After joining Mitchell, you will understand that photography is not only about taking pictures, but also about creating “impressions” that last long after people look at your image. You are an artist, and photography is the medium you choose to express your vision. This workshop picks up where the beginners one left off. More technical and creative aspects will be covered, diving deeper into your camera controls and your creative juices, with example images that inspire.
Not only will you enhance your skill set, but your camera will become a means of subjective and artistic expression. What makes a good photograph? Why do people see things a certain way when encountering an image? This workshop is designed to help you master technical skills and find your own photographic vision and style.
The next weekend workshop will be held the weekend of August 16th, and costs 880 RMB, 800 RMB for members.
Technical topics covered:
- Getting the best color through in-camera processing and menu settings
- Exposure, Highlights and Histogram, exposure compensation
- Understanding the JPEG vs. RAW choice
- Color Balance
- Basics of flash
- Focusing and focusing points
- Custom functions and settings
Creative topics covered:
- Pattern and Symmetry
- Phi: The Golden Ratio
- Contrast
- Scope and Scale
- Visual Mass
Workshop Timetable:
Day 1-Morning Session (9:30am-noon)
- Introduction to the course
- Technical topics covered
Day 1-Afternoon Session (1:30-5)
- Finishing up anything missed in the morning session/more shooting
- Creative topics covered
- Homework Assignments and Questions
- Optional group shoot around the hutongs
Day 2-Morning Session (decided by class)
Meet at a predetermined location choice of the participants to shoot
Day 2-Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
- Basic workflow and editing techniques using Lightroom
- Final Critique / Questions / Feedback
Photo Equipment
A digital SLR or Mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses is a plus but not a necessity. Any camera is suitable but some of the topics covered will be of no use without a camera that has at least: manual exposure modes and manual focusing. If you are not sure, you can contact the instructor.
Additional gear is helpful, but not required, a famous photographer once said, “Gear is good, Vision is better.”
A camera manual is required since the instructor cannot know the details of every make and model camera out there in order to troubleshoot technical problems. If participants don’t have manuals (or they are in Chinese), you should be able to download one from the manufactures’ website.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops, it is understood that some will not have one, but it will speed up class time if those that do have it can edit, view, and work on their own images. A minimum of a flash or hard drive will be required to get images off the instructor’s computer after editing and viewing.
Adobe Lightroom is optional, but will be used and demonstrated during the workshop for basic workflow and editing. You can visit https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop_lightroom and download a 30 day free trial.
Mitchell Masilun
Mitchell Masilun is a Beijing based editorial photographer, multimedia specialist, and educator. He is a staff photographer at True Run Media, which publishes 3 magazines with a combined circulation of over 70,000, Director of Photography at 1world1eye Productions and also a visual arts instructor at The Hutong Cultural Center.
His stills and videos are published globally, with a client list encompassing Fortune 500 companies, embassies, stock libraries, network news stations, international schools and NGOs. His images have also been published in four books and he is currently working on a documentary on Kashgar’s Old City and The Sounds of Beijing.
Previously, he was a photojournalist working in the Chicagoland and Central Ohio areas, with images circulated nationwide through the Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, and The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Mitchell is proficient in Chinese and travels extensively around China and Asia.
For more images from the instructor, please go to www.1world1eye.com
For any questions regarding the content of the workshop, please contact Mitchell at 1world1eye (at) gmail.com
