Exploring Nature’s Toolkit
with Xuan-Hui Ng
September 2 – 23, 2026
Course Description
Photographing nature can provide a brief reprieve from life’s harsh realities. It reminds us of the beauty in all things delicate and fierce, and we do not have to travel far to find it. In fact, we don’t even need expensive camera gear to make good pictures.
In this online workshop, Xuan-Hui Ng shares her approach to photographing nature and inspires new ways of seeing. Over four sessions, you expand your photographic toolkit as you embrace the unpredictability of nature. The challenge and often the joy of nature photography is that we cannot control when the sun shines, when the weather changes, or when the perfect moment appears. Instead, you learn to be prepared, recognize opportunities as they happen, and discover beauty in both dramatic and quiet moments.
In the first session, Xuan-Hui introduces her philosophical approach to photography and explores the recurring themes in her work through her “STAR+” framework: Simplicity, Texture, Accent, Rhythm, and Plus. In the second session, you learn how to use nature’s toolkit, including sunlight, shadows, rain, snow, and mist to create stronger visual narratives in camera. The third session focuses on editing and refining your images using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, with an emphasis on bringing out the full potential of your raw files and guiding the viewer’s eye. In the final session, Xuan-Hui shares her approach to photographing in the field, selecting images, and lessons she has learned throughout her photographic journey.
Through presentations, discussions, assignments, and student image reviews, you explore how to find beauty in everyday moments and make the most of the tools already available to you, including natural light, weather, patterns, textures, reflections, and changing conditions to create compelling photographs.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
What You Should Know:
Working knowledge of a digital workflow and manual mode on your DSLR or mirrorless camera is recommended. Participants should be able to download and select images using image editing software for class sessions.
All genres of photography and techniques are welcome. Some familiarity with Lightroom and Photoshop is helpful for the third session. Xuan-Hui's process focuses on single-exposure photographs made in camera.
Please note that techniques such as multiple exposures, flash, and intentional camera movement are not covered in this workshop.
Special Notes:
Class will meet 5:00 – 7:30 pm (Mountain Time) on Wednesdays starting September 2 and ending September 23 (four 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.
These live online sessions take place in the standard Zoom meeting format. Students can use their microphone and camera, see and hear the instructor and other students, and participate in live discussion and interaction throughout the sessions.
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.
Policies:
View Cancellation and Transfer Policies for online programs.
Recording class sessions using personal devices or third-party tools is not permitted. Session recordings are provided by Santa Fe Workshops and are available to enrolled students for two months after the class. This policy helps protect the intellectual property and privacy of both instructors and students.
about
Xuan-Hui was born in Singapore and currently lives in Japan. She began photography as a form of self-therapy. She now photographs to celebrate and eternalize her serendipitous encounters with the natural world. In 2022, she was interviewed by BBC World Service’s Cultural Frontline on “Creativity and Mental Health.” She is a contributor to ELEMENTS landscape photography magazine and has written for Lenscratch. Her work was featured in solo exhibitions at the Koslov Larsen Gallery and the Griffin Museum of Photography, and was most recently part of the group exhibition “Rapt in Wonder” at the Houston Center for Photography.
Website: xuanhuing.com
Instagram: @xuanhui_ng
