Light becomes magic when you enter a canyon. The effect of direct or subdued light reflecting off canyon walls into the trees and into the streams creates unique opportunities for photographic artistry that occur only in these settings.
This intermediate- to advanced-level nature photography workshop will embark on weekend field sessions to Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park. Known for their canyons, these parks offer a wealth of photographic opportunities, including impressive sandstone cliffs, ancient trees, waterfalls and flowing streams, abundant flora, exceptional wildflowers, and hopefully, some wildlife.
Evening classroom sessions at The Morton Arboretum will provide an opportunity to review images from the field and discuss post-processing techniques to fulfill creative goals.
On our journeys, we may experience a wide range of lighting conditions, from low to exceptionally high contrast. Emphasis will be placed on mastering highlights, shadows, backlighting and exposure. Discussions will prepare you for success even under the most difficult lighting conditions, and how to read your scene to predictably capture the mood of the light that is present.
Through a mix of classroom sessions and experimentation in the field, students will learn and practice:
- Reading the camera histogram and making effective decisions to take advantage of the unique lighting that occurs in canyons
- Conquering the difficult aspects of rendering shadows and highlights and using post-production software to produce images with a sense of depth
- Tapping into innate creativity by creating powerful, artistic nature images in both color and black-and-white
- Camera and lens settings, light modifiers, and fill flash to compensate for quickly changing light conditions
- Using various software imaging tools to master high-dynamic range (HDR) scenes, shadow and highlight controls using Camera RAW, and a host of other tools offered by image management solutions
This workshop is appropriate for any photographer who is comfortable with the manual controls of a DSLR camera and with post-production software such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. Please see What to Know for additional information on required equipment and experience.
This program meets in person at the Arboretum and on location at Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park.
Instructor: Dan Pollack, photographer
Age: 18 and older
Course number: P337
