on the fact that you can “fix it later in post”. Get the photo you want when you take it. Be patient and wait out a scene. Sometimes you find the scene you want and then just have to wait for something to happen within it. You may think that moving two feet to the right didn’t make much difference but take the shot anyway. Be very aware of the light – but then this is the essence of photography so should be inherent in a photographer’s practice. Photography is all about light. Experiment with slow shutter speed, silhouettes, motion, etc. Use a tripod when the situation calls for it (especially important when using a very slow shutter speed).
The photos represent a general scene on Monhegan Island and how I moved around it to find a good photograph. I don’t know that any of these are “best”, I’ll leave the reader to pick one, or none!
