On Location

The Poetry of Abstraction

with Susan Burnstine

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!

Sign-up for the Newsletter:

Course Description

Viewing the world indirectly offers us a golden opportunity to express ideas and emotions in ways that move beyond the usual representations of a subject. Whether our inspiration takes root in grand landscapes or the smallest of microscopic organisms, the possibilities are endless when we examine the world from different perspectives.

With magnificent San Miguel de Allende as our backdrop, this workshop gives participants the skills to identify key abstract elements and skills to create compositions that bear little or no resemblance to the subject at hand. As we explore how metaphor relates to nonfigurative images, we effectively uncover the best approaches for realizing our personal visions, delving into techniques such as selective focus, multiple exposure, reflection, intentional camera movement, light and shadow, and context.

We discover innovative ways to reimagine the world around us through presentations, group critiques, portfolio reviews, and photographic assignments that sparks inspiration. We venture out into beautiful San Miguel each day to find our voice in the poetry of abstractions.

By the end of our week together, your mind has expanded, and you feel confident creating abstract images that reach beyond conventional graphic form to achieve distinctive poetic representation.

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. Participants must be able to download, select, and transfer images to their own jump drive for class each day.
Categories
Creative Vision, Fine Art
about
Susan Burnstine

Susan Burnstine is an award-winning fine art and commercial photographer originally from Chicago now based in Los Angeles. Susan is represented in galleries across the world, widely published, teaches workshops internationally, and has also written for several photography magazines, including a monthly column 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 »

Gorman on Gorman: Five Decades

November 17 - 19, 2020

Finding Your Voice

December 15 – 17, 2020

Wild Stories: The Perilous Art of Adventure Writing

December 1 – 4, 2020

Color, Light, and Design

January 4 - 21, 2021

You May Also Like

A Portrait of San Miguel de Allende

with Reid Callanan

October 13 – 17, 2025

The Impactful Image

with Christopher Michel

October 13 – 17, 2025

A Natural Eye: The Expressive Landscape—Big Sur, California

with Eddie Soloway

December 2 – 7, 2025

The Color Moment

with Arthur Meyerson

October 20 – 24, 2025
– Summer Season

The Language of Black and White

with Cira Crowell

June 23 – 27, 2025
– Summer Season

The Fine-Art Digital Print

with Cotton Miller

June 30 – July 4, 2025

The Artful Garden

with Lev L. Spiro

April 29 – May 16, 2025

The Creative Alchemy of Fine-Art Photography

with Thibault Roland

April 8 – May 6, 2025

Silver and Gold Leaf Photography

with Marcy Palmer

April 29 – May 20, 2025
– Summer Season

Nature's Embrace

with Xuan-Hui Ng

July 14 – 18, 2025

A Natural Eye: The Expressive Landscape—Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

with Eddie Soloway

August 5 – 10, 2025

Mojo Rising: Renew Your Creative Spirit

with Keith Carter

October 20 – 24, 2025

The Next Step: San Miguel de Allende

with Sam Abell

October 13 – 17, 2025

Photoshop Compositing: A Garden of Delights

with Ryn Clarke

May 12 – 29, 2025

The Expressive Lens

with Renee Lynn

July 31 – August 21, 2025

Scotland: A Journey into Landscape Photography

with Julian Calverley

October 25 – November 3, 2025