Online registration for this program has closed. To check availability, find out about future dates, or if you would like further information, please call 505-983-1400 ext. 111. Also, get the SFW E-Newsletter for updates!


















Contemporary fine-art photography is a direct reflection of our ever-changing times, and it encourages us to consider our personal perceptions and experiences. When skillfully accomplished, it acts as a vehicle to transform ideas into images, and images into a voice. This online workshop investigates this process and the use of photography as a tool for individual expression, not just in terms of innovative or interesting approaches, but more importantly, as an exploration into the fundamental principles of contemporary visual art.
Susan’s workshop reviews the works of notable fine-art photographers and examines how classic styles of photography have influenced contemporary images created in the past ten years. Through weekly assignments, students are encouraged to survey various compositional and technical approaches and then consider which would best represent their own personal vision. Three guest speakers offer personal perspectives and insights into their creative approach over the course of this five-week workshop.
Through this journey of discovery, students gain a greater appreciation of photography as a fine-art form, a deeper connection to their own artistic voice, and most importantly, a clearer understanding of what they wish to communicate through their photographs.
Participants must be able to select and organize images using image editing software for class sessions.
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
For the convenience of participants, recordings of each class session are posted privately for one month after the end of each session. Santa Fe Workshops takes the recordings down after one month to protect the intellectual property of our instructors.
Susan Burnstine is an award-winning professional fine art and commercial photographer who builds homemade cameras and lenses using plastic, vintage camera parts, and random household objects. She’s represented in galleries across the world and widely published globally.
She has had over 35 solo exhibits internationally, her work is held in numerous museums and private collections, and she has had two award-winning monographs, Within Shadows (Charta, 2011) and Absence of Being(Damiani Editore, 2016). Susan teaches workshops internationally, has curated over 30 exhibitions, and has written for several photography magazines, including a longstanding monthly column titled “American Connection” for Black & White Photography Magazine (UK).
A popular workshop instructor, Susan is also part of our Mentorship Program »
Get to know Susan in our Inspiration Series video »
Website: susanburnstine.com
Instagram: @susanburnstine