Photo-Seminars ‘One on One’ Programs

If your serious about your photography and want to further develop your technique, then one of our ‘One on One’ programs might be for you. You can choose from the Critiquing Program or the Assignment Program. It’s a way that you can work directly with a member of our faculty. Here's what each program has to offer:

Critiquing Program: You send, via e-mail or snail mail, up to 10 of your images and a short Image Description to one of our faculty members. Within 48 hours you will receive a written critique on each of the images submitted. Optionally, with your approval, some selected written information (that you provided) and some of your selected images with our written critique will be posted to our student gallery. This will introduce your work to other students so all can better learn what makes some images successful and others not so successful. Tuition: (US$) 10.00 per image submitted.

Assignment Program: Here we start by giving you a written critique of up to 10 of your images. After you have received the critiques you and your instructor will have a conference (via phone from within the US, via e-mail outside the US) The object of this conference will be to determine your level of expertise and your specific areas of interest within photography. From this conference your instructor will develop two specific assignments that relate to your interest and expertise. Each will include detailed written objectives and instruction on how to fulfill the assignments. The resulting images from these assignment will be fully reviewed with a written critique delivered to you via e-mail. The final phase will be another conference with your instructor to review what was learned and to establish what your next direction should be. In review, the Assignment Program includes:

1. A written critique of up to 10 of your existing images
2. Two telephone or e-mail conferences with your instructor
3. Two specific assignments developed by your instructor
4. Written critiques of images submitted from your assignments

Tuition for the Assignment Program: (US$) 175.00.

If you would like to sign up for one of our ‘One On One’ programs please e-mail us so we can make the necessary arrangements with a faculty member.
The Photo Seminar Staff

Images

We prefer that you send your images to us via e-mail in the JPEG format. Although, we will except your images in slide format or print format (up to 8"X10" in size) sent via snail mail. (All images sent in slide or print formats will be returned to you via mail)

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Image Description (Optional Sample)

Optional Information: Your name: Tess McBride Your e-mail address: Tess@aol.com Picture title (If any): Old Church In Tahiti Camera type & format: Nikon, 35mm Film type or digital format: Kodachrome 64 Optional exposure details: f8 @ 125th

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Written Critique (Sample)

Optional Image Information: Photographer Name: Tess McBride Picture title (If any): Surfer Original camera format: 35mm Nikon Film type or format: Kodak Gold 400 Optional exposure details: f16 @ 125th

Critique:
Tess, surfing pictures are always a challenge. While I’m sure you found this image a good subject of opportunity, it just doesn't’t stack up to really good surfing pictures. It is, however, a good image to learn from. Next time I would crop the image and changed it from a horizontal to a vertical. As a horizontal the surfer is getting lost in a background that doesn't add that much to the overall story or picture theme. You did a good job in catching the action just at the right time as I like the surfer position on his surfboard. The light you used seems to be to soft as it's not adding to the dramatic effect of the surfer. In this kind of action shot I like to see bright definitions between highlights and shadows, it adds to the overall drama. Brighter light will also enrich the overall color contrast of the image. Also, the image is soft, it may be from a little camera shake or from your selection of the f stop setting. Remember that your lens is it’s sharpest at around f8 or f11, therefore, you should have shoot this image at f11 at 1/250^th which would have solved both the camera shake problem and the lens setting problem. Good try and a good choose of subject material, but you need to practices more with outdoor actions shots. Always keep in mind, lighting, exposure control and image cropping.
Conclusion: In your permanent portfolio, if you want to include surfing images, practice, practice, practice.
Thanks for the submission, Brian Ratty

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Specific Assignments (Sample)
Photographer: Tess McBride
E-mail address: Tess@aol.com
Assignment Title: Surviving Time
Assignment Objectives: Developing a better understanding
of working with outdoor light.
Assignment Due Date: 10 Days

Tess, for this assignment please find something old in your community. It could be a building, a house, a pioneer cemetery or even a elderly person. The point is to illustrate your subject as ‘Surviving Time’. This can be accomplished by using image tools such as contrast, texture, exposure, color (or the lack of it), camera angle, etc. Experiment with bright sunlight, open shade, flash fill or key and using a reflector. Please submit 4 final images. One using only sunlight, one using open shade, one using flash and one using a reflector. All your images should reflect our overall theme of ‘Surviving Time’. As we talked in our conference, keep in mind your light ratios and your film’s latitude when approaching your subject. Good luck, I look forward to viewing your next assignment. Brian Ratty

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