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Techniques for Mastering Creative Landscape and Nature Photography
An eight week intensive course on landscape, nature and outdoor photography with special emphasis on creative lighting, macro, and filter use. |
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| Instructors: Darwin
Wiggett/Mark Degner Duration: 8
Weeks Cost: $355 Starts: Jan 9, 2009 |
Have you ever been on vacation in an amazingly beautiful location, snapped loads of photos of the impressive place you are visiting, only to find the resulting images you made to be utterly boring? What happened? Why didn't all that beauty translate into stunning photos?
It isn't enough to just be in a fantastic place to create exciting images; you also need to know how to translate your three dimensional (and five senses) experience of the place onto a two dimensional, visual medium called photography. This course will teach you the basic and advanced techniques for creating professional quality landscape, nature, macro and outdoor photos that will excite the eyes of other viewers and better represent your experience of the place.
In this course, Darwin Wiggett, author of numerous books on Canadian landscape photography, will give you all the techniques necessary to take your photos from 'vacation snapshots' to mouth-watering, professional quality photographic imagery. Best of all, great landscape and nature images can be made as easily in your own backyard as they can in the grand vistas of the National Parks. Darwin will show you how to take better outdoor photos no matter where your travels take you.
This 8-week course will cover the following topics:
- The necessary and most appropriate gear needed to do professional landscape and nature work with the ultimate goal to sell your images for publication or as photographic prints.
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Learning to See - The Art of Communicating with Light: How to see photos in places
where others see nothing.
- Capturing the Light - Essential Outdoor Photography Techniques:
Part One
- Understanding contrast and learning to work with contrast for better
outdoor photos. Manipulating Contrast through adding light to the shadows
(fill flash, reflectors, light painting techniques etc).
Part Two
- Manipulating
contrast by subtracting light to the highlights - diffusion and
filter use.
- Camera Controls for Creative Vision in Photography - The Effective
Use of Aperture and Shutter Speed and How to Know the Best Lens to Use
in any Situation.
- Elements of Composition and Design - Organizing the Picture Space
and Pushing the 'Rules'.
- The Essential Techniques of Macro Photography.
- Creative In-Camera
Photography Techniques and Basic photo-editing skills necessary
for advanced outdoor photography.
- Beyond documentary nature photography - Developing
your own style and personal expression.
Course Requirement:
Participants may use any 35mm SLR film or digital camera with interchangeable lenses, or any medium format SLR camera or any large format camera. It is recommended that digital cameras be at least 6MP or higher.
The cameras used must be able to be taken off 'automatic' or 'program' and have either manual exposure mode or aperture priority mode, with exposure compensation available (if you don't know if your camera has these features please refer to your camera manual).
If you use an auto focus camera it should have manual focus override.
A tripod and a cable or electronic release is mandatory.
Access to a nearby park, natural area, or rural area as course exercises will need to be completed in the field.
You should have basic knowledge of photo editing software such as Photoshop CS,
CS2, CS3 or Elements. If you shoot with film you will need to digitize your images
for uploading to the web (using either your own scanner or the services of a
photo lab).
Instructor: Darwin Wiggett
 Darwin Wiggett has been a full-time professional outdoor and nature stock photographer since 1990. His specialties include theatrical light landscapes, funny animals and candid kid photography. A small sampling of photo credits include: Outside, Nature's Best, National Geographic Traveler, Geo, Outdoor Photographer, Canadian Geographic, Equinox, Popular Photography, as well as more mainstream magazines such as Time, MacLean's, Business Week, and Reader's Digest. His images have graced countless books, magazines, posters, calendars and ad campaigns worldwide.
Darwin has numerous books published including: Darwin Wiggett Photographs Canada, Dances with Light – The Canadian Rockies, How to Photograph the Canadian Rockies, Niagara Falls, Amazing Photos– Alberta, Amazing Photos – The Canadian Rockies, Mutts Only, and Mutt Moments. Darwin is currently working on other Canadian landscape books, as well as producing new imagery for greeting cards and posters. Darwin's images are represented and available for stock usage from Getty, First Light, and Workbook photo agencies.
Darwin regularly teaches workshops and leads photo tours to Canadian destinations, as well as writes photography articles both on-line and in printed photo magazines. More information on Darwin can be found at www.darwinwiggett.com
What students are saying about Darwin Wiggett
and his courses?
Instructor: Mark Degner
 Mark Degner has been taking landscape, wildlife and nature photographs for over 20 years. He spends most of his time in the field capturing the beauty, drama and diversity of the Canadian Rockies. Along with his photographer wife, Leslie, they operate Wilderness Light Photography in Sherwood Park, Alberta and market their images both on their own and through several stock agencies. Mark's photographs have won numerous national and international awards. His photographs have appeared in over 50 books; countless magazines, including Outdoor Photographer, Photo Life, Birder's World and Canadian Geographic; and numerous calendars, posters and cards. Dramatic lighting and unique compositions that convey emotion are what Mark strives for in all of his images. You can view more of his work online: www.markandlesliedegner.com
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