January 2019 Newsletter

I thought it would be nice to start the year with a newsletter. Ok, new year was last week but, hey, it takes a while to get to these things.

Last year felt like a big one. The trip over to Western Australia was magical. Over two full months discovering a new part of the country to explore, and a whole new world of wildflowers to return to in the height of the season. The Albany Photography Tour 2019 is now sold out, and spots remain on the one week workshop there. I am so excited to return in spring. I will get to visit my sister again, my nephews and their families. I will also be running a Wildflower Photography Workshop at Hopetoun, Western Australia with the Fitzgerald National Park at the doorstep. A biological hot spot of native flowers. http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/albany-photography-workshop-2019

Last year saw me run my first overseas trip to Namibia. The included photograph is from that trip at Spitzkoppen. I loved it so much there I am going back next year. So I am very proud to announce ‘The Portrait of Namibia Tour / Workshop 2020’. For this trip I have cut out much of the driving that visits the overcrowded spots and have narrowed down the locations so we can feel more grounded while we are there. We start the trip with three nights at Spitzkoppen Lodge, where we will spend two days in the classroom, making sure everyone is ready for the rest of the trip. This fits in perfectly with the local landscape that shines at dawn and sunset. Afterwards we will start our journey north, taking in Damaraland for an overnight stop and then Kaokoland where we can photograph the Namibian tribes for a few days. Finally we will swing past Etosha on the return journey to round off the trip. We will work on portraits for the whole trip. Portraits of the landscape, people and animals. http://www.lensschool.com/namibia-photography-workshop-and-tour-2020

This year has kicked off really well, with my introduction of my Weekly Photography Exercises email. Within a few days we already have over a hundred photographers participating. Many are up for weekly challenges, so I thought, why not play to my strengths and make it a weekly photography exercise? Carefully design learning exercises for photographers to complete. There is a place to post their photographs and discuss them without the pressure of joining social sites. Reflecting on learning is a very important step. I can see such a huge benefit if we are all talking about something together. If you would like to sign up you can at http://eepurl.com/gcPhyX

Filling this years Master Class in a couple of days was an amazing achievement for me. I can’t wait to get back into teaching a group of photographers for a year. We ended up with six, two aor three day mid week blocks spread out over the whole year. I will consider it for 2020 if I get a few people interested. We start the 2019 group in February. I am sure you will hear more about this as we progress through the year.

There is a few one day workshops at Katoomba this year. One in Feb and the other in June. Still spots available. These are a great place to start your learning journey with me. http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/blue-mountains-one-day-photography-workshop

I am running three Focused Lens groups this year. One is on Wednesday evenings at my studio here in Willoughby, another is based on Sundays with a sprinkling of weekend jaunts. While the third will be mid week get a ways, that will kick off mid year. Focused Lens is for the inspired and committed photographer whom would like to work on their personal projects with the support of a facilitated group and under the guidance of a professional photography educator. Basically, you do the work in your own time, bring prints to each session for feedback and guidance and work on your projects some more. For those with whom this approach works, it is an amazing opportunity. They love it.

http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/focused-lens-2019-wednesday-evenings

http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/focused-lens-2019

I will be running a weekend printing workshop in April, to help you create the best possible prints from printing vendors and with your own inkjet printers at home. We will cover calibration, print viewing, processing, sharpening and printing workflows. Of course I will show you Len’s easy method that simplifies the whole workflow using Lightroom. http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/the-fine-art-print-makers-workshop

I am returning to Myall Lakes to run my Creative Photography Workshop again in May. I just love photographing on the sand dunes there and can’t wait to return. Understanding the creative process has been so important for me. At this workshop I will share with you how I work and how other creatives tackle their work. http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/creative-lens-photography-workshop

There will be a monochrome workshop in Katoomba in August http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/digital-monochrome-photography-workshop

Lastly, there is an Abstract Photography Workshop in Port Stephens with Shirley Steel and myself. For the past two years we have run it in South West Rocks, and we thought a change in location would be great for those that return each year. Something a bit different, a very different part of the NSW coast. We have been teaching people how to create blurry, expressionistic photographs together for six years now. This is a fantastic workshop, full of creativity and inspiration. It is always well received and the work produced is outstanding. Why not join us there in November. We are offering a stay and play this year where we will hold the creative space for a few extra days so you can really consolidate your abstract techniques. http://www.lensschool.com/workshops-tours/abstract-photography-workshop-2019

2019 is shaping up to be a fantastic year. The exhibition at Light and Shadow Gallery Leura continues to be well received. It is going to be open for the rest of January. I will let you know as soon as I have a definitive closing date. It has been such an honor to be shown with Max Dupain. It is indeed a beautiful show.

I hope this year is shaping up equally as well for you.

Many thanks for all the wonderful letters of appreciation. Every single one is valued.

Sunset at Spitzkoppen. Though it may have been sunrise. Namibia. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2019