The Language of Black and White

with Cira Crowell

June 22 – 26, 2026

Tuition $2095.00

(includes meal plan, see below)

Model and Location Fee $365.00

Standard Deposit $400.00

Course Description

Are you ready to take full creative control of your black and white photography?

Black and white is a way of seeing and appreciating the world with insightful, illuminating, timeless consistency. In this workshop with acclaimed photographer Cira Crowell, we focus on exploring the technology, aesthetics, and individual artistry that go into creating evocative black and white photographs from color files.

We slow down during this special week in Santa Fe, taking time to consider how the progression of technology has shifted the character of achromatic images over the past century. By expanding your knowledge of light and perception, you learn how to control your camera and digital editing tools to actualize your creative vision.

As we engage in a range of photographic experiences, you hone your style and focus your skills, deepening your concept of what it means to create your own dynamic black-and-white photographs. Daily lectures and group discussions, image reviews, guest photographer presentations, and on-location photographic opportunities leave you with fresh knowledge, experience in new genres, expanded vision, personal inspiration, and a sense of mastery over the medium.

If you already love black and white and want to dive deeper and push your work further, please join us for a magical week surrounded by the beauty of Santa Fe. If you have already taken “The Language of Black and White” and are thinking of returning for more, this is the updated class for you!

Additional Information

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

This course is open to amateurs, advanced amateurs, and those passionate about pursuing black and white photography. The workshop curriculum has been updated from previous years and welcomes back those interested in retaking it.

What You Should Know:

Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Participants must be able to download, select, and transfer images for daily group reviews. Participants should bring a camera with a color sensor. Monochrome/monochrom (black and white) cameras and smartphones are not suitable for participation in this workshop.

Cira will demonstrate black and white processing using Adobe Lightroom and minimal Photoshop during the workshop, focusing on a digital workflow to express your creative intent. Familiarity with both software programs is important and participants should have the software installed on their laptop.

Activity Level:

To get the most from your workshop experience, participants should be in good physical (mobility, stamina) and mental health. Come prepared for the high elevation of Santa Fe, long days, and seasonal weather including high temperatures. You must be able to carry your own photographic and personal gear at all times, both on campus and on location. You are responsible for being open and honest about your physical fitness, and we reserve the right to remove you from the workshop if we find your fitness to be less than that which you have described.

Participants should be able to engage in moderate outdoor exercise for up to an hour or more at a time including off-trail walking on uneven terrain including sand, dirt, and loose rock. Location work is likely to include early morning and/or late evening shoots.

Policies:

View Payment, Refund, Withdrawal, and Transfer Policies for domestic workshops.

Accommodations:

Participants are responsible for making their own accommodation arrangements in Santa Fe. On-campus accommodations are not currently available.

Meals:

Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner before the Friday evening Image Presentations, and daily beverage service are included.

about

Cira Crowell

Cira is an accomplished photographer, film producer, and mountaineer dedicated to combining passions for art, adventure, and awareness. An experienced teacher, speaker, and philanthropist, Cira has traveled the world sharing her knowledge and supporting women’s empowerment, the arts, and humanitarian causes. As an image maker, Cira is an exhibiting fine art photographer specializing in high altitude black and white photography, primarily across the Himalayas, where she has travelled, trekked two thousand miles, and summited five technical peaks over a decade.

She has also Executive Produced the international award-winning documentary film Dream Mountain, which has appeared in twenty-five top-tier international festivals, including seven Mountainfilm Alliance festivals and the esteemed Banff Mountain Film World Tour. Whether on the street or in extreme conditions, Cira approaches her photographs with a poetic, thoughtful eye, rendering deep meaning with technical detail.

Cira began taking pictures thirty years ago with a careworn Leicaflex SL2 film camera that once belonged to her grandfather. Cira is one of a few women permanently exhibited in the Leica USA corporate collection, with work recently selected for the “Leica 100.” Her photographs have been exhibited worldwide, with recent solo shows at Leica Gallery Los Angeles and Leica Store Miami. Each year, Cira takes time to share her passion for black and white photography while teaching “The Language of Black and White” close to home at Santa Fe Workshops.

Website: ciracrowell.com