A Fun Little Workshop with John Holtman

We recently had a class on macro and creative fun photography at Christianson's Nursery. We started the day with a discussion where our instructor, John Holtman, shared techniques and took us on a visual exploration of images that he has photographed. Then our hostess, Margie Hart at La Conner Flats, served us a delicious lunch of homemade vegetable soup and sandwiches. It was a chilly and sunny day in the middle of February, as we descended upon the grounds of Christianson's Nursery to practice all that John taught us. Everyone took to the task with a seriousness and dedication that shows in their photography. We ended the day with a group shot.

To see some of the images from this wonderful day visit our Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/thatphotoshoppe.

As a bonus - Christianson's was sponsoring a photography contest and one of our students won second place. Congrats to Anne - to see more of Anne's work read her blog.

Here is the image that won second place.

Getting comfortable with getting close

I sat down with photography instructor, Matt Brown, to plan out a photography workshop on Macro photography. As we were discussing the details and a list of equipment, the question that came to my mind was - what is the real definition of Macro photography? How does this differ from just getting close? Should we really be calling this a class on ‘Macro Photography’? After doing some research on the ‘definition’ of macro, I came to the conclusion that this was a workshop on both – macro and getting close.

The dictionary definition of macro photography - mac·ro·pho·tog·ra·phy / ˌmakrōfəˈtägrəfē/ • n. photography producing photographs of small items larger than life size.

This definition seems to imply that any close-up photograph, no matter how it was taken, is considered macro. After all, even close-up photographs seem larger than life size.

I found various ideas of what defines macro vs close-up photography. The common definition of macro photography is - photographing an object with an enlargement ratio of 1:1 or larger. It involves using equipment such as a Macro Lens, extension tubes, close up filters and teleconverters to produce a ‘true’ macro image.

Close-up photography on the other hand means just that – getting close to an object. Usually using standard equipment. Some point-n-shoots have a macro program on it, but doe that mean it is really doing macro photography, or is it just getting close to the object?

The confusion for me was that everyone was using the term macro no matter what equipment was used, or how it was done. It covered any photographic situation where the subject/object was photographed close up. The line of “true macro photography” has become blurred, and I am not really sure how important it is to really have a ‘”true definition” anymore?

To some I am sure it is very important, but for the purpose of this workshop I am going to just call it, “Getting comfortable with getting close”, no matter how you do it. Whether it is a true macro, or just a close-up photograph.

Flashes of Inspiration

Ideas for workshops hit me at odd times, in short or long flashes of inspiration and excitement. Sometimes it is without question an instinct I know I must follow. Sometimes it is more like bits of information that needs to be assembled into a well-thought out plan. Sometimes it is a snippet of an idea given to me by someone else that then needs to be developed and produced into a full idea. All of these are creative energies that are bursting into my little universe and sending me spiraling into a direction of pure excitement and drive.

For someone who is a planner and organizer, this is a great calling. The creative juices and energy flowing out of me is liberating and thrilling. I get such a rush when these flashes of inspiration hit me. And the more I think them through and then plan them out, the more exciting the adrenaline rush gets. I am in my own little planning and organizing heaven.

The real rush comes from when a workshop is completed and successful. When the energy generated from the group attending is at such a high level that it takes days to come down from the high. The cumulative effect of which produces another “Flash of Inspiration”.

A perfect example of this is the workshop I produced over the weekend. The workshop was 'Creative Macro Photography' with Charles Needle. Last year I just knew I had to have a workshop on macro photography, and I just knew that it had to be held out at La Conner Flats in La Conner. And I knew that it had to be something unusual, not your typical macro class. I met Charles Needle at a conference, saw his work, and just knew that he was what I was looking for.

And it worked. Those bits of inspiration flashed through me and paid off heavenly.