Two Pictures for the Price of One, with Paul Mobley

Over the years I've learned NEVER to assume anything when photographing people. When you least expect it, magic happens.

I had just finished watching the movie Kingpin, and had an idea to photograph an "old school bowling team.” I already had the picture in my mind. It would be "fun, crazy, loud and obnoxious.” Easy right? Not so fast. As you can see, I had the right faces, great uniforms, perfect location … etc, etc. I had my shot.

HOWEVER, when I took a quick break to change lenses, I turned around and noticed this:

As the guys were waiting for me to "get them yelling and clowning around again," I suddenly had another picture. Just as good, right? Maybe better. Depends if you like comedy. I call this version "The Bowling Sopranos."

So, my point is: keep you eyes and heart open to ANY and ALL possibilities. You never know what might happen. As my old photography mentor once said … "the harder I work, the luckier I get.”
That's the beauty of our business. Great things happen everyday.

Great things are bound to happen in Paul’s workshop

People of Character: Capturing the Soul of Your Subject
with Paul Mobley
July 24 - July 30, 2011

See what he's been up to, www.paulmobleystudio.com

Follow Paul on his blog, www.mobleyshoots.com

New Math, Old-School Style, with Jill Enfield

The Equation for a Creatively Enriching Experience
1. Take any old film camera—from Brownie, to Hasselblad, to Holga
2. Add a piece of black aluminum with a hand-applied emulsion
3. Add a black bag that you can use as a film-loading darkroom
4. Take off for the day
5. Add anywhere in the world that you like to explore
6. Filter in people stopping you to ask what the heck you are doing and offering to sit for an image
7. What does it equal? One-of-a-kind modern day tintypes and a fantastic journey into the past!

Have a full week of enriching experiences in Jill’s upcoming workshop

Modern Dry-Plate Tintypes
with Jill Enfield
July 17–July 23, 2011

See what she’s been up to on her website, www.jillenfield.com

How Wide Is Your Bag? with Christopher Wray-McCann

"If I had to offer a one single piece of advice as a music photographer, it would be this: never show up to work with a bag wider than your hips. If the gear you want to bring with you doesn't fit in this bag, odds are you don't need it.

Maintaining a low profile helps you get to the places you need to as quickly as possible, without getting stuck in the crowd or interfering with the people who are kind enough to give you the access you need to get the shot. 'Fire and Maneuver' ... it's an old army doctrine, but it works and it works well."

Christopher will share many other things he's learned in his 15 years as a music photographer (in the pit, on tour, in the studio, backstage and the places in between) with those who feel ready to take it to the next level in

The Music Scene
with Christopher Wray-McCann
July 17 - July 23, 2011

See what else he's been up to on his web site, www.wray-mccann.com

Making the Connection, with Norah Levine

More than half of all households in the United States have pets. As someone who specializes in pet portrait photography, this is great news! The bond between people and pets is incredibly unique, and I gladly take on the challenge of capturing this extraordinary connection between pet and owner in my photographs.

So … how do you capture this loving and playful connection in a frame? First and foremost, commit to spending quality time with whomever you’re photographing. Truly be present. Soak in some licks from the dog, gather hair on your pants from the cat rubbing up against your legs, embrace a showering sneeze from the horse, and simply talk to the owner about his or her uninhibited love for their pets. No matter how different you are from one another, you’re guaranteed to have one thing in common—a mutual love of animals.

The connection process is imperative to creating meaningful portraits and I’ve learned from experience that the more I engage with the subjects I am photographing, the more this unique connection between owner and pet shines through.

Come make connections with Norah this summer in Santa Fe

The Creative Pet Portrait
with Norah Levine
July 10 - July 16, 2011

See what Norah’s up to on her web site, www.norahlevine.com, and on her blog, www.norahlevine.com/blog

Cornered, with Seth Resnick

Today almost everyone owns a camera. And, yes, the process of taking a picture has become so simple that even a child can do it. But it takes a truly special vision to capture the world in a graphically brilliant manner in 1/500 of a second. So over the years I have picked up many photographic exercises that I regularly practice, and that I teach my students to keep them in good visual shape and make them better photographers. Here’s one of my favorites.

Triangles in the Corners
When we are attracted to a subject we tend to look towards the center of the viewfinder and rarely pay attention to the periphery. It is in the periphery where we find the things that detract from the image. It may be the branch sticking in, or a pattern of color. As an exercise when you are framing an image take your eyes and glance to the periphery in the viewfinder. Look for triangles being formed, and if you see them it is a good indication that you need to move in tighter on your subject.

If you have a triangle in the corner of one of your images and want to determine if it adds to the photograph or detracts from it, cover up everything except the triangle. If the triangle is important, keep it in. More than likely, though, the triangle will be an area of black or white or a branch and by itself is anything but a good image. In this case crop the image and remove the triangles.

Space is defined and determined by shapes and forms. Positive space is where shapes and forms exist; negative space is the empty space around shapes and forms. For images to have a sense of balance use positive and negative space to counter balance each other.

Learn more from Seth in person at his workshop in Santa Fe

How to Create Killer Images
with Seth Resnick
July 10 - July 16, 2011

Visit his web site to see what he's up to: www.sethresnick.com

Shoot the Moon, with Nick Merrick

"Shoot the Moon"— an article on Nick Merrick, recognized as one of the leading architectural photographers working today, from Architect Magazine, written by Ernest Beck.

"For the past 30 years, architectural photographer Nick Merrick has logged thousands of miles capturing vivid images of houses, orchestra halls, museums, airports, corporate headquarters, and other types of structures. Whether it’s a small residential structure or the world’s tallest building—a recent project took him to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to shoot the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa—Merrick works to create photographs that have an elemental relationship to a building.

A senior partner in the renowned Chicago architectural photography firm Hedrich Blessing Photographers, the 57-year-old Merrick spoke to Architect Magazine for the second in a two-part series about architectural photography.

He offers a few tips for aspiring architectural photographers—and insight into how photographers work best—for the clients who hire them."

See Nick's Top Seven Tips

Learn from Nick in person at his workshop in Santa Fe
Architectural Photography
with Nick Merrick
July 3 - July 9, 2011

The Power of the Decisive Edit, with Richard Newman

Telling stories and sharing experiences was the reason I wanted to become a photographer in the first place. Historically, in photography, great stories have had to have been told in a single frame, a decisive moment. But times and technologies have changed, and for me a whole new mode of communication has been discovered.

Several years ago I fell in love with using video to tell a story. My photo diary has changed to a video diary, and now instead of pouring over singular still images I watch videos of my ideas and experiences. Keeping an idea on the screen for 2 seconds or 3 seconds greatly changes the impact of the idea. I’m amazed how effective I can be in getting my ideas across in a short amount of time.

Final Cut Pro screen capture from Richard’s current project, the video for Keith Greeninger’s new release “Hop In The Truck”. Look for it on YouTube!

The moment is still decisive, but in my visual world I’m now fascinated with the decisive edit and the power of the short, impactful video. There are great stories waiting to be told. Whether they be songs, profiles or ideas, the technology has made telling these stories possible for all of us.

Learn more from Richard in his workshop
Video Boot Camp
with Richard Newman
June 26 - July 2, 2011

And see what else he’s up to on his blog, Bipolar Pizza

Geometry and Meaning with Jesse Kalisher

Sometimes a great image is all about geometry. This is just such an image. If you’re around palm trees, you know that the bark has a distinctive pattern. That said, the pattern on each tree is different, much like a fingerprint.

I can’t say that I was searching for the perfect palm tree to photograph. It’s more that I wandered amidst a grove of trees and looked for patterns and forms that would catch my eye.

I was drawn immediately to this one tree—its pattern was perfect. The symmetry of the lines as well as the width of the different layers of bark hit the graphic design sweet spot for me. I love the texture in this image, the lines, the depth of the shadows. There’s age and wisdom and meaning buried in there.

Learn more from Jesse in his workshop
Light and Meaning in Black-and-White Photography
with Jesse Kalisher
June 26 - July 2, 2011

And see what he's up to on his web site, www.kalisher.com.