Detra’s Light Workshop went on for most of the spring, and it’s time for my final reflections on it. You can read my first posts about it here and here.
I have received several emails and seen detailed discussion at Clickin’ Moms about this workshop. Here is my two cents worth.
Disclosure before we go on: I was not an active participant. I did read just about everything posted on the forum. I watched most of the videos. And downloaded the actions and presets that Detra provided for her participants. But I didn’t post many images and definitely didn’t do all the homework.
I learned volumes. Tons. Massive Amounts. That is the bottom line. I would not have taken this photo without techniques that she taught in the class. The flare and sun rays in this picture are completely natural – that’s not an overlay or a Photoshop creation.
This class is not for beginners. You need to understand shooting in manual, as Detra states in the course requirements. You will definitely get tips that make shooting in manual easier, however.
This class is not for people who require perfectly-organized instructional materials written with never failing grammar in precise and clear English.
This class is for people who want to learn about using the light to their advantage in photography, even in harsh lighting conditions. Even in direct sunlight at high noon. And Detra’s help goes much beyond the standard “move your subject into the shade when shooting in direct midday sun.” She will show you countless examples of images taken in the same conditions with various settings, metering modes, reflectors, no reflectors, etc. She will tell you what works best for her.
Here’s what to expect if you register:
- A forum-based workshop with several hundred participants
- A couple of agreements to sign electronically. Detra is very protective with her course material. As she should be. However, as a blogger, I do chafe a bit about the assumption that these techniques belong exclusively to one person. The photographers who originally came up with these techniques did so decades ago and handed them down through the generations to the photographers of today. I know that I can’t be prevented from talking about methods of capturing sun flare just because I participated in Detra’s class where she explained this technique, for example. Or that I can’t talk about a particular Photoshop method that I used before her class just because she taught it and asked that her methods not be reproduced. HOWEVER, Detra has clearly done huge amounts of testing and experimenting with her camera and Photoshop and I am in awe of much of what she has done on her own. I completely respect that her course material, her words, her images, her actions, her videos, etc. are hers and would never distribute them. Sorry for the diatribe – I just react a bit when I feel that someone is trying to keep me from concepts that they are not the first to create.
- Lots of images – many taken with a doll as subject just for the purposes of explaining a point. At first, I was disappointed not to see more of Detra’s client work. But I realized that she was using these images to illustrate very specific techniques and ideas and it would have been very hard to match past images exactly to the lessons she was teaching. She did show more of her beautiful professional images as examples during the live classes and towards the end of the workshop. Her photography is amazing.
- An instructor who takes suggestions seriously and is willing to respond to student requests.
- Feedback – I submitted two images for feedback. Detra’s feedback was both constructive and encouraging, if short. Other members chimed in as well. I saw on Detra’s blog that she has an assistant who will provide feedback as well in her next class. That is awesome!
- Live Classes – classes were limited in the number of students who could participate. The first few classes were tough because it was a race to sign up – eventually, everyone got to take the class they needed, I think, and Detra also posted the videos of the classes for everyone to watch.
I LOVE the fact that the forum is still live, so that I can go back and review information when I need it. I’m sure she won’t leave it up forever, but this is a real plus in my book.
I don’t know when Detra will register her next class or how much it will cost. Detra let me attend her last class in exchange for blogging about it. I remember that she did offer substantial discounts from time to time, both on her website and on Clickin’ Moms. So, keep your eyes open for the discounts and register if you can get one!
