But back to the OneLight workshop. How shall I describe it?

Enlightening (no pun intended). Informative. Cool. Awesome. And Wow.

It’s one thing to be good at what you do and know your craft, it’s another to be able to teach it to others. Zack is one of those people who excels at both. While he didn’t shy away from the technical, he also explained and demonstrated it in such a way that creative right-brain minds can understand. And of course, left-brainers had no problems, either. It was especially wonderful to attend the workshop with Jay, and I can’t wait to start incorporating what we learned into our work. And if you’re still wondering what the workshop was all about and you don’t care to visit the website–it’s basically a workshop on off-camera lighting. Sounds way more boring than it was.

Take a look. After a morning presentation, Zack set up practical examples for us to work with. (A big thanks to Laura and Rebekah, our wonderful models!)

Then we headed outside to mix in more ambient light with our flash.

Here’s a photo without off-camera flash. Obviously Rebekah’s face is way underexposed.

And here the only thing that changed was the addition of light. My camera settings were the same.

And no, it did not suddenly get dark outside. Just the use of flash.

A dumpster. The perfect location for the next shot.

You see, flash doesn’t have to be obvious either.

How can this possibly look good?

And even when it gets really dark, your flash can still help you. Ambient light:

With flash.

And, if you’ve been thinking about attending but haven’t yet decided, you’re in luck. There’s still time to sign up for tomorrow’s and next Thursday’s workshops. Deadline is 12 noon tomorrow for the Understanding Exposure workshop, and 12 noon on the 29th for the Maximizing Your Environment workshop.

Here are the details once more:

Understanding Exposure Workshop
Who: Anyone who has a dSLR (or camera that allows for some manual control) and would like to learn how to shoot in their camera’s manual mode. While a basic understanding of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is helpful, all of these items will be taught during the workshop.
What: Learn how to use your camera in manual mode and take control of your photographs. Hands-on learning in a studio setting with plenty of opportunities for questions and answers.
When: Wednesday April 21st, from 7-9pm
Where: Birchtree Photography Studio, 4417 Old William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146
Cost: $45
Limit: 15 attendees

Shooting On-Location: Maximizing Your Environment for the Best Photos
Who: This workshop is geared towards folks who have some working knowledge of shooting in manual/semi-manual mode or have just attended the Understanding Exposure Workshop. The theme of the shoot will be wedding and engagement photography, though the principles are similar for family and children portrait photography.
What: A guided on-location photo shoot where participants have the freedom to direct and work with the models.
When: Thursday, April 29th, from 6-8pm (if inclement weather, workshop will be rescheduled to the following Thursday)
Where: On-Location in Pittsburgh: TBD–mostly likely the Strip District in Pittsburgh
Cost: $55
Limit: 10 attendees

The cost for attending both of the workshops is $90.

If you are interested in attending one or both of the workshops, please contact me through my Birchtree Photography Workshops page HERE, and be sure to indicate what workshops you’d like to attend. You’ll be able to sign up and pay the workshop fee online. Please note that registration is secured on a first-come basis.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I can’t wait to see you there!

I’m also getting more excited about my upcoming workshops at the end of the month. I’ve got some great couples lined up for modeling, and I think everyone is going to have a lot of fun shooting and learning. If you’re interested in signing up, there are some spots still available in both of the workshops.

Here’s the breakdown again:

Understanding Exposure Workshop
Who: Anyone who has a dSLR (or camera that allows for some manual control) and would like to learn how to shoot in their camera’s manual mode. While a basic understanding of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is helpful, all of these items will be taught during the workshop.
What: Learn how to use your camera in manual mode and take control of your photographs. Hands-on learning in a studio setting with plenty of opportunities for questions and answers.
When: Wednesday April 21st, from 7-9pm
Where: Birchtree Photography Studio, 4417 Old William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146
Cost: $45
Limit: 15 attendees

Shooting On-Location: Maximizing Your Environment for the Best Photos
Who: This workshop is geared towards folks who have some working knowledge of shooting in manual/semi-manual mode or have just attended the Understanding Exposure Workshop. The theme of the shoot will be wedding and engagement photography, though the principles are similar for family and children portrait photography.
What: A guided on-location photo shoot where participants have the freedom to direct and work with the models.
When: Thursday, April 29th, from 6-8pm (if inclement weather, workshop will be rescheduled to the following Thursday)
Where: On-Location in Pittsburgh: TBD–mostly likely the Strip District in Pittsburgh
Cost: $55
Limit: 10 attendees

The cost for attending both of the workshops is $90.

If you are interested in attending one or both of the workshops, please contact me through my Birchtree Photography Workshops page HERE, and be sure to indicate what workshops you’d like to attend. You’ll be able to sign up and pay the workshop fee online. Please note that registration is secured on a first-come basis.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I can’t wait to see you there!