Come on an Alaskan adventure, exploring the Katmai coast.  You’ll arrive via float plane to our boat, the M/V Ursus, which will already be anchored off of Shelikof Strait.  The Ursus is a 106-foot Alaskan crab boat that has been retrofitted with additional cabins for tours.  This is no luxury cruise ship, it's a comfortable but rustic vessel perfectly suited for the exploration of the Katmai coast.  We will explore the coast with frequent trips into a number of bays.  Along with a guide, we will launch skiffs to the coast for bear viewing photography and landscape hikes.  There will be daily critique sessions and one-on-one instruction.  The voyage will conclude in Kodiak.  

Meet Ben Long for a weekend of composition practice in vibrant Austin for this three-day intensive workshop. On the Colorado River, Austin is known for it’s lively bar and music culture, food scene, historic buildings, and outdoor activities. The rich city life will provide compositional challenges for all photographers, from landscape shooters to food bloggers. Through lecture, one-on-one instruction and shooting, we’ll discuss and explore many compositional ideas and examples before going out to try them on the streets. Afterwards we’ll cover some important post-production skills and practices as we select images for group analysis. Online photo sharing sites and forums can be a nice way to get feedback on your images but virtual feedback is a poor substitute for actual in-person group critique and we’ll conduct two of these during this workshop.

If you’ve ever tried to print a digital photo, then you know that an image that looks good on-screen won't necessarily look good on paper. In this three-day, intensive workshop, you’ll learn how to get great-looking prints from an inkjet photo printer. Through lecture, demonstration, and lots of hands-on work, Ben Long will guide you through the process of editing your images for print. In addition, you’ll learn about configuring printer drivers, using color management tools, and choosing a printer and paper. Most importantly, you’ll begin the process of developing an eye for image analysis and print aesthetics. Though this isn’t a shooting class, you’ll have some time for shooting in beautiful San Francisco, and we’ll devote a little class time to image evaluation and group critique. If you’re unsatisfied with the quality of your digital prints, and frustrated by how much paper and ink you consume to get a good print, then this is the workshop for you.

Spend three days of intensive photo composition exercise in with Ben Long. Through lecture, one-on-one instruction, and shooting, we’ll discuss and explore many compositional ideas and examples before going out to try them on the streets. Afterwards we’ll cover some important post-production skills and practices as we select images for group analysis. Online photo sharing sites and forums can be a nice way to get feedback on your images but virtual feedback is a poor substitute for actual in-person group critique, and we’ll conduct two of these critiques during this workshop.

Instructor: Ben Long
Meet Ben Long for a weekend of composition practice in lovely St. Louis in this three-day intensive workshop. St. Louis is a city rich with history, architecture, and Mississippi River culture, which makes it an ideal laboratory for everything from landscape photography to street shooting. With its broad variety, St. Louis provides great opportunity for exploring many compositional challenges. Through lecture, one-on-one instruction and shooting, we’ll discuss and explore many compositional ideas and examples before going out to try them on the streets. Afterwards we’ll cover some important post-production skills and practices as we select images for group analysis. Online photo sharing sites and forums can be a nice way to get feedback on your images but virtual feedback is a poor substitute for actual in-person group critique and we’ll conduct two of these critiques during this workshop.

Instructor: Ben Long

Half-craft and half-artistry, the skill of composition is something photographers study and develop throughout their shooting lives. In this workshop you’ll get the chance to learn and practice new composition ideas while also getting one-on-one feedback to help you build on the compositional knowledge you already have. With San Francisco’s mix of urban and natural beauty, it’s an ideal location for practicing everything from thoughtful landscape composition to shoot-from-the-hip street photography composition. Because a thoughtful assessment of an image is the only way to know if your compositional skills are working, this workshop will also feature two group critique sessions. More than just a review of images, these sessions will serve as a chance to delve into the vocabulary of critique and discuss how to engage with this essential process in a healthy, productive way.