Sarah Marino

As part of the Nature Photography Classes speaker series, we are excited to announce that Sarah Marino returns with her incredibly diverse background and knowledge.

In this inspiring yet practical presentation, Sarah will share her essential lessons for photographing nature in black and white. These lessons include learning to see opportunities in black and white photography, understanding tones, and learning to work with natural light in creative ways.

Sarah will also share three in-depth case studies, including a discussion about what went into creating each photo, including the technical details, composition, light, and detailed processing steps.

After Sarah's presentation, she will review photos submitted by session participants. This will highlight her lessons and provide practical advice to apply in your own photography.

This talk will help you see the natural world in a totally new way and help open new avenues for your own creative expression.

You can learn more about Sarah and her work on her website.

Sarah will support The Amargosa Conservancy with 10% from the registration fees donated to help protect this amazing region.

Length: 2.5 hours

Jennifer King

As an internationally acclaimed landscape and fine art photographer with a passion for teaching and inspiring photographers around the world, Jennifer King brings an artistic perspective to nature photography through her fine art and design background. Her ability to teach composition and inspire creativity is unmatched.

Photographs in black and white have a certain magic: the silver-like component that creates a sense of illusion, the dark tones that produce an emotional response, and the light that brings each image to life. In this session, you will walk through the creative process of defining your vision and creating dramatic images.

After Jennifer's presentation, you will see RAW files submitted for processing / image review. In addition, you will find the answers to more than 50 questions about black and white photography. 

You can learn more about Jennifer and her work on her website. 

Length: 2.5 hours

Huibo Hou

When I asked other professionals who they would most like to hear speak, a resounding number said Huibo Hou! Not for complex post processing or traveling to remote and obscure locations, but for the simplicity and IMPACT of her images.

Black and white images often have power in their simplicity. Huibo's favorite type of black and white landscape images are the clean, simple ones with just a few essential elements in each frame. This leaves space for viewers to imagine and contemplate.

During this presentation, she will explore the ideas and techniques of seeking such simplicity, both in the field and during post-processing.

Topics include:
• seeing and composing with essential elements.
• using long exposure to simplify and create mood.
• managing details and textures with tonal control in post-processing and much more!

Whether you are new to photography or an experienced photographer, this class is designed to inspire you towards creating impactful black and white landscape images. In addition, there will be a demonstration of Huibo’s techniques of how she post processes her images, giving them the distinctive look and feel of simplicity.

You learn more about Huibo and her work on her website.

Length: 2.5 hours

John Barclay & Cole Thompson

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.

You can learn more about John and his work on his website.

You can discover more about Cole on his website.

Length: 3 hours