Recap of Student Images From Recent Workshops
**We’re sorry, but the March workshop mentioned in the post has been filled**
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Hello everyone! It’s been awhile since I last posted, and I apologize for that! Along with the holidays, we also had some family obligations we were dealing with out of state. Thanks for bearing with me….
Today, I’m posting images that were shot by students who attended workshops in the last few months. Also of note, we’ve had a recent opening for our March 15 – 17, 2019 workshop! See below or click HERE on how to sign up.
You’ll notice that some students have more than one image. These are students that took an individual workshop, and/or stayed for an extra day of training.
I feel very fortunate and honored that students have travelled from near and far to take a personal workshop with me!
In this recap, there is recent work by students who travelled here from: Colorado, Texas, Ireland, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas. I am truly humbled.
A big THANK YOU! goes out to every one of them.
Also, I am once again so pleased and surprised to see the compositions that students come up with; things that I wouldn’t think of. This is one of the most rewarding things about teaching my image-making process.
A personal word about my workshops… I developed this process, which I call “Sculpting with Light”. It is a process that I’ve been perfecting for almost 30 years.
Yes, I used light painting with film, and I developed a way to bring those concepts to a digital workflow. It is a challenging process, and the workshops are intensive; we work very hard because I want my students to leave with a deep understanding of the process. For this reason, I teach a maximum of TWO students (I also teach individuals), and this is why I teach quite a few workshops per year.
I believe that a workshop such as this, where hands-on technique needs to be taught on a personal level, can only be successful if the class size is very small. It is simply impossible to go deeply into my process with a large group. What matters to me is the immense satisfaction that I get from teaching photographers how to make extraordinary images – Harold
On to the images…
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Two friends, Larry Adkins and Larry Myers (we referred to them as “Larry 1” and “Larry 2” respectively), both from Colorado, made images that are very different.
Larry Adkins decided to do a classic still life with a wine bottle and some cheese, along with some other beautiful props. I think he did a beautiful job; glass can be challenging, but with the simple lighting techniques that we used, it was a snap. Great job, Larry!
Photograph by Larry Adkins (Colorado)
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Larry Myers decided to go in a different direction; he chose to photograph some vintage tools from my collection. Larry has very good taste as far as I’m concerned! He picked out some of my very favorites; a gorgeous old green oil can, a “cross-peen” blacksmith hammer, my very favorite (and very old) curved wrench, along with a cutter wheel and a saw. The technique we used to enhance the texture of the box is evident, and in fact, there is a great deal of detail everywhere in this image. Also, the proper placement of light creates depth. Excellent, Larry!
Photograph by Larry Myers (Colorado)
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Christine Pybus travelled here from the great state of Texas! She purposely included in her still life lots of reflective things. There is definitely a challenge to lighting glass and reflective metal, unless you know how! Even though these surfaces reflect virtually 100% of a light source, I believe that a richer look is achieved by NOT making these surfaces pure white. Christine liked the “scientific” aspect of a grouping of objects that provided this lighting challenge, and she met that challenge with aplomb. Christine, you created a very nice image!
Photograph by Christine Pybus (Texas)
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Ruth Dennison, a fellow Pennsylvanian, made a classic still life, and it’s a beautiful composition. The “pair of pears” is so gorgeous, and the formality of the composition is softened by that sensuous fabric, which Ruth lit and blended in so beautifully. I love the variation in height of the objects in this image. I think that the light in the bottle is fantastic. When it comes to light painting, it’s all about direction, movement and distance. Very nice, Ruth!
Photograph by Ruth Dennison (Pennsylvania)
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Canice Dunphy travelled all the way from Ireland for his One-on-One workshop! He has been here several times in the past, and wanted to perfect his lighting and workflow even more. Canice also wanted to brush up on and master the lighting for reflective surfaces. This image certainly gave him that chance! I really like the composition here; very formal, pyramidal in shape. Really lovely. Also, I happen to LOVE cobalt blue (is there anyone who doesn’t?) Great work, Canice!
Photograph by Canice Dunphy (Ireland)
Since he was here for several days, Canice was able to complete a second image. In this case, he wanted to perfect the technique of lighting and rendering (through masking techniques) beautiful sensuous fabric. The tomatoes present one of the more difficult objects to light; reflective surface with color. A reflective surface, in my opinion, requires a beautiful soft highlight. The kind of lighting required for that, however, is not conducive to revealing color. This makes it a little tricky. Canice, you really created a beautiful image here.
Photograph by Canice Dunphy (Ireland)
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Anita Sedberry, from Arkansas, was back for her second workshop, this time a One-on-One. Like Canice, she wanted to perfect the lighting of reflective objects. This is a classic still life, with its shelf like “stage” and beautiful wooden bowl. I teach my students that there are “rules” of composition, but it is often better to ignore them! Instead, one might just try to eliminate all possible “flaws” in the composition. I feel that this is a more flexible way to work, and if one truly eliminates all compositional flaws, then, by definition, the composition will be an acceptable one. In this case, Anita created a very beautiful one!
Anita Sedberry (Arkansas)
Often, during a One-on-One workshop, especially with a returning student, we have time to create a second image. If time pressure is there, the image must be a simple one. In my way of thinking, simple images have the potential to be more powerful and iconic than do complex images. During a normal workshop, the image must be somewhat complex in order for me to teach the handling of various surface qualities, etc. I am so happy when this situation presents itself, because I prefer more simple, monumental images. This second image by Anita is a great example of that!
Anita Sedberry (Arkansas)
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I like to say that the workshop is not about making a masterpiece, but instead, it is designed to teach a process and a way of thinking about light. I believe that my “Sculpting with Light” process is very transformative, and the images of ordinary objects shot by my students is a testament to that.
****We’ve had a recent opening for our March 15 – 17, 2019 workshop! If you are interested in joining, please contact us at 717-923-0269 or send an email to harold@rossstudio.com
There are three ways to take a workshop with me:
For workshop information please click HERE .
All images from students over the years are HERE.
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Harold Ross Fine Art Photography 
Thank you Waruni!
your photos are amazing
Thank you Mario! Hope you’re well.
I have no words to explain the beauty and professionalism of this photos tutored by a master of this kind of photography. Well done and keep it up.
Thank you so much Ruth! It was a great pleasure to work with you!
It was an honor to work with you. I love that your breathe is your art.
Thanks for your comment! I agree! :-)
Simply gorgeous!
Thanks Sue! They did a great job!
Some great images, Harold!