Photography Workshops

I can teach anyone how to take better garden photos, no matter what kind of camera they use.

This workshop starts out with my slide talk, Learning from My Mistakes: A Technophobe’s Guide to Garden Photography and a question and answer period. We all make mistakes, sometimes the same ones over and over. Using my bloopers to illustrate common problems breaks the ice with students and encourages their questions.

We then move outside with cameras to practice setting up good compositions, controlling light, eliminating distractions and focusing on what we want to communicate with each image.

In a short (one hour after the talk) workshop I’ll set up a shot with my camera on a tripod and go through the entire thought process of selecting a subject, showing a couple options for compositions, lens choice and light control with reflectors. (Another option is to do a one-hour critique of work brought in for review).

In longer workshops (up to 5 hours), students will each choose a subject out in the garden and explain what it is about that subject they find compelling. We then work individually or in small groups to figure out how to best communicate that photographically. There is an option to go back into the classroom to critique the work or to keep working outside.

This workshop is not a tech talk. It’s about learning to see and understanding basic photographic principles in order to better communicate visually.

Because choosing your light is a central message, workshops should be scheduled for afternoons, so the indoor portion is held when the sun is high and outdoor photography occurs in beautiful afternoon light.

This workshop can also be conducted indoors in a large conservatory or garden center under glass. Hosting a photography workshop during slow seasons (when it’s too early to plant or when business drops off in August) is a good way to attract customers in the off-season.

Contact Karen to set up a garden photography workshop.