Dates Set for My 2015 Florida Photography/Photoshop Workshops: Small Groups, Big Learning - and big fun!

I've set the dates for the January/February 2015 Florida Digital Photography/Photoshop Workshops. You will receive personal attention on each workshop because you'll be in a small group.

You will learn a lot and have a ton of fun - while shooting in cool locations. I will also sit side-by-side with you and help you process your images.

South Beach Creative Photo Workshop • January 15 - 17
Highlights: Night, model, sunrise and sunset photography.

Digital Delray Photo Weekend • January 30 - February 1
Highlights: Shoot at Butterfly World, Wakodahatchee and at the beautiful Colony Hotel. Street shooting, too.

Key West Small Group Workshop • February 3 - 4
Highlights: Sunset, street, and HDR photography. Only four participants.

I am also giving private photography and Photoshop lessons while I am in the Delray Beach area: January 20 - 29. Shoot me an email for info.

I hope to see some of you in the Sunshine State.

All my 2015 digital photography/Photoshop workshops are listed here.

If you plan on mastering HDR, I recommend using Photomatix. Info on my Plug-ins page.

Can't make a live workshop? I also offer many on-line classes.

Explore the light,
Rick

Learn About Composition & Light On My Workshops and On-Line

Composition is the strongest way of seeing. The main difference between the opening image for this post and the image below is composition. The picture below is a composition mess.

The opening photograph illustrates an important composition technique: separation between the elements in a scene. Most of the time, separation is a good thing.

Composition is important, but so is light. Light, after all, is the main element in every photograph, so we need to learn how to see and capture the light. The two elements that make this photograph pleasing are a good exposure and nice light. My # 1 lighting tip: expose for the highlights.

I teach composition and getting a good exposure on my workshops.

If you can’t make a workshop, check out my KelbyOne on-line training classes on composition and light.

To help you find the best light, anywhere around the world, check out my latest app, Rick Sammon's Photo Sundial. The app also includes my best tips for photographing at sunrise and sunset. Weather and phases of the moon info is included, too.

FYI: I made these photographs this past weekend in Alaska while co-leading a photo workshop with my good friend Hal “Bull” Schmitt, director of the Light Photographic Workshops.

Hal and I are co-leading a Death Valley Photo Workshop in 2015. Join the fun in the sun? The workshop will focus on landscape photography, model photography, HDR, Lightroom and Photoshop.

Explore the light,
Rick

What To Expect on My 2014 Iceland Workshop

I can't wait to return to Iceland this year for my third digital photography workshop with co-leader Tim Vollmer. We have one room available. Shoot me an email for info.

The basic info on this awesome adventure is listed under the Iceland Workshop on My Workshops page. For those new to my Iceland workshops, I thought I'd put together a list of what to expect.

But first, check out my Iceland Adventure Photo Gallery. We will make photographs in many of these locations.

You can expect to:

• Explore one of the most picturesque destinations on the planet - with a small, intimate group of dedicated photographers.

• Make awesome pictures of ice, waterfalls, scenery, Icelandic horses -  and hopefully the Northern Lights, which is why we scheduled the workshop for this time of year.

• Have hands-on, in-the-field photo guidance by Tim and myself. We will be teaching composition and exposure, topics I cover in my on-line classes. We will also help you with daily image processing, so you have awesome images for the group slide show at the end of the workshop. I can also help you with plug-ins.

• Have some downtime in the vehicle as we move from location to location. That's a good time to ask more questions and to get to know your fellow workshop participants. Me? I have been known to nap. :-)

• Hike with crampons for a few hours on a glacier. It's an awesome experience, and you need to be in good physical shape. It's really not that difficult. Everyone in our group participated in this activity on my last trip, but you can keep warm in the van if you prefer. I took the picture below on the right on that hike.

• Shoot in a glacier lagoon, which is what I am doing in the top left image, and where I took the opening image for this post. For these shoots you'll need waterproof boots - if you want to get in the water, which is not necessary. I recommend NEOS. I also suggest a camera cover and rain pants. You can get all this gear at Outdoorphotogear.com. You may also need your NEOS when we are photographing waterfalls. So, keep your NEOS in the van at all times.

• Have great meals in Reykjavik. Tim knows awesome restaurants. The food in the lodges is good, too. For those who like to have happy hour in their rooms in the field, we'll make stops at local shops.

• Have some jet lag if you are traveling from far away. That is why I get there the day before the workshop actually starts. If you come a day early, I am sure we will meet up for a meal and maybe a nature walk by the hotel, which is what we did last year. Some folks stayed a day after the workshop to relax, but most of those folks were ready to come home.

• Have your tripods packed in one area of the van. That is why I require that you mark your tripods - so they do not get mixed up and are easy to find. I use small, ID sticker from moo.com. In fact, I mark every piece of my gear, even my lens caps, so there is no mix-on site.

• Get warmer as you move around outside. Dressing in layers is the key.

• Have the lamb hot dog, which is an Iceland treat. I had a few on our last workshop, but they were nothing compared to the fresh fish we had in Reykjavik.

• Leave Iceland probably wanting to return. . .

Explore the light,
Rick