Online classes Archives - Tom Bol Photo Workshops

July 16, 2020July 16, 2020

What’s Happening at Tom Bol Photo Workshops

Greetings Photographers!

Tom and I have been busy taking photographs here in Colorado. It is the height of wildflower season and we have been getting up at 3:30 in the morning to drive to the high country for sunrise shooting. This morning we took the cover photo in Rocky Mountain National Park at Bear Lake – only 90 minutes from where we live.

Colorado Getaways

International travel is at a stand still right now and we have postponed many of this year’s foreign trips until 2021 and 2022. This has created a few opportunities for us to add new trips to our workshop schedule.

Since we live in such a stunning place, we thought we would offer workshops close to our home and call these “Colorado Getaways”. We want to provide a few, new short trips with less people so that it is easier to keep our distance while in the field. Our first is scheduled for September 20-23 in Rocky Mountain National Park and will only have 6 participants. We will be there in time for the peak of the elk rut and fall landscapes. Our first session filled in a day, so we added a second with space still available. Here is a link to the web page – Click here

We will offer other Colorado Getaways in the fall where the focus will be landscape and night skies – capturing the Milky Way in beautiful places. We also plan to add a wildflower workshop in Colorado’s high country. After teaching 5 sessions of macro photography online, we think this will be a popular workshop!

Alpine sunflowers in Rocky Mountain National Park

Online Classes

These have been a real success for us in the last 3 months. Our class participants say they are happy to be learning new editing techniques and trying new things with their cameras. It is not too late to get involved. We have six different online classes that we teach via Zoom now. The next set of classes starts on Monday, July 20. Our goal is to teach topics that we usually don’t have the time for on our workshops. Click on the title of the class to learn more:

All About Lightroom Classic: Most of our workshop participants use Lightroom for editing. Now is the perfect time to learn about new features like range masks, work on your file organization and even jump in as a beginner. July 20-24 M-F Cost $329

Creative Camera Craft: Feeling like your creativity is in a rut? Each day in this class we offer different topics to get you trying new things with your photography. Have you ever composed an image using the Fibonacci spiral? Can you use multiple exposure to tell a story? Learn 10 different ways to add dimension to your photos and how to create powerful black and white images. July 20-31 MWF Cost $329

From Lightroom to PhotoShop: Learn the basics of PhotoShop for photographers in just 5 days. We will spend 1.5 days reviewing tools to remove objects. We also cover working with layers, layer masks and changing backgrounds. July 20-24 M-F Cost $329

See all of our online classes by clicking here

Update on Workshops in the Field

Our first field-based workshop since February is just around the corner. At the end of August, Tom will lead our popular Brown Bear Safari (if all goes as planned)! This workshop is designed for 4 participants so it is an ideal choice for safe distancing. We are both looking forward to teaching in person again. This workshop is SOLD OUT.

Our Badlands Workshop was postponed until September 9-13, 2020 and is scheduled to go as planned. There is only one space available – Read more

Other trips this fall include Old Car City (one space left – Read more), Route 66 West (SOLD OUT) and Bosque del Apache (SOLD OUT)

Finally we want you all to know how much we appreciate you. Your patience with workshop postponements and your willingness to try our online classes has been tremendous. We feel very lucky to have your support!

If you are signed up for a workshop and have any questions about it’s status, please get in touch…..we always enjoy hearing from you: creetbp@gmail.com or (907) 631-9383

Warm regards to all of you!

Cree and Tom

June 30, 2020

June Photo of the Month

Tom and I want to celebrate the great images being created by photographers each month. For June we selected an image from our new online workshop Creative Camera Craft We hope you enjoy Stuart’s images as much as we do.

Congratulations to June’s photographer – Stuart Litoff

The Story:

The assignment was to capture motion.

I live in Washington DC and it’s summertime. The thought of going out in the hot and humid weather wasn’t very appealing so I started thinking about what I could do in my apartment.

I was looking for something manageable from the technical aspects of shooting. I asked myself, “What do I do a lot of? Sitting at my desk and typing on a keyboard. That’s how the idea came to me.

What would I need for the shoot? A tripod. I needed the keyboard to be rock solid and my hand’s needed to be free. I focused on the keyboard and framed it the way I liked it. And then, I used a remote with a ten second delay to take the picture.

I experimented both with being in front and behind the tripod. I found being behind the tripod and reaching around it worked better. The angle of where the camera was worked better.

Next, I experimented with the shutter speeds – I was trying to see how much blur looked good. The shutter speed I chose was faster than I thought it would be. It was just .8 seconds.

I realized it was important to keep my hands apart and not use the middle keys. I learned this by reviewing the first set of images in the l.c.d.

Once I had it I did minimal post processing – even though I do love to move those sliders!

I knew it was a successful image for the assignment. I wouldn’t have thought to take it on my own. That’s one of the fun things about taking a class. I transferred the idea into something that looked clever. It wasn’t a blazing sunset, but I do like it.

The Data: .8 sec, f4, ISO 200

The Gear: Fuji X-T2 with a 16-55mm lens

About Learning Photography Online:

Taking classes online is very stimulating. They have me looking around the apartment and out the window for things to photograph.

Tip from the Photographer:

The pandemic is dominating everyone’s lives, including photographers. Up until the pandemic, I took 90% of my pictures on workshops. I live in Washington DC. It’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but I just don’t go out and photograph it much.

The class I took was perfect for me. My advice is to look around where you live. Follow the light for interesting photographs. If the photographs don’t come on their own, take an online class.

More of Stuart’s images from Creative Camera Craft

On Stuart’s Horizon

I keep thinking there will be a photo travel trip in the near future…..but I don’t see it. I will apply what I learned in class around here and see what new courses come up.

For more information on Online Classes with TBPW Click Here

June 16, 2020June 16, 2020

It’s Summer at Tom Bol Photo Workshops

We are looking forward to getting back into the field this summer with workshops coming soon. In the meantime, we hope you will consider joining us for our upcoming online classes (links below). This is the perfect time to learn new editing skills in Lightroom or PhotoShop, improve your camera craft or learn how to take captivating macro photos.

Here is what people are saying about their experience in our classes:

I just wanted to drop you a note to say how much I enjoyed your macro workshop. I learned a lot from a technical point of view — from camera settings to how to set up a shot (even the dreaded focus stacking!). But principally, I really enjoyed your personalities: you have a winning team between the two of you that is very engaging to your audiences (even remotely): I felt like I was working and playing with friends, rather than with some daunted instructors.
Michele Egan
“Time and money incredibly well spent. Your insights into technique, composition, processing, details, and even marketing choices are incredibly helpful and apply to all aspects of the photographic process. All the while, you’re also planting ideas about exciting new ways to apply these techniques and knowledge as starting points for raising the level and quality of my future photography shoots.
Stuart Litoff

Upcoming Classes – New Shooting Techniques

Creative Camera Craft – June 22-July 3

Are you in a creative rut? Learn new, creative ideas about how to take photos and use the modern features in your camera. Click here to read more

Macro Photography – June 22-July 3

Do you have a macro lens and barely use it? Learn to take compelling photos of water droplets, flowers, bubbles and more. Click here

Coming in August – Speed Light Crash Course

Upcoming Classes – New Editing Techniques

Lightroom Basics – July 20-24

Is your photo collection in disarray? Learn how to organize and edit your photos in this ground up introduction to Lightroom Classic. Click here to read more

From Lightroom to PhotoShop – July 20-24

Are you a Lightroom user but want to learn some key features in PhotoShop? Learn how to remove objects, edit in layers and create masks. Click here to read more

PhotoShop for Landscapes and Travel – July 27-31

Ready to use your knowledge of PhotoShop layers, masks and tools to take your landscape and travel images to the next level. We recommend this as a follow up to our Lightroom to PhotoShop class. Click here to read more

Happy Summer!

Tom and Cree

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020

May Photo of the Month

Tom and I want to celebrate the great images being created by photographers each month. For May we selected an image from our new Online Macro Workshop. We hope you enjoy Diane’s images as much as we do.

Congratulations to May’s photographer – Diane Lowry

The Story:

I was trying to replicate Tom’s water droplets on a dandelion seed. It was harder than you might think!

I had a syringe and wanted to put a drop of glycerine on the seed. I would try to drop precisely and it would roll to the other side. It was not going as I had hoped.

I was staring at the drop while I was holding my syringe horizontally. I am a physician’s assistant and syringes are normal for me. The drops were falling off the syringe and I noticed that I could see the background flower in the drops. This didn’t tell the right story.

I decided to put the American flag back up. That to me tells the story. I hope that people will make up their own story about the image.

The Data: .5 sec, f/7.1, 200 mm, ISO 200

The Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 100mm 2.8 lens

About Macro Photography:

With macro photography there is a whole other world out there if you look. You don’t have to travel. You can go into the backyard and work with what you have.

Learning to do macro makes you a better photographer. As with all photography you have to work with light.

I like to challenge myself with lighting. For the bubble image I decided to use my studio lights. I don’t do portraits unless my family asks me to so this was a challenge for me.

Macro Photography Tip from the Photographer:

The best thing you can do is look at other people’s work. It gives you new ideas. Go online and look at what other people are doing.