workshop Archives -

Finding the Spirit of Place

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

This workshop is the culmination of creativity combined with photography. It is the art of exploring the environment or subject to express its true nature from the perspective of the photographer.

It is offered through the amazing art school Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. It is the former home of Georgia O’Keefe.

Here is the synopsis of the workshop. . .

Ready to take the next step in your photography? Learn to “see” the world around you through the camera’s eye, and create amazing photographic images. Simply put, photography is light. It’s important to see it and learn to control it through camera settings. In the digital age, photography is more dynamic in what can be captured in a picture. Our cameras are able to capture both low light and high light situations. To create a photograph, this is combined with our knowledge of our camera’s settings. Exposure and composition combine together to make the photograph a true representation of the photographer’s vision through management of light, color, and highlight/shadow. This class includes the formulas and techniques to create dynamic photographs, and the importance of equipment choices. Different lens focal lengths change the depth of field recorded by the camera. This is an important piece of creating a story-telling photographic image. Discussions include in-camera techniques and digital darkroom adjustments. The digital darkroom is basically the photo lab of the film days of photography. We will learn basic techniques, along with the best software and best hardware choices. This is where the photographer adjusts the photograph to match his/her visual representation of the scene/subject. It is as important as in-camera techniques to create the picture. Class includes time to practice these new concepts and techniques through practice and assignments. Questions are encouraged both in-class, and during practice times. Each class includes time for review / critique of students work. The feedback helps clarify the concepts of the class, and encourages creativity.

We will cover:
*Seeing Examples of concepts through visual presentation
*Learning how to “see” and “seeing” techniques
*Creativity is encouraged *Exposure & composition (basic to advanced depending on level of student)
*Equipment & how to select which pieces to use
*Learn visual story-telling and finding inner vision
*Planning and accomplishing the photographic concepts
*Color or Black & White? What works best with the photograph’s concept
*Experimenting with visual concepts
*Connecting with the subject or place
*In-camera techniques for better photographs
*Digital Darkroom techniques

Link for the class is on the Workshops page. . .

Black & White Photography Tips

May 21, 2018 by karenulvestad, posted in Digital Darkroom, Tips, Workshops

Black and white photography relies on the tonal quality of the colors in the scene. The way the photographer “sees” the image changes. Without the reliance on color, the photograph relies on whites, blacks, and gray tones.

The human eye sees about 16 million colors. To create a successful black and white photograph, those colors need to be translated into their tonal quality. This is dependent on camera settings, and post production processes.

Traditional black and white was done with black and white film. The process of exposure and film choice dictated the end photograph. Modern digital cameras work differently. The camera’s photo sensor sees light and filters colors. Black and white settings on the camera can produce beautiful photographs, though it will depend on the camera’s programming.

The contrast between light and dark, along with the mid-tones, create the black and white image. The settings for black and white are in picture style, filters, or color (tone) menus of the digital camera. In many cameras, the photographer can set the contrast, brightness, and other settings for the photograph.

The second way to create successful black and white photographs is in the post processing phase of modern photography. There are many different types of photo processing software and photo filters available. The photos in this blog were done in Adobe Photoshop.

Karen
Visualize ~ Create ~ Evoke

To learn more, I’ll be teaching Black & White photography on the amazing Oregon coast this June 2018. The Oregon Coast in Black & White, June 18th & 19th, 2018 at the Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology. For more information, click here.

The Oregon Coast in Black & White

May 11, 2017 by karenulvestad, posted in Workshops

This workshop is happening the first weekend in July (1st & 2nd) on the Oregon coast. There is some classroom time, then it’s off to photograph the amazing coastline and wildlife.

Workshop description –

Capture the dramatic and rugged Oregon coastline in classic and timeless black and white. Whether shooting film or digital, the coast beckons to the dynamics of black and white photography. Layers of clouds and headlands, frenzied ocean waves or tranquil sand beaches offer endless possibilities for composition, exposure, and amazing images. This workshop offers a short classroom orientation, photo critiques at the end, and plenty of time in the field. Dress for the weather and walking/hiking.

As I write this, there are only 4 spaces left. To learn more or register, click here.

Visualize ~ Create ~ Evoke

Karen

Black & White

January 30, 2017January 28, 2017 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

Black and white photography uses tonality, contrast, and composition to engage the viewer. It is the origins of photography, and the favorite of famous photographers such as Ansel Adams.

This type of photography takes a different “eye” than its color counter part. The tonality of black and white succumbs to the vibrance of color in color photography. Often, a photographer is good at one or the other, but not both. It requires 2 different ways of “seeing” the shot.

The mood of the black and white image is more than its tones. The clarity of the image or softness add to the composition. The top photograph evokes a feeling of a storm, while the second is crisp and shows clarity. Each stands on its own composition, telling 2 different stories of the Oregon coast.

I’ll leave with 1 more image. . .

Happy Shooting. . .

“The Oregon Coast in Black & White” July 1-2, 2017 at Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology

Spirit of Place

September 21, 2016 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

I cannot teach this workshop often enough! This is the core of a successful photography. The idea is to “capture” the subject’s essence in the 2 dimensional image of a photograph. . .to “tell” a story about the subject.

With people, it is often a smile, tears, or other emotion / action within the photograph. This ideal can be brought to a landscape, wildlife image, or macro subject. Each photographer has their own unique view of the world, and the objective is to share this with the viewer.

Accomplishing this vision includes camera knowledge, composition, “seeing”, and weaving all this into the photographic image.

I love this workshop the most, because we explore all these aspects of photography in the classroom, and strive to combine them in the field. The focus is on techniques, vision, and composition.

I look forward to meeting all the individuals that join this journey to photographic perfection.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Painting With Light on the Oregon Coast

April 26, 2016April 26, 2016 by karenulvestad, posted in Workshops

Thought I would share my latest venture. June is the time to teach on the Oregon coast at the Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology. Hope you enjoy & please share. . .Life is Good!

Happy shooting. . .Karen

The Call of Iceland

October 19, 2015 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

As a photographer, specific places call to my spirit to visit. Iceland calls. It calls to the very core of my being. It’s all about the birds.

I’ve been watching the birds here on the Pacific Ocean shores, and it’s interesting to see their successes and slow disappearance. Iceland isn’t different. The largest colony of Atlantic Puffins have not had a successful breeding season in the past 5 years (from my online research). I want to see 500,000 birds before they disappear. I want to feel dwarfed by the amazing landscape, powerful sea, and the incredible bird colonies.

The water temperatures are changing, which is changing the food supply. This is a personal project for me. Those without voices look to those of us with words and photographs to speak for them.

I want to invite other photographers to join me in the isolated and breathe-taking landscape. I’m putting together lodging and guided trips to isolated areas. I’m hoping to connect with a biologist or two, and to experience the culture of Iceland.

Let me know if you’re in for the adventure. I’m going the end of May 2016.

The Spirit Of Place

May 6, 2015 by karenulvestad, posted in Tips, Workshops

The Spirit of Place is one of my ideas or personal concepts about photography. At its core is the idea that photographs are created by the photographer through use of light, exposure, and composition. It is our personal view-point or way we translate the scene in a visual way.

This photo uses shadow and light, lines, and people to create the composition of the place. In this image, the viewer sees the blowing sand (top of dune), the rocky wall in the foreground, and the people making their way up the sand dune. It speaks of man and nature co-existing in the late afternoon light.

Nature is one constant in our lives that is ever-changing, yet remains the same. The challenge for the photographer is to take existing elements, and create a pleasing photographic image. Photography is a tool to document the world around us, yet our personal view-point is always present in our images.

The blowing sand in this photograph creates designs on the sand that mimic the wet sand reflecting the blue sky and the ocean waves. In this image, one could see the hillsides in the background as repeating the wavy shape created by the sand and ocean. The scene is completed by all the people enjoying the beach, whether walking along the water or sitting in the sand. By including people, I have given a reference to the size of the landscape.

Another way to look at this scene is to eliminate or hide the man-made or man’s influence upon the scene. By moving the point-of-view, this image the viewer sees the ocean waves and four gulls. Yes, there is some indications of civilization, but they are not the main components of the composition.

Now to end this entry, I’ve added a little different concept. This image is titled Windy. It leaves the question, how do we as photographers show wind or other elements in our images? What is that special ingredient that we have included to make our photograph stand-out from the millions of images on the internet?

Stay tuned for more. . .or simply join me for my Spirit of Place workshop on the Oregon coast in June.

Happy shooting. . .Karen

Sitka Workshop Went Great

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014 by karenulvestad, posted in Location, Workshops

“Excellent instructor – willing to help and make accommodations for all. . .” Student comment. . .

The Spirit of Place workshop I taught at the Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology went great! The students were a fantastic group of diverse individuals with a desire to learn more about photography. We ventured out on our second day to Cape Kawanda (Pacific City), and Neskowin. We practiced the workshop skills photographing the expansive landscape, dories, tide pools, gray whales, and birds. Below is an image of one of the students photographing the dories, as they came into the beach.

Below is one of my photographs taken of the dories from the beach. The tide was out, and we were able to walk through the tide pool area near the cape. The dories require a fast shutter speed to capture the action with clarity. My students had the opportunity to shoot these experiences, while learning the finer points of exposure and composition. My workshops are balanced between learning in the classroom, practicing in the field, and exploring the possibilities of the photographic medium.

While exploring the area after teaching the workshop all day, I came across this mule deer buck and a doe. The light was waning since it was later in the evening. The morning had started out with a bald eagle flying by, and the day ended with deer. Sitka is a fantastic place to take workshops with top-notch instructors, and they offer a variety of art classes through-out the summer months. I’ve been blessed to have been teaching workshops through this school for 3 years.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Sharing a Story in a Photographic Image

May 18, 2014 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

Photographs come in many different styles, such as landscape, wildlife, people, and commercial. There are many more that are not listed here. What separates a photograph from others is the clarity of the story it tells. What does the photographer share with the audience that isn’t shared in other images.

The photograph below is a shot of Proposal Rock on the Oregon coast. This area is photographed often by locals and visitors. So the challenge becomes, how does a photographer make his/her photograph different from every other photograph of this beach and rock? In this case, the difference is a pair of shoes with bright colored laces.

This second photograph utilizes people in a landscape photograph. The viewer first sees the child holding the lens, the railing behind the child, and finally the landscape in the background. This shot is from Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauaii (Hawaiian Islands). The depth of field in this shot give value to its elements. . .the child, the railing, and the canyon. The clouds in the sky add further texture to the image.

It seems fitting to end with this photograph of a Bald Eagle at sunset. The sunset becomes the sun, color of the sky, and the silhouetted eagle. This is a single shot in the camera, which means it was thought through before the photograph was taken. Planning can help create a one-of-a-kind photographic image.

This is an excerpt from my upcoming workshop The Spirit of Place at the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology in June.

More next time. . .Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Tag: workshop

Finding the Spirit of Place

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