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!












Photographers, novices and professionals alike sometimes take light for granted and neglect its subtleties. Tony O’Brien shares his decades of experience to help participants heighten their awareness and truly see what it is your photograph and how to express that vision.
During this five-day workshop, while we are photographing during the day and at night, we are deepening our awareness by using only natural light. Rather than focusing on technical aspects, this week with Tony is about expanding our willingness to take risks and trust ourselves.
Keeping an open mind is essential in order to meet this challenge and resist the temptation to alter the light artificially. The streets of Santa Fe and villages of Northern New Mexico is our playground. Whether our focus is on portraits, still life, landscapes, we learn to think about what it is we want to say through our photographs as we experiment with light.
Our schedule includes time alone photographing, as well as time spent together discussing our work and what it reveals. Daily image reviews and assignments fill our days, as we perceive, frame, and translate light into photographs that reveal so much more than the sum of their individual elements.
Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. iPhone users are also welcome. All participants must be able to download, select, and transfer images to their own jump drive for class each day.
Jennifer Spelman is a sensitive documentary and fine-art photographer, as well as a playful observer of the subtleties of human activity. Her images pop with insight and imagination, exciting curiosity and suggesting secrets. As an educator and trip leader, Jennifer is in high demand for her creative instructional insights, easy-going nature, and sharply-honed international photography travel acumen.
Since 2011, Jennifer has co-instructed domestic and international photography workshops for National Geographic Expeditions, OneWorldSeen, and Santa Fe Workshops through Morocco, India, Cuba, Turkey, Romania, Mexico, Vietnam, and Japan. She is especially proud of the many imaginative and immersive photo trips she has co-led in elusive Cuba. Jennifer also co-founded the niche publication, CubaSeen, and is engaged in Santa Fe Workshops’ popular Mentorship Program ».
Website: jenniferspelman.com
Instagram: @jennifer_spelman
Arthur Meyerson is recognized as one of America’s finest color photographers and a highly sought-after workshop instructor. He has traveled throughout the world and all seven continents photographing for advertising, corporate, and editorial clients. He is a three-time winner of Adweek’s Southwest Photographer of the Year award, as well as being named one of the 30 best advertising photographers by American Photo. In 1999, Arthur was honored by Nikon’s illustrious Legends Behind the Lens series. His photographs are exhibited internationally, appear in numerous publications, and are part of several permanent museum collections. Arthur’s highly acclaimed book, The Color of Light was published in 2012 and his latest book, The Journey was released in 2017 to much praise. In 2022, the Briscoe Center in Austin, Texas acquired his photography archive.
A popular workshop instructor, Arthur is also part of our Mentorship Program »
Get to know Arthur in our Inspiration Series video »
Website: arthurmeyerson.com
Instagram: @arthurmeyerson