9+ Reasons to Join my LANDSCAPE AND THE STORY OF PLACE Photography Workshop in Santa Fe this April
This April I’ll be teaching my first every photography workshop in Santa Fe through Santa Fe Workshops. The Workshops have been around for about 30 years and I have taken many an impactful workshop as a student. I’m excited to now be teaching with the support of their incredible staff. Our classroom is located in the foothills of Santa Fe amidst the piñon and juniper-covered landscape. While we’ll be inside towards the end of the week, we’ll venture into the field for the first three days to various environments surrounding Santa Fe to photograph landscape at iconic overlooks and rarely visited places. We’ll explore the deserts and the mountains, using techniques to sink into and read the story of a place and turn that experience and knowledge into a rich portfolio of images to use for conservation.
You can read more details and register for this course on Santa Fe Workshops website. But first, I wanted to share a few details about why you might want to join this course. I hope those of you just getting started as conservation photographers and those who want to deepen their practice join me. I look forward to meeting you and spending a week with you here in my beautiful hometown!
The full moon rises over the Sangre de Cristo mountains reflecting its silver light on the Rio Grande below.
Photograph the Storied Landscapes of Santa Fe
Santa Fe sits at the edge of many ecosystems: the high desert, the Southern Rockies, the Rio Grande riparian zone, an ancient volcanic field, all of which give us ample opportunities to find and imagine the natural history stories at play on the landscape. Throughout the week we’ll have an ongoing conversation about recognizing story and how to use your compositional tools to bring out that story in an image.
Take some time to sink into nature, learn to read the signs of a story that you will turn into imagery.
2. Learn Practices for photographers to connect with nature and find the story
We’ll take some time to sit, notice, journal, describe and practice other useful tools to see and connect with nature before we even pick up the camera.
An American Kestrel sits a top a juniper tree in Santa Fe, New Mexico
3. April is Peak Migratory Bird Season in New Mexico
Our migratory birds are returning and its a great time to find a variety of songbirds, raptors, and year-round residents singing their spring mating songs and establishing territories. To round out our stories of place we’ll spend time learning noticing their behavior and photographing birds in locations where they may be abundant this time of year. Bring your big lens.
Foothills paintbrush leads the eye through the monsoon storm clouds and into the clearing sky in the distance.
4. Weather
April always brings interesting weather to Santa Fe. Interesting weather makes for interesting photos.
The full moon rises over the snow-kissed tips of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
5. Full Moon Week
The week of the workshop is the full moon, and we’ll take full advantage of it rising in a colorful sunset skies. Weather pending of course, we’ll have the opportunity to photograph moonrise over the mountains from some stunning locations outside of town. The April moon is known as the Pink Moon or “Moon When the Ducks Come Back” (see bullet #3).
The milky way rises over the badlands in New Mexico. A blue hour blend technique combines two images to get a well-exposed foreground and the night sky.
6. Petroglyphs and Astro Photography
Petroglyphs surround Santa Fe with their ancient messages and intricate designs. We’ll spend an afternoon and evening photographing them in golden hour, blue hour, and for those night owls, under the night sky.
7. Build Frameworks for Storytelling
Beyond working to tell a story in a single image, we’ll also look at 3, 6, and 20-image frameworks for creating story. These frameworks give us a base to work from as we create a portfolio of images in the field and in our editing and image selection process back in the classroom.
Biologists work in the high mountains studying birds and climate change.
8. Meet Local Conservation Heroes
Guest speakers from local conservation organizations will introduce us to local conservation initiatives right outside our classroom door. Learn their take on how visual stories support their work.
9. Learn how to have a Positive Impact with Your Images
There’s a range of ways to share your story not limited to get it published in a magazine. During a classroom session, we’ll go over several ways to self-publish or otherwise share your story with wide audiences and use your imagery to support conservation initiatives and research.
Bonus: Because, Santa Fe
Santa Fe is rich in food traditions, great restaurants, museums and art galleries, historical sites, unique scenery both in town and the natural surroundings. Enjoy all the oldest city in the U.S. has to offer while you are here!
