Rusty Old Wrecks – Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop

 

Join me on Saturday November 3, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for a Rusty Old Wrecks Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop being held at McClean’s Auto Wreckers, near Milton, Ontario. Whether you are relatively new to photography or looking for instruction to fine tune your craft this 4 hour workshop provides excellent subject matter with acres of old dilapidated cars and trucks to chose from. You will learn everything from the basics of good composition, using filters, focusing on details, and the benefits of HDR photography. The cost of this workshop is $65 plus HST and must be paid in advance of the workshop date.

To reserve your spot and to arrange payment please contacting me by clicking here. Payment may be made by email transfer or by cheque made payable to Andrew McLachlan. The maximum number of participants for this event is 10. This workshop will run rain, shine, or snow.

Cancellation Policy:

There are no refunds for Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops. If you are unable to attend you will receive credit in the amount paid for a future Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop.

About Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops:

Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops are inexpensive, half day sessions that give back! Just how will they give back – for every 5 Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops that you attend you will receive a $50 (Canadian currency) voucher redeemable on any future workshop that you attend.

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Tiny Marsh – A Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop

Join me on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area for a Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop that focuses on photographing sunrise imagery. Tiny Marsh is located near Elmvale, Ontario on the Tiny Flos Townline Road. With sunrise being at 6:48 a.m. we will meet in the parking lot at 5:45 a.m. This will allow us time to cover some basic information while we walk out along Trotter Dyke to our best vantage points for photographing sunrise. This event will conclude at 11:00 a.m.

During this workshop you will learn the principles of photographing sunrise. Topics covered will include composition, filters, seeing the shot and much more. After sunrise is over we will continue to explore other areas of Tiny Marsh in search of more landscape opportunities as well as any wildlife / birdlife opportunities that we may find.

Tiny Marsh is a designated Important Birding Area (IBA) and at this time of year it is a major staging area for numerous waterfowl, geese, trumpeter swans and many other species of birds. While birds will not be our main focus of this workshop do note that there may be opportunities to photograph such species after sunrise. Bringing a long lens is highly recommended for both sunrise and wildlife / birdlife opportunities. While our chances of a stellar sunrise our at the mercy of the current weather pattern of the day, I have often been rewarded with sunrises at Tiny Marsh. One of the best advantages of Tiny Marsh is that there is always something to photograph.

All walking trails at Tiny Marsh are flat and by no means strenuous.

The cost of this Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop is $65 plus applicable taxes. To register for this event please contact me here for further information. The maximum number of participants for this event is 8.

During Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops you will receive friendly, in-the-field instruction and guidance. Do remember that attending A Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop allows you to earn rewards – after attending 5 of these events you will receive a $50 discount on any future workshop of your choice! Please note that attendance at any of my workshops will also earn you an automatic $50 discount to the Lake Superior Wild & Scenic Photography Retreat.

Cancellation Policy for Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops: Due to the small group / shorter notice of these events participants are encouraged to check their schedules carfefully as a no refund policy does apply.

 

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Micro Fauna of the Desert – A Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop

On Saturday May 5, 2018 join me for “Micro Fauna of the Desert – A Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop” What is a Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop? They are a series of inexpensive, half day workshops that give back to the participants! Just how will they give back? For every 5 Teaching Moment Photographic Workshops that a participant attends they will receive a $50 (Canadian currency) voucher redeemable on a future workshop of their choice.

This workshop will run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The cost of this event is $125 plus HST, which includes admission to the Reptilia Zoo.

During Micro Fauna of the Desert we will cover the fundamentals of working with flash to capture incredible imagery of these fascinating, nocturnal animals. We will also incorporate some creative options for these critters such as white backdrops and mirrors. We will photograph scorpions under ultraviolet lighting – did you know they glow under such illumination! We will photograph  several species of tarantulas as well as two incredibly colourful  lizards – the Tokay Gecko and the Leopard Gecko. Time permitting we may be able to include a Madagascar Day Gecko too!

These various species will be photographed under controlled conditions using natural, table top set-ups, for approximately two hours. Afterwards we will explore the displays in the Reptilia Zoo and have opportunities to photograph many species of venomous snakes through the safety of their glass enclosures. Although the workshop will concluded at 12:00 p.m. participants are permitted to spend the remainder of the day exploring the displays within the Reptilia Zoo.

The recommended gear for this Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop is a macro lens and flash. Ideally a flash bracket to get the flash off camera will work best but is not mandatory. I have devised various options for working with camera mounted flash for macro work. If you do not own a macro lens you could always rent one for the day from either Henry’s or Vistek. Alternately, using a high quality close-up filter on a telephoto lens is another option to make such lenses focus close enough. If you are uncertain whether your lenses will be suitable for this event please do inquire so that I can provide you with the best advice and solution. A tripod will be required to photograph the scorpions under ultraviolet lighting.

To register your self for this Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop please contact me by clicking here. Payment can be made by email transfer or by cheque made payable to Andrew McLachlan.

Cancellation Policy: no refunds 30 days prior to the workshop date.

Hope to see you there 🙂

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Rusty Old Wrecks-Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop

Yesterday I held the first Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop – Rusty Old Wrecks. We had beautiful over-cast conditions during the entire workshop and the forecasted rain held off for much of the day. There were six participants, eager to create images of these old dilapidated gems. I am looking forward to sharing the participant photos with you soon. I will be announcing a winter installment of this workshop as part of the Teaching Moment Photographic Workshop series, as well as a host of other awesome locations where folks can hone their photographic techniques and vision under the instruction of yours truly. Today’s post features some of the imagery that I created during the event as a way of showing the participant various compositional options for the enormous number of wrecks at the auto yard.

When I process my image files of the rusty old wrecks I often like to apply some Nik Detail Extractor, Nik Tonal Contrast, or Topaz Labs Clarity to enhance the grunginess of the rusted metal. Sometimes I add a touch of all three photoshop plug-ins to really grunge it up!

After applying a touch of grunge to the image files the only other step that I perform to optimize the photos is a simple “S” curve to pump up the level of contrast within the scene. The image directly above was a new find for me and I have created several Creative Edit options that I will share with you in a future blog post. Directly below is my favourite wreck at the auto yard. I just love the blues mixed in the the pinkish reds and the browns of the autumn grasses and weeds.

 

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