The Landscape Though a Lense – Photography Explorations with Sylvia Galbraith

Join us for this intensive workshop with photographer Sylvia Galbraith. Designed to take advantage of dramatic changes in weather and light during the fall season, this workshop will have an emphasis on landscape and black & white techniques in photography. Through lectures and slide presentations, field trips, editing sessions, and critiques, participants will explore landscape photography using methods outside the typical approach. This course offers a choice of a full 5-day beginner into advanced workshop, or a 3-day advanced session for those who are already comfortable with a camera. The program will include daytime instruction, with some evening or early morning photo sessions as time allows.

For those taking the full 5-day program (Monday to Friday, Oct. 1-5), we will begin with basic photography instruction, looking at technical aspects of camera control, exposures, lighting, and compositional techniques over the first two days. Part of this time will be spent photographing in and around the historic downtown areas of St. Andrews, using architecture, streetscapes, people, water, and much more, as your inspiration. Participants will receive individual and group critiques, and after this introductory session, will be ready for the more advanced second portion later in the week. This first session is ideal for those who want to move beyond automatic settings, or for those who need a refresher before moving on to the second part of this program.

The 3-day session (Wednesday to Friday, Oct. 3-5) is designed for those who are comfortable with camera controls and can use manual exposure settings. You will expand your skills as a photographer and as an artist, and will be inspired in challenging ways. For this session, we’re more concerned with the creative image rather than technical aspects of photography, with the landscape as our primary subject. St. Andrews is surrounded by land, sea, and sky, whose visual characteristics are influenced by dramatic ocean tides and changeable weather patterns. By exploring new methods of visualization, understanding light & composition, and working with abstractions, colour theory and black & white photography, participants will appreciate and engage with the landscape in uncommon ways.

Participants can register for the full 5-day workshop (basic to advanced levels), or the final 3 days only (previous intermediate to advanced skills required). To get the most out of this workshop, students should bring a DSLR, or advanced mirrorless camera with manual controls, a tripod, and extra lenses if possible. For those who wish to edit their photographs it is also helpful to bring a laptop with basic editing software (Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop Elements or a higher version, or similar).