John Barclay and Cole Thompson have forgotten about more images in their portfolios than most of us have ever taken. In addition to being super nice guys, they are incredibly practical, approachable, and respected instructors. Together, they will discuss their journey to find elements of their vision and then Cole will demonstrate his 7 steps to post-process your images.

Cole will make the case that black and white is the perfect medium for any subject…except for one. He then will talk about work from various portfolios including: The Ghosts of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Harbinger, Ceiling Lamps, Moai, Sitting for Portrait, The Lone Man, and others.

Interspersed between the images, we will hear about photographic philosophies, such as: Never Listen to Others, Photographic Celibacy, Cole’s Rule of Thirds, Equipment is Overrated, Vision is the Most Important Tool in my Toolbox, and many others!

Through this presentation we will work to “Follow YOUR vision,” “and make the pictures that only you can see.” John will talk about how he began looking for the images that spoke directly to him, that pulled his eye or aroused his imagination and how when he looked for connection, he found his photographer self. Or in quoting Emerson “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

In the end, we need to be confident in our own vision, in our ability to discover worthy images that make our hearts sing.