Spring botanicals tell a story of renewal, when the Arboretum bursts into bloom with flowers and bulbs.
This class will explore storytelling through nature photography using the landscape as a starting point, then moving closer for botanical details. One outdoor class will be dedicated to a larger scene. One indoor class will be dedicated to tabletop botanical details. Over the course of the program, participants will be tasked with developing a short story in images.
This is an intermediate- to advanced-level program. Foundational knowledge and skills are required.
This program meets in person at the Arboretum.
Instructor: Will Clay, photographer; Ken Thompson, photographer
Age: 16 and older
Course number: P350
Instructors
Will Clay, photographer
Formerly a professor of botany, Willard Clay has been a full-time photographer since 1982. Specializing in large format photography, he has been the primary photographer for nine coffee table books and has been published in myriad calendars, magazines, books, and advertisements. Teaching credits include teaching at The Morton Arboretum since 2005, as well as The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont since 1985, and classes and seminars at many venues throughout the country.
Ken Thompson, photographer
Ken Thompson became serious about photography after retiring from managing a chemicals business. He is most interested in “the world within,” that part of the world that we often ignore or walk by: water drops, insects, dragonflies, butterflies, and small plants. Thompson is best known for close-ups of water in its many forms, especially dew drops and ice formations. He has been teaching photography at The Morton Arboretum since 2006, and taught for several years at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Tennessee.
What to Know
This program meets indoors and outdoors. Check the forecast and dress for the weather.
Please bring fully-charged DSLR camera.
This is an intermediate- to advanced-level program. Foundational knowledge and skills are required.
Program Schedule
This program meets the following five times.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 7:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Thornhill Education Center (parking lot P-21), West Side
