Black and White Fine Art Photography

Video directed & produced by Armand Dijcks

Have you ever found yourself spell bound by an ethereal black and white photograph –something about it capturing your attention and compelling you to look longer, to experience it fuller? Did you know exactly how the image made you feel because it spoke clearly to you through an emotion or meaning that you could identify? Or did you feel an unconscious connection drawing you deeper into the frame, something familiar but without a name? We have likely all had these emotional reactions to such photos in our past, but have you ever questioned what the process is to create this type of image? What elements come together to make powerful black and white photographs? What techniques are required to translate emotional meaning into visual art?

Each of us has an inner artist waiting, striving for the opportunity to be seen and “heard”. This course will lead you down the path to creating your own beautiful black and white fine art photographs that can speak to people on an elemental level. In just four short weeks, Athena will help you to see and translate the emotion in a scene and then express it by using simple elements of design, photographic tools and post processing techniques. You will move from taking documentary photographs to ones that express an essential meaning through your own creative vision.

Course Outline:

Lesson 1: Starting Out

What is Fine Art Photography?
Finding and expressing your vision
Why Black and White?

Lesson 2: Controlling Essential Elements

Composition
Design elements
Manipulating Exposure
Time of Day
Using filters

Lesson 3: Seeing in Black and White

What elements will translate?
Using color (yes color) to see in Black and White
The importance of tones

Lesson 4: Post Processing / Developing

Adobe Camera Raw
Photoshop
Plug-ins

Course Requirement:

This course is for all photographers who have a desire to capture beauty and create art. In addition, you must have an understanding of exposure (Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO) and be familiar with your camera. Some knowledge of Photoshop CC, CS6 or Photoshop Elements is required for the last lesson on post processing/developing.

Instructor: Athena Carey

Athena Carey is a multi award winning fine art travel photographer specializing in long exposure and black and white photography. She is widely recognized for her ability to capture the emotional essence of place and time within her images.

Her career in photography began as a portrait photographer, where her greatest goal was always to create images that express a sense of each client’s personality – a sparkle of their inner self, seen through the window of a two dimensional image. But her love of the world and of nature lured her outside into the exciting and rewarding world of travel photography, where her goal remains virtually the same, to capture the essence and emotion of each place in the precious moments she has there.

Aside from travel, another of Athena’s great joys is teaching others the technical aspects of photography, how to find their own artistic vision; and then to harness the two together to express themselves through their photography. To this end, she teaches photo courses online and locally, and offers workshops globally.

Athena’s work is published in various books, magazines and websites and has been printed and hung around the world in private homes and businesses. Traveling extensively in search of new experiences, she has lived on four continents, and currently resides in South Africa. Her keen appreciation for the natural beauty of our planet drives her excitement about each new destination.

For more information on Athena’s work or to sign up for a class or workshop, please her website: www.athenacarey.com