In Finding Beauty we look at the world in a different way. During this class you’ll notice the quiet images waiting just for you.

Your images will get simplified. Decluttered. Quiet.

Your compositions will get stronger, too.

Are you ready to start seeing the world differently?

Here’s a selection of student work and what they had to say about their experience in Finding Beauty.

Images: Marta Steinke

I see beauty in the world around me, but can it be even more beautiful? Yes!

In this course Brit Hammer takes you on an amazing journey in which you discover the beauty in the small details, textures and patterns.

You gain confidence and develop your imagination and creativity. In the process, not only do you find beauty, you also your inner artistic voice.

From week to week my photographs became simpler and quieter, yet powerful and striking. I, too, became quieter and more aware of my artistic choices.

Brit’s critiques are invaluable. In fact, you are not critiqued but guided with excellent remarks and inspiring questions of how to make your images even better — but the final choice is up to you.

I hope one day Brit will come out with the continuation of this course.

— Marta Steinke

Images: Laurie Schaffer

I loved the class. It has really challenged me to think and work outside my comfort zone.  I also love that Brit reviews the class photos as a group, which is a great learning tool and also a way to gain inspiration.

— Laurie Schaffer

Images: Marzena Mietkiewicz

This course was very inspiring for me in many ways. Thanks to this course, new perspectives have opened up for me artistically as well as technically.

At the beginning I didn’t know which direction to take, but that was exactly the point — to search, think, try and dare to express what you find beautiful in a picture.

And Brit’s gentle way, with just a few but very helpful words and many examples, shows you new possibilities that you never imagined before. This inspired and motivated me again and again.

The style of my photos has definitely changed positively with this course. I now focus on details that I previously neglected. I have the feeling that I see a lot more now and I show that in my pictures.

It was a milestone in my photographic development and I would like to thank Brit for that!

— Marzena Mietkiewicz

Images: Sally Allen

I signed up for the class because I was intrigued by the title. A lot of my work, although not portrayed in the images I took for class, involves finding beauty in unexpected places and in things that aren’t necessarily considered beautiful at first glance.

The class provided me with structure to find images with specific parameters. It also caused me to slow down, to really think about what I wanted to portray and how best to portray it.

I found the class to be invaluable in providing focus to my photography—and to remind me to consider subject and background integration.

— Sally Allen

SIGN UP FOR A FUN CLASS WITH BRIT HAMMER

Finding Beauty

Beautiful Black & White

Authentic Photo Stories

Celebrate Your Life in Beautiful Images

Photography Essentials

Amazing Travel Photos Made Easy

** No post processing skills necessary for any of Brit’s courses **

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BRIT

Brit Hammer is an international award-winning photographer, bestselling author, and a celebrated artist whose work is aptly described as fresh and optimistic.

Brit’s students love her intuitive eye, patience, enthusiasm and holistic nurturing because the results are unbelievably incredible and inspiring student growth.

Visit Brit’s website at brithammer.com

Learn more about creative development and one-on-one mentoring with Brit

Follow Brit on Instagram

“There are great photographers and great teachers, but it is rare to find a great photographer who’s also a wonderful instructor; Brit embodies that rare combination.” — Tennessee Rick Elliot

I keep saying how much I love writing for this category. Some of the quotes I write are written by photographers, while others were written by other types of artists; from singers, songwriters, and musicians to novelists and poets.

One of the quotes that have stayed with me over the years was said by Bob Marley. Yes, it’s the same guy you’re thinking of…the Reggae King from Jamaica. Bob Marley died from Cancer about thirty years ago at a hospital in Miami. He was only thirty-six, but his music and lyrics were filled with thoughts and ideas that I’ve found to be in keeping with the way I not only approach my online class with the BPSOP but in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet. One quote has always stuck with me. Bob said, “Some people feel the rain, while others just get wet”.

If you think about it, it can have a profound impact on the way we approach picture-taking. Ok, my students and fellow photographers might ask, what does that quote have to do with my ability to take pictures”?

Well, it’s all about the difference between taking and making pictures. It’s about the total immersion into your new found passion and craft. It’s about mastering light and understanding exposure. It’s about getting some dirt on your shirt or at least your knees. It’s about taking on the challenge of being a good photographer, not a good computer artist or digital technician. Let me explain further:

Determining the light and the direction it’s coming from before you raise your cameras up to their eye to me is the most important factor. Making your own decisions as to the correct exposure to use instead of letting the camera and Lightroom do the work for you, scouting ahead of time and pre-visualizing your ideas in your mind then executing it, and spending more time than the “I came, I shot, I left”  frame of mind I find happening all the time, is about “Feeling the rain”.

The “I’ll fix it later” mentality that has come along with the digital era, has sucked the life and breath out of the right side of our brain; the creative side.  Why should I bracket when I can do it in Lightroom? Why should I worry about the horizon line being straight when I can just use my straightening tool later in front of my computer? It just goes on and on, and this is all about “just getting wet”.

I’ve been following this train of thought since I first picked up a camera fifty-three years ago, in the days way before digital. It’s always been the love of my life, and I suppose that’s what has made it easier for me to caress it and “feel the rain”.

-BPSOP Instructor: Joe Baraban

Joe Teaches:

Stretching Your Frame of Mind I 

Stretching Your Frame of Mind II

The Use of Gestalt in Photography

Things change, especially in the world of photography. In night photography, things have changed a lot in the five years since the release of my book, Fun in the Dark: A Guide to Successful Night Photography. That is why I have completely updated Fun in the Dark with the newest information about techniques, equipment, planning considerations, post-processing software and more as of mid-2020. I’ve also added sections, including photographing the Northern and Southern Lights. 

For example, did you know that some cameras are ISO invariant? Maybe you’re not familiar with what ISO invariance is. It means that you can shoot a night/dark image at a lower ISO than you would normally use (e.g., ISO 800 instead of ISO 6400) and adjust the exposure in post-processing to get a better quality image than if you had shot it at ISO 6400.

Did you know that the “500 Rule” is now the “400” Rule? 

Bigger camera sensors have reduced the time it takes for star trailing to become noticeable in your photographs. 

Did you know that astrophotography is much more accessible to photographers with just their camera and a tracking device? 

There are many choices for star tracking devices out there, some very small and so easy to use. This really expands the possibilities for your night images.

So much is new in night photography, and interest in it has exploded in the past year. If you love night photography as much as I do, or are just getting started with it, take a look at the new edition of Fun in the Dark: A Guide to Successful Night Photography.

-Instructor: Beth Ruggiero-York

Beth Teaches:

Long Exposure Photography

Post Processing Your Night Images

In Finding Beauty we explore the concept of a quiet image. Each week we come at the concept from different directions.

Here’s a look at some student work and what each had to say about Finding Beauty.

As you can see, this fun course will get you to move the needle on your creativity!

Images: Doreen Weekley

“Thanks for the thought-provoking lessons in your Finding Beauty class. Without giving away the class concepts I can say that it really made me think about what I enjoy shooting and why I like it. It was fun seeing how everyone in the class approached the lessons and I plan to continue this exploration even after the class ends.”

— Doreen Weekley

Images: Chrissy Healy

“After feeling the need to learn something different, I’m absolutely delighted that I decided on Brit Hammer’s course Finding Beauty. I worried that being in lockdown would be limiting, but you can literally use any subject for these assignments. Brit’s inspiring and detailed explanations show a way of looking at photographic opportunities to evoke quiet, minimal images using any subject matter. Her critiques are so encouraging and help nudge students towards their own personal creative direction. I’m a natural light fan but even dusted off the flash kit to try these images for week 3! With one more week left of the course, I’m motivated to keep going with this theme. I’ll miss Brit’s assignments – every reason to take another of Brit’s courses very soon!”

— Chrissy Healy

Images: Linda Block

“I thoroughly enjoyed your class! It helped me look for what was important in an image and gave techniques for distilling it down to the essence of the scene I was trying to capture. I loved that you challenged my creativity and tried to push each of us forward on our photographic journeys! This exercise was very relevant in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think decluttering and recognizing what’s truly important is exactly what will help us get through this challenging time.”

— Linda Block

SIGN UP FOR A FUN CLASS WITH BRIT HAMMER

Finding Beauty

Beautiful Black & White

Authentic Photo Stories

Celebrate Your Life in Beautiful Images

Photography Essentials

Amazing Travel Photos Made Easy

** No post processing skills necessary for any of Brit’s courses **

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BRIT

Brit Hammer is an international award-winning photographer, bestselling author, and a celebrated artist whose work is aptly described as fresh and optimistic.

Brit’s students love her intuitive eye, patience, enthusiasm and holistic nurturing because the results are unbelievably incredible and inspiring student growth.

Visit Brit’s website at brithammer.com

Learn more about creative development and one-on-one mentoring with Brit

Follow Brit on Instagram

“There are great photographers and great teachers, but it is rare to find a great photographer who’s also a wonderful instructor; Brit embodies that rare combination.” — Tennessee Rick Elliot