On Location
Santa Fe

The Language of Black and White

with Cira Crowell

June 24 – 28, 2024

  • Tuition $1795.00
  • Model and Location Fee $375.00
  • Standard Deposit $400.00

Course Description

Are you ready to up level 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 Cira Crowell, we focus on the big picture, exploring technology, aesthetics, and individual artistry that goes into creating evocative monochrome imagery.

We slow down during this special week in Santa Fe taking time to consider how the progression of technology has shifted the character of black-and-white images over the past century. By delving into key characteristics of light, you learn how to control your camera and digital editing tools to express your inspiration.

As we engage in a range of photographic experiences, you hone your style and focus your intention, deepening your concept of what it means to make a powerful black-and-white photograph. Daily lectures and group discussions, image reviews, guest photographer presentations, and on-location photographic opportunities leave you with an expanded vision, fresh 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.

Additional Information

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Amateurs, Advanced Amateurs
What You Should Know:

Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. To participate in the class and workflows you will need to use a camera with a color sensor. A smartphone or monochrome/monochrom (black and white) files are not suitable for participation in the workflow or assignments.

Participants must be able to download, select, and transfer images for daily group reviews. Cira will demonstrate black and white processing using 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:
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 at the Friday evening Image Presentations, and daily beverage service.
Categories
Black & White Photography, Creative Vision, Fine Art
© Christopher Michel
about
Cira Crowell

Cira Crowell is based in Santa Fe and Los Angeles, and is founder of InLightWorks Productions. She is a fine-art photographer, mountaineer, philanthropist, and executive producer whose initial film Dream Mountain won “Best Mountainfilm” at the London Mountainfilm Festival and has been shown at festivals globally. Her passion for black and white photography began thirty years ago with her grandfather’s film camera and darkroom work. She still uses many of the same forty-year-old lenses in her current digital workflow.

Her love for photography and Leica has continued as she travels internationally photographing some of the world’s most engaging natural and urban landscapes. She has spent much of her career working at very high altitude, including trekking over 2,000 miles in Nepal and summiting four Himalayan peaks over 20,000 feet (6,000m+). Most recently, she summited India’s highest mountain, the otherworldly Kangchenjunga at 28,269 feet (8,586m+), the subject of her latest body of work.

Cira’s photographs have been exhibited worldwide, most recently at the Leica Gallery in Los Angeles and in the Leica USA corporate headquarters. When not abroad, she teaches close to home at Santa Fe Workshops.

Instagram: @ciracrowell

You May Also Like

The Fine Art of Flat Lay

with Philippa Stanton

September 4 – October 2, 2024

Portugal: A Rich Cultural Tapestry

with Jennifer Spelman

October 3 – 10, 2025

Iceland: The Land of Fire and Ice

with Stephen Wilkes

September 15 – 24, 2025

Vietnam: Land of the Blue Dragons

with Jennifer Spelman

April 4 – 15, 2025

Colombia: Colonial Cartagena and Carnival de Barranquilla

with Kike Calvo

February 22 – March 3, 2025

Digital Dreamscapes: The Art of Compositing in Adobe Photoshop

with Gabriel Isak

August 17 and 24, 2024

Getting the Most from Your Nikon Z5, Z6, and Z7 Series Mirrorless Camera

with Rick Berk

June 14 – 25, 2024

Capturing Color: A Comprehensive Guide To Color Toning

with Joe Perri

September 10 and 12, 2024

Motherhood and the Photographic Practice

with Amy Harrity

May 13 – June 3, 2024

Out of Bounds: Unconventional Approaches to Portraiture

with Selina Román

June 11 – 28, 2024

Mastery: The Art of Color Photography

with Stephen Wilkes

May 7 and 9, 2024

Light on Plate: Introduction to Food Photography

with Powell Jordano

September 16 – 26, 2024