Portraits of Earth: Landscapes for the Seasoned Photographer. Are you a pro photographer with skills in portraiture, commercial, event, or fine art photography? But somehow you struggle to wrap those skills around landscapes. Are you ready to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting your favorite National Park or Wilderness area, taking a stunning image that you created, and hanging it on your wall at home? For every photographer, showing up is most of the job, and most of that is simply having a plan and being prepared. The first two steps are key: knowing how to take care of yourself and how to plan for a successful session whether in the wilderness or your neighborhood. From there, take what you already know, add a few items to your bag of photography tricks, and create breathtaking photographs of our natural world – without digitally dropping in a sky. Lastly, learn what you can do to help take care of these beautiful lands that belong to you. Location: This class will take place in one of the most dramatic landscapes in the midwest - Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois. Students should be prepared to spend an entire day outside in nearly any weather, climbing numerous flights of stairs, and hiking a total of 8 miles - all while carrying up to 20 pounds of gear. This class will be in 5 parts: • The Photographer – having the right skills and equipment to stay safe and comfortable in the outdoors. Most important: good judgement and self-awareness, but also coffee and chocolate.• The Plan – how to plan for wherever you’re going: terrain, sun/moon/star cycles, weather, climate, wildlife, rules, and threats to your life.• The Photograph – equipment, exposure settings, composition, technical stuff, and artistry.• The Process – what to do in the digital darkroom, and what not to do.• The Place – how to take care of special places, and what you can do to help. One week prior to this class will be a one-hour Zoom call to review logistics, answer questions, and help you prepare for a full day of photography in the field. Two weeks after class there will also be a Zoom call to review photographs from the class and walk through the digital darkroom process.
Items to Bring:
- Camera
- Lenses
- Memory cards
- Batteries
- Neutral density filter
- Polarizing filter
- Tripod
- A bag to carry everything!
- Personal gear for spending a full day hiking. More information on this will be sent to students in advance.