This is a different approach to photography instruction. Often, people (beginner photographers especially) want to focus on the technical aspects of photography, and a mastery of all of the buttons and dials on their camera. This will not be the central focus of this instruction. When I used to teach photography classes at Georgetown 30 years ago, this was a necessary evil, as a lack of technical understanding and bad technique could ruin a photo easily. But times have changed, and fortunately, today this is not the case.
Camera technology, sensors, and photo software have progressed enormously since then, and fortunately much of what you used to have to worry about you now get for free from today’s amazing cameras.
This frees us to spend our time doing something more profound - working on developing your eye. You will learn how to take great photos of anything, anytime, anywhere, any day.
This is what makes this instruction different than most workshops. We will focus every session primarily on developing your eye, and there will be projects you can work on in-between sessions to practice these lessons, which we will discuss in subsequent lessons. We will learn about the psychological aspects of photography, perception, and how to use the principle of subtraction to create simple, pleasing, and powerful images.
We will also discuss the eye and the camera and the nature of perception, but this theory is not an end in itself. Rather, it will aid our understanding how we see, versus how the camera sees, and how people perceive photographs, all in service of creating simple, pleasing, world class images.
Additionally, in our 3 day workshops, we will have a mini Masterclass (and a full Masterclass in our 4 and 5 day workshops) in post-processing, reviewing a good photography workflow using Lightroom and Photoshop, as well as the basics of raw file development and retouching (or advanced techniques based on your skill level and familiarity with these programs already) so you will have the skills to perfect your images in Photoshop, preparing them for sharing online or printing.
The instruction is available as a 3 day, 4 day, or 5 day class, and additional sessions can of course be added as well. The instruction will be tailored to your skill level, and also to your particular area of interest (e.g. more fieldwork, more Photoshop techniques, shooting portraits in addition to landscapes, pet photography, photographing children, travel photography, black and white photography, studio photography, etc ). The sky’s the limit, and I’ll tailor the course around what you’re looking to improve upon.
If you'd like more information, or would like to book individual or group photo instruction, please give us a ring at 310-853-3564 or by email at art@pacificcoast.gallery.
I teach all of the classes personally, and I look forward to working with you.
--Matt