So, I Am Going to Take Another Street Photography Workshop
I have a rather dramatic history of closing out stages in my life. I was trained to do this well. When you are a child in a military family you constantly have to give up your community and friends. I got quite good at boxing up my old life, putting it in permanent storage and moving on to a new life.
One thing I closed out, kind of early on, was going to school. I liked going to school enough that I was willing to push on year after year toward getting a doctorate. And then one day, before I actually got the doctorate, I knew I was at the end. I closed that chapter of formal education with the intention of never, ever again taking a class of any kind. I did relapse from time to time. I took some delightful quilting classes. I took some basic photography classes. Did I luck out there. My instructor was the late Bahman Farzad, who at the time was one of the world’s greatest photographers of lotus flowers. We used his book, “The Confused Photographer’s Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System for Digital and 35mm Photographers.” He promised to teach us to get “correct exposures by choice not chance.” He delivered on that promise.
In a certain kind of way, both of those classes were not the formal education I vowed to give up. They were my kindergarten classes for a new passion. It is said that you learn everything you need to know in kindergarten. And let’s face it, kindergarten is fun. Quit while you are ahead.
I am thinking about all of this because I will be in NYC this week to take a street photography workshop led by Vineet Vohra. This is not my first workshop with Vineet. I am proud to say I survived his workshop in 2019 at the Miami Street Photography Festival. In case you think that is some kind of negative review of Vineet, it is not. He is the reason I survived. But it was a hard few days. The kind of days I promised myself I would forever avoid. I expect this workshop to be a hard few days, also. Five to be exact. I keep asking myself, “Why am I doing this?”
As luck would have it, before I left for NYC, I was directed to a couple blogs by Douglas Beasley who is a photographer and photography workshop leader. One blog is Preparing for a Photo Workshop. If you are thinking about taking a workshop, it is an excellent source, with 28 suggestions, to help you get as ready as possible. The second blog is Workshop Survival. It is a must read if you are planning in taking a workshop.
Here are some of my totally random observations about workshops, culminating in the answer to the question, “Why am I doing this?”
You should be familiar with your camera equipment. That was an issue in Miami. I was quite comfortable with the operation of my camera. What was new for me was moving from a 80 mm focal length to a 28 mm focal length. I had tiny, tiny people in my pictures the first two days of shooting. There should be no surprises like that in this workshop, so that is good.
It helps to have an understanding of your work. Unlike 2019, this time I have a fairly coherent set of images that are representative of my work right now. I know what kinds of pictures I want to take. Vineet put me on that path in Miami. I hope the workshop will allow me to travel further down that path. Therein lies the angst. I hate to be in a situation where I have to take good pictures on demand. Honestly, the quality of shots that I take seems to be totally random. What if I come up with nothing in five days of shooting?
Most, if not all, participants of a photography workshop believe they are the least advanced in the class. I will never be convinced that I am not the least advanced.
The workshop is not a competition for taking the best shots. I generally am not a zero sum game person. I am pleased when fellow participants produce good work. And now that I think about it, that was the case with every single photographer taking the class in Miami. That is exactly why I have signed up for this one.
Now for a little color theory.
Monochromatic
The word monochromatic has its origins in the Ancient Greek words mónos ( one) and khrôma (color). This color harmony has a single base hue, i.e., color, which is combined with various shades, tints and tones of that hue. Black is added to get shades so the hue is darker in value. White is added to get tints, so the hue is lighter in value. Grey is added to get tones, which changes the saturation of the hue.
There are some benefits in using a monochromatic color palette. They are are visually harmonious. Because we associate meaning with color, a monochromatic color palette can shape the mood of a photo.