Upcoming workshops for April and May

Introduction to Digital Photography (IDP) - 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd April 2013

This is an intensive 4 session introduction to the camera and the principles of photography. Classes are limited to 4 students and will take place in Hillcrest at Iphiti College). Students are expected to have their own DSLR for the course. The course covers basic to advanced camera control, understanding the sensor itself, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, focus and a basic session on composition. After this course students should be able to approach digital photography with confidence and with a sufficient foundation to either teach themselves further, or understand more advanced workshops. Lessons take place on four consecutive Tuesday afternoons between 16:00 to 18:00. Homework and readings are given out.
Time: 16:00-18:00 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23 April 2013
Cost R3500 per photographer (limited to 4 photographers - students who have already attended IPPP receive a R500 discount)

Introduction to Photographic Post Production (IPPP) - 2nd, 7th, 14th and 21st May 2013

This 4 lesson course looks at the fundamentals of photoshop and post-production. The initial session will also introduce the concept of digital asset management and Workspaces Following sessions will give an understanding of the tools available to photographers in Photoshop; Adjustment Layers, Layers and Blending and advanced selection techniques. Classes take place in Gillits starting promptly at 16:00 on the designated dates and ending at 18:00. Readings and homework are given out.
Time: 16:00-18:00 2nd, 7th, 14th and 21st May 2013
Cost R3500 per photographer (limited to 4 photographers - students who have already attended IDP receive a R500 discount)

Bridal/Wedding Photography Workshop - 4th and 5th May 2013

The bridal workshop is an intensive weekend workshop to introduce photographers to the difficulties and pitfalls of wedding photography and how to overcome them. The workshop starts on Saturday with a series of lectures on equipment, fees, setup and production. The afternoon and evening is spent with two paid professional models (our bride and groom) going through the ‘Creative Shoot’ as well as scenarios for the actual event. Sunday is then spent doing post- production and looking at the finished product. Snackes and lunches will be provided. It is highly recommended that photographers have been on the IDP or similar comprehensive introduction to photography and/or flash use. An understanding of Lightroom and Photoshop is also useful.
Time 9:30am-19:00pm on the 4th, 9:30am-16:00pm on the 5th May 2013
Cost R3250 for photographers who have attended the IDP or any two individual Limephoto workshops, R3750 for photographers who have not attended either of the former (Space is limited to 6 photographers for the weekend)

Layering For Effect - Lighting The Side Of A Building

I recently did a shoot for a Ferrari dealership in Umhlanga. The brief was to photograph the dealership rather than the vehicles themselves (pity), but the idea was still to show off the cars in a small way. My idea was to shoot in the late afternoon as the light ebbed away, leaving a lovely glow in the sky while the street lights and the interior lights of the dealership would cast a wonderful light over the front of the building and onto the cars themselves.

Where's The Light- Wildlife Portraits and the March Thanda Workshop

Effective lighting in portraiture invariably adds drama and a sense of story to a good portrait. Portrait photographers hardly ever use a simple head on lighting approach and when they do it is through a heavily modified flash head. even the most simple of outdoor portraits taken with available light tend to be modified through shooting under convenient shade or by using reflectors or a well chosen wall to balance and craft the light that lands on the sitters face. So why should wildlife portraiture be any different?

It shouldn't. Yet so many photographers, especially those starting out in the world of wildlife photography shy away from difficult light. The reality is that the more dramatic the lighting the more effective the portrait. This is even more important since animal behavior in wildlife photography has become more of a photographic topic than portraits. Still, time and again, when approaching wildlife I see how the photographer or the guide that the photographer has hired will set the vehicle so that the sun is as much behind them as possible. The less of an angle on the sun seemingly the better. Not true!

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Inspiration in a Blade of Grass

One of the most valuable lessons in creativity that I ever leant was from Freeman Patterson’s book, “Photographing and the Art of Seeing”. It’s something that I have to keep reminding myself as it is all to easy to shrug off a scene as simply being not photogenic enough. The lesson that was repeatedly driven home in Patterson’s book was that everything has photographic merit...everything.

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