Online registration for this program has closed. To check availability or if you would like further information, please call 505-983-1400 ext. 111.
Field studio photography is an enticing field for many reasons, not least that it has a low-cost entry point and can be practiced locally. Over three weeks, Niall Benvie covers everything you need to know about making photographs of natural subjects on pure white, backlit backgrounds while taking you on a journey to explore the creative possibilities of these images.
Working in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, we cover subjects from equipment and capture to processing and compositing. You acquire lighting and post-production skills—including knowledge of flash modifiers, cross-lighting, brush options, and color sampling, among others—with wider application in other photographic arenas.
During week one, we learn about the work of photographers who've come before us, exploring field studio protocol as well as types of sets and equipment choices. Then we learn how to set up our gear and manage lighting. Participants produce five images using the protocol and import them into Lightroom for processing in the following session.
Our second week is a deep dive into Lightroom processes, including input sharpening, cropping, brushing corners out to white, and using the luminance slider. We also continue to produce images for further experimentation with compositing, color blending, and image scale and assembly. By week three, we are discovering the range of uses for color selection and typography, learning how Photoshop's brushes can create watercolor-style composites.
Join Niall in August to take advantage of showy flowers and abundant wildlife—crickets, frogs, beetles, moths, lizards, and worms—this glorious time of year offers, and discover natural history photography's exceptional scope for creativity as you produce distinctive, personal work in a field studio.
Entry-level knowledge ofParticipants must be able to download and select images using image editing software for class sessions.
Participants need to provide basic flash equipment and two tripods to take this workshop. An equipment guide will be emailed upon confirmation of this workshop.
Class will meet 9:30 -11:30 am (Mountain Time) on Tuesdays and Fridays starting August 3 and ending August 20 (six online group sessions). Enrollment is limited to 12 participants.
Zoom Video Conferencing software (available for no charge from Zoom.com) will be used to facilitate the class sessions. Further details will be emailed to registrants.
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
Santa Fe Workshops always aims to produce a high-quality experience for our online attendees. That said, variables including regional and local internet provider speeds, traffic on Zoom's servers, and your own computing hardware can contribute to a less than ideal streaming event. While we do our best to minimize the impact of these variables, they are outside the control of Santa Fe Workshops.
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
For the convenience of participants, recordings of each class session are posted privately for two weeks after the end of each session. Santa Fe Workshops takes the recordings down after two weeks to protect the intellectual property of our instructors.
Niall Benvie has been a professional photographer, writer, designer and teacher for almost 30 years and is regarded as one of Europe’s most innovative outdoor photographers. He began publishing and experimenting with white-background photography in 2007 and, in collaboration with US photographer Clay Bolt, founded the worldwide Meet Your Neighbours project in 2009. The initiative was given NANPA’s Environmental Impact Award in 2015. Niall finds the process of sharing his techniques and ideas highly rewarding as other photographers master and rework them, providing him with new ideas to develop further. Originally from Scotland, he now lives in rural France.
Website: niallbenvie.photoshelter.com
Instagram: @niallbenvie
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This workshop is currently full. Use this form to sign up for the waitlist, and SFW will reach out if a seat becomes available.