International Photography Workshop - Iceland Pt 1
International Photography Workshop - Iceland.
Autumn in Iceland is magical. As if it could get any more magical! When planning this photography workshop I wanted season that was going to have the most variation in look, feel and color as possible. Along with that variation comes crazy inclement weather. We were entering the rainy season. 12 people set out in four-wheel-drive's to explore Iceland and 12 people returned. Barely. We all stayed together in a central location just at the edge of the highlands in an old school house. This was our base camp that we explored night and day from. The whole idea of this workshop was to be experimental in every way. Experimenting with photography techniques, experimenting with light, experimenting with wardrobe and fashion. By bringing several things along we made the wardrobe as we went. We created a story as we went. We didn't just make photographs we told a story from beginning to end. I am having several of my favorites below as well as the slideshow of the home experience.
My next international photography workshop is in Burgundy France.
This will be a PHOTOGRAPHY workshop covering many genres of the art.
This will be a portrait/wedding/fine art/nude/landscape workshop.
We will focus on making superior images, with lessons on when to settle and when to push further.
We will explore the ideas behind what makes a memorable image. THIS is our mission as a photographer. Making images that we see once and it sticks with us, sometimes for a lifetime.
I want to to challenge you to slow down and think about these key elements that I believe make a memorable image or at least get us closer!
Having a story to tell. Whether it be truth or fiction. Say something. THIS is an endless well to pull from and where authenticity is born!
Even if you are the only one that can see it or translate it, having this starting point for your image is key! It can be something simple like this simple statement I just pulled out of the air. “Happy to be alive, but flowers makes me cry”. This leaves wide interpretation to your image. What could you do with this statement? This could be sad, happy or sorrowful. It is whatever YOU want it to be.
Then choosing your canvas. The location/scene you select for your image is a major key to making a memorable image.
Styling the scene. Taking time to perfect the field of view. Perfecting the wardrobe, makeup and hair. Taking time to convey your purpose of this image to your subject. This is styling too. We will have amazing wardrobe and world class styling and models on hand to make some truly magical images together!
Posing and un-posing will be another element. How to construct the mood in your subjects body, then let them make it their own and settle into it.
Now add or subtract light!! Lighting will be a key element to this workshop. Lighting with finesse. Lighting with attitude. Lighting with purpose!! Light is our megaphone for the words we are trying to say.
Then step back and take inventory.
Check your canvas. Could it be altered in any way to make it “stronger”? Do you have leading lines? Is there distractions that could be removed by simply moving up or down or left or right?
Look at all aspects of your styling. What could be altered? Should it be? How does this relate to your story of this image?
Does the current pose speak to you? Will it speak to your story? Is it supposed to look real or uncomfortable?
Now perfect your light in the whole over all scene. Too many photographers light without a purpose. Just because you add light doesn’t make it a success. Sometimes the simplest lighting is more powerful. Sometimes finding the light that existed in the scene already makes the strongest image of all. We just need to manipulate it with camera settings and see it in a different speed or level of intensity. This is one of the hardest hurdles in lighting. Seeing something that is right in front of you but your eyes cannot see it. Only after scientific settings in your camera will the magical image appear.
Now we drop our shutter. Now we can send out your message to the world. Now we can inspire the world to read our stories.
See you there! https://youtu.be/Mhtcc6C3A1w