Discussion thread is here. See full post inside for seminar details.
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If you are reading this via email or RSS, please click through to the main site (click on the headline above) to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.
When the seminars fill, I will close it and remove the registration links on the main site, but cannot edit RSS and email versions once they have left the Mother Ship.
Seminar Info and Registration Details
LOCATION:
The classes are to be held on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th, 2008 in Room 3-B at the University of London Union, which is on Malet Street in the Bloomsbury section of London. (See map.) As the map shows, the location is an easy walk from the Russell Square tube station.This was our location for last year's seminar (although different room) and it worked out great. I am looking forward to returning to ULU.
WHAT WE'RE ABOUT:
With these seminars, my goal is threefold: To refine your approach to creating light, to fill you with as many ideas as possible in a day's time and to have fun doing it. We'll start with a roadmap for the day, which I will do my best to keep us on. But each session will take on somewhat of a life of its own. Which is a good thing.
Our Anticipated Schedule
Arrival / Check-in: 0930 - 1000 hours
Please plan to arrive between these times, as we will still be setting up before then and still waiting for the caffeine to kick in. They only open the building at 0900 on the weekends, so I will be very busy setting up until 0930. Please plan to arrive at any time between 0930 and 1000, as we will start at 1000 hours sharp.
Morning session: 1000 - approximately 1230 hours
We'll talk about gear (I'll have a good gear selection there for a petting zoo) and take an extended, integrated look at what is essentially the Lighting 102 material in it's entirety. The focus will be on taking all of the things we talk about on the site in a day-to-day sense and integrating them to gain more of a holistic approach to lighting. Everything really is interrelated.
Lunch Break
On your own, approx. one hour, and we'll be looking for your nearby suggestions in the Flickr discussion thread related to this seminar. Link to a discussion thread will be posted shortly.
What I remember from last year: Sandwich shop in the basement, which is not bad at all. Other options within a four-block walk.
Afternoon Session:
~1330 - 1700 hours
Assuming we have finished the theory stuff, we'll move into the practical/demo session. (Sometimes we go into a little overtime on the theory.) We'll get into some real-world lighting exercises photographing some models I will have cleverly hidden around the room disguised as ordinary attendees.
This is basically a lighting version of "Whose Line is it, Anyway?" with a focus on improvisational lighting based on available gear, the room, found objects, lighting mods, etc. I never know what ideas we will come up with, which is what keeps me equal parts interested in and petrified of the afternoon session. It's a good thing.
Shortly after each shoot, we will view each setup and discuss the results onscreen. This instant feedback in a group environment is a wonderfully efficient way to drive home the thought and technique process. We can read and write all we want. But for photographers there is nothing better than "monkey see, money do."
The goal will be to incorporate lighting theory, room environment, assignment constraints and our available gear to create a photo that seeks to produce an photograph that is an appropriate response to our situation.
Working within that framework will allow us to concentrate on better freeing ourselves in the other areas: Creativity and subject/photographer interaction.
The entire day will be a non-stop flow of ideas and techniques, punctuated by spur-of-the-moment Q-and-A. I want you to bring lots of questions, and to feel free to voice the ones that pop into your head throughout the day. In fact, if you do not ask me enough questions, I will start throwing some questions at you.
You might want to bring a notebook and pen. (I will have a URL to download the onscreen presentation, so you can relax and listen.) And bring a camera if you want to shoot the setups as a visual reference. And dress is casual, so you won't feel out of place if I show up in shorts. Even in December.
As with my philosophy for the website there will be no secrets and no posturing. This stuff is not rocket science. It's light. And the first step in learning to light is to realize that anyone can get very good at it.
We will plan to wrap up at about 1700 hours, but the conversation has been known to continue in a more pub-like environment nearby. I understand that beer is sometimes consumed, too. All in the interest of lighting, of course.
If, for some reason, you require a cancellation after booking, refunds will be granted up until November 23rd. After that time, you would be responsible for transferring your seat to another attendee.
Very Important: If, through events beyond my control, I am unable to present this seminar, refunds will be limited to the ticket price. As I already have airfare, hotel room and our venue rental paid in advance, I do not anticipate this happening. But I just wanted to cover all of the bases, in case I get run over by a bus tomorrow, or one of those Big Macs finally catches up to me.
Speaking of airfare, I was very happy to see that British Airways allowed me, for a small fee, to automatically tack on a custom-calculated carbon offset for my flight to London and back. I was very happy to do so.
The upshot is, if you are a militant green photographer you may attend without guilt. As an additional green measure, we will be using 100% recycled batteries and jokes.
Bases covered, I have to say that I am very much looking forward to this trip and especially to meeting many of you. As I do more of these seminars, I find that each session develops a vibe of its own. You put a few dozen photographers who are all eager to learn in a room, and what starts out as a simple stack of talking points turns into a rich, organic discussion that ends with everyone - including me - having a head swimming with new ideas.
Feedback from Previous Seminars
Los Angeles (Most recent session):
Extended report
London (2007):
Post-seminar thread | Extended report
Seattle:
Post-seminar thread | Extended report
Paris:
Post-seminar thread | Extended report
Northern California:
Extended report I | Extended report II
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Registration Details
The cost for either seminar is £125,00 which is a little more than last year due mostly to differences in the exchange rate. The two seminars cover the same material, so you would register for either day, but not both.
To register for either seminar (with any major credit card) please click on the link at the bottom of the post, which will take you to PayPal. A PayPal account is not required to register.
IMPORTANT: If you are in the process of registering and the seminar sells out, your fee will be refunded by the end of the day -- usually within the hour. I will try to monitor the process closely. But depending on how fast it goes, I may have do this to ensure that it does not overfill.
Please leave your name and a working email (if different from the PayPal address) in the info box on the PayPal page, in case I should need to contact you.
I look forward to seeing you there. The discussion thread for this seminar is here.
Registration Links
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