I have been a regular presenter and judge at camera clubs for nearly a decade now, speaking and/or judging at over 50 clubs in 17 states. I see myself as an educator as much as I do an artist and photographer—I love inspiring people. I began speaking and judging at clubs in the MD/DC/VA area where I used to live and continue to speak at several of those clubs virtually from my new home in Colorado. I recently have started presenting in clubs in the greater Denver area and virtually at other clubs throughout the country. I would love to speak at your club in person if in the Denver area or virtually if further away.
Below are some examples of presentations I have given to clubs in the past and are ready to go at a moment’s notice. All of these presentations run about an hour, unless otherwise noted.
I can also create a custom presentation based on your club’s interests or upcoming competition topic, as long as it is aligned with the types of photos I take (see my Portfolios).
- Pairings
- In this presentation, I show two of my photos side-by-side which are of completely different subjects but with similarities in style, composition, and color choices with respect to how I composed and processed my images. The collection contains some of my favorite images and represents my diverse photographic interests.
- While compiling this collection for a book, some of these pairings quickly presented themselves, while others were more subtle, allowing me the enjoyment of searching my archives to find matches. Sometimes, multiple matching photos were discovered, allowing me to create multiple pairings.
- I hope this presentation inspires you to investigate your own portfolio, to discover common threads in your style and find a unique way to share a collection of your photos.
- Elements of Design in Black & White Photography
- In the absence of color, black & white photographs rely on use of elements of design to form a pleasing composition and to establish the photographer’s point of view. While many monochrome images are defined by the quality and intensity of light, I will discuss how line, form, pattern, texture, depth, and visual weight give additional structure and strength to black & white photographs.
- Lines can be used to frame an image, provide direction to focus the viewer’s attention or link elements of the image together. When groups of lines join to create a pattern, they can unify an image. Including shape and form makes your flat image look three-dimensional and real. Emphasizing light and texture can provide added depth to the image, allow the viewer to ‘feel’ the photograph and impart an emotional impact for a stronger connection to the viewer.
- During presentation, I will show you how adjusting your compositions to maximize the impact of these elements will improve your photographs and enable you to express your vision more deliberately.
- How to See in Black & White:
- In today’s digital world, where a camera is as close as your smart phone, it is easy to capture vivid color images of all life’s events. However, pick up any magazine or book, or walk through any gallery and you will still see many black & white images. Why are these images still relevant in our color world?
- In his presentation, I will explain why black & white images are not only still relevant, but often the better choice for showcasing certain images. By showing side-by-side color and black & white versions of my images, I will demonstrate how removing color from an image forces the viewer to focus on the shapes, lines, and lighting in the image.
- Throughout this presentation, I will discuss how I have learned to pre-visualize images for later black & white conversion.
- This is my most requested presentation
- Continuing to See in Black & White:
- This is a follow-on to his presentation entitled “How to See in B&W” but can stand alone if the club members already have a basic understanding of elements of monochrome photography (light, line/form, mood, etc.).
- This presentation begins with a brief summary of what types of subject matter look best in monochrome. Afterwards, the presentation goes in-depth to how I pre-visualize my monochrome images and the choices I make in post-protection to achieve my vision for each.
- I will show side-by-side color and B&W versions of his images to explain why he felt that image looked best in monochrome. I will also share my thoughts for other monochrome conversions such as sepia and bi-color grading in Adobe Lightroom.
- Abstracts All Around Us:
- Abstracts are my favorite thing to photograph. To me, an abstract is capturing a small part of a larger scene and attempting to offer an alternate perspective. Both natural and manmade objects can form the basis for an abstract image. It really is about learning to see things in different or unusual ways.
- As a child, my art teacher father showed me a set of French curve stencils to which he explained could be used to draw every possible curve. It was this early understanding that shapes can be reduced to a series of lines and curves that stuck with me and later influenced my photography. This presentation will showcase my continuing quest the see the world around me not as people, places, or things, but as a series of shapes, lines and curves.
- This is one of my most popular presentations — always praised for opening eyes to seeing
- Click here to see a recording of this from a past club presentation: YouTube
- Learning to See Creatively:
- Photographer Elliot Erwitt once said, “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” In this presentation, I will discuss how I see the world and how I capture that through my photographs.
- I will discuss my approach for finding different viewpoints in common scenes and how I create interesting abstract images by isolating a part of a scene. Whether iPhone photos taken in my kitchen or DSLR images from local parks, my photos will demonstrate that you do not have to travel to exotic locations or spend hours using software manipulation to make creative images.
- This is my second most requested presentation and audiences are inspired by the many creative ideas I cover.
- A recording of this presentation, along with an introduction about me, was made for Longmont Channel’s ‘Behind Closed Doors’ YouTube series. You can watch that episode here.
- Leading Lines (30-45 min):
- In this presentation, I answer the question: “Where are the lines taking me?” I will explain how lines, zigzags, and curves within an image are used to guide the viewer in and around the subject matter.
- Lines direct the viewer to the main subject of the image but can also be used to guide the viewer through the photo and the supporting elements of the image.
- High-Key / Low-Key (30 Min):
- High-Key/Low Key photos add impact to your image by creating a strong contrast between lights and darks. Typically, high-key photos have large amounts of pure white, while low-key is the opposite with lots of dark space occupying your frame. This is one of the times where “breaking the rules” and blowing out highlights or clipping shadows is expected! This presentation provides some examples of both B&W and color images utilizing this technique.
- What Judges Look For (30 min):
- I have been providing critiques and judging camera club competitions for nearly a decade now and I have developed my own checklist of things I look for in successful image, including: Impact/”Wow Factor”, Lighting, Composition, Technical execution/Editing, and overall presentation and Adherence to the theme.
- This presentation will discuss those checklist items and provide examples of the edits I perform on my own images to meet those criteria.