Light Studies
David Wells, Instructor
A two-day weekend workshop in Wilton, CT
Saturday May 16 and Sunday May 17, 2009
Light Studies: exploring the
light and atmosphere of a place.
Certain places call out to us to be contemplated and explored. Whether they are a big city or a small town, public or a private space. Photo-essays that explore the light and atmosphere of such places are often called Light Studies.
Class time will be divided between lectures, photographing, critiquing and one-on-one time with David. This class is for students who can operate their cameras on manual exposure and who you want to learn how to make their own Light Studies.
At the beginning, Wells will share a list of locations he has researched and the class will photograph the different places as a group. As the class goes on and as different spaces "speak" to each person in visceral ways, each student will eventually work on their own, concentrating on one selected place.
On the first day, the class will start with Wells showing his work and sharing specific techniques (and particular images that highlight those techniques) used to create his "Light Study" photo-essays. We will also review the students’ previous work, so bring some of your best images, particularly those dealing with light and place.
We will apply what we study in class when we are photographing in the field. In class, these topics will be explored:
* specific issues of time of day / morning vs. evening light
* quality and direction of light
* basics of twilight / night photography
* basics of flash photography
* scouting a location with a compass to plot the play of light
* lens choice / composition
* the importance of the photographer's position
* the use of lines, light and dark
* framing to create dramatic images when no dramatic light exists
On Sat. afternoon, the goal will be to be out photographing as a group on location, between about 3 and 7 p.m. in order to take advantage of the best afternoon and early evening light. Wells will work one on one with each student during the afternoon's outing. That will extend to a twilight/night shoot one night and then we'll start early on Sunday to appreciate the difference between morning and evening light. Once back at the studio, there will be a detailed critique of the previous day's work. At mid-day, work by Wells and other master photographers will also be reviewed.
David H. Wells is a freelance editorial photographer specializing in "Light Studies," which are photo-essays exploring the light and atmosphere of different places. He has produced dozens of these "Light Studies" on locations across the globe, for a wide range of exhibitions and publications. Wells is a master of light and shadow who was described in an exhibition catalogue from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, by the curator and critic Charles Biasiny-Rivera, who wrote, "Wells uses light and dark like a surgeon."
His finished "Light Studies" have been published in magazines such as Aramco World, Mid-Atlantic Country, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Rhode Island Monthly. Portfolios from these projects have been published in Camera and Darkroom, Communication, and Nikon World among others. These have also been exhibited at the Bristol Art Museum in Bristol, RI, Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, PA, Museo Bardini in Florence, Italy, Southern Light Gallery in Amarillo, TX, and the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island.
This is an intermediate and above class.
Please bring:
- Camera with all necessary equipment (batteries, CF cards, etc.)
- All of your lenses.
- Laptops are suggested so you may download your images for critiques.
Workshop Fee: $395.00
- The class size is limited to 12 people.
- Lunch is included on both days of the workshop.
Payment Methods: PayPal (use this link to pay with PayPal), Check, or Money Order.
Workshop Studio Location:
New location! 5 River Road in Wilton, Connecticut
(Click here to see a MapQuest map of the Wilton studio location)
Workshop Registration Form:
Use this link to open a PDF registration form.
Details given upon registration.
About the InstructorDavid H. Wells
David H. Wells is a photographer with over twenty-five years of experience. He has received two Fulbright fellowships as well as fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Program of Research and Writing of the MacArthur Foundation and the New Jersey Council on the Arts.
His photographs have been shown in over forty exhibitions across America and overseas. His work has been featured in one-person exhibits at the University of Rhode Island, Brown University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Gallery Ezra in London and the Centro Colombo-Americano in Medellin, Colombia. His work has been included in group exhibitions at Syracuse University, the University of Florida, Moore College of Art, the National Center for Photography as an Art Form in Bombay, India, the Houston FotoFest, and the Museo Bardini in Florence, Italy.
His work has been published in portfolios in American Photographer, American Photography Four, Camera and Darkroom, Camera Arts, Communication Arts Photography Annual, Graphis: The Human Condition, Nikon World, Photo District News, Photo Magazine (France,) Photographers International (Taiwan,) Zoom (Italy.) His work is in collections including the Jewish Museum of New York, Light Work Photography Center in Syracuse, New York, the McGraw-Hill Collection, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, the National Center for Photography as an Art Form, Bombay, India, the Price-Waterhouse Collection and the Santa Barbara, California, Museum of Art.
He has been an Artist-in Residence at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont, the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY, and the Light Works Photography Center in Syracuse, NY.
Wells has taught classes or workshops at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, Syracuse University, the International Center for Photography in New York City, the Maine Media Workshops, The Santa Fe Photo Workshops and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
David has recently launched an online educational tool with video podcasts
and other useful information for photographers. It is called "The Wells
Point", and the website is www.thewellspoint.com.
His website is www.davidhwells.com
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