by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 6, 2020 | Workshops
Now that it’s March and the weather is starting to really warm up, I’m ready to start photographing flowers outside again! Crocuses and daffodils are starting to bloom here in the DC area, which means many of my favorite spring flowers are just a month or so away from blooming!
If you’re as ready to start planning for spring flower photography as I am, join me in Philadelphia for a week-long flower photography workshop from May 3-9.
Not only will we spend time photographing in many of the 30 gardens in the area, we’ll also explore how to create the photographs that let you share the beauty you are seeing.
During the workshop, we’ll visit at least five gardens or parks to photograph flowers. We will head to the places that have the best displays that week. The gardens we may visit include Bertram’s Garden, Chanticleer, Jenkins Arboreatum, Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens, and Winterthur Museum and Garden.
I’m limiting the workshop to four participants to make sure you get the individual help you need in the field as we photograph, and so that I can answer your questions during our evening talks.
The tentative schedule for the workshop is
Sunday May 3: Introductions, Review the Schedule for the Week. Capturing What You See.
Monday May 4: Longwood Gardens. Nuts and Bolts of Flower Photography.
Tuesday May 5: Winterthur Gardens. Quick Edits in Lightroom.
Wednesday May 6: Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens, Bertram’s Gardens. Image Review.
Thursday May 7: Chanticleer Gardens. Working with Textures in Photoshop.
Friday May 8: Mt. Cuba Center. Image Review.
Saturday May 9: Jenkins Arboreatum.
Final decisions about which gardens to visit will depend on schedule, weather and most importantly – what’s blooming where in early May!
The workshop will start after dinner on Sunday May 3 and end before noon on Saturday May 9.
Each evening, we’ll gather for a talk on various aspects of flower photography and editing your photos.
Sunday: Capturing What You See. We’ll talk about composition, lens choice, depth of field and using a tripod.
Monday: Nuts and Bolts of Flower Photography. We’ll talk about F-stops, shutter speeds, ISO, exposure compensation and histograms.
Tuesday: Quick Edits in Lightroom. We’ll talk about a few quick edits you can make to your photos that will make them “pop”
Wednesday: Image Review. We’ll take a look at some of your images from the workshop to make sure you’re getting what you want in your photos.
Thursday: Working with Textures in Photoshop. We’ll talk about ways you can add another dimension to your photos using textures.
Friday: Image Review. We’ll take a look look at a few more of your photos from the week. And I’ll show you how I might edit some of them.
The registration fee for the workshop is $ 1500.
You can read more information about the workshop and register at https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/photographing-the-gardens-of-philadelphia-workshop-may-3-9-2020/
I’d love to have you join me for a week of photographing flowers in Philadelphia this spring.
Not sure if this workshop if right for you? Drop me a note and we’ll find a time to talk.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 21, 2020 | Workshops
It’s not too late to join me for my Creating Still Life Photographs with Vintage Objects Workshp on March 7. You can read all about the workshop at https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/stilllifephotographymarch-2020/
Bill and I will be teaching an introductory workshop on creating still life photographs in the studio on March 7. We’ll have my collection of vintage props and full set of studio gear to work with. And I’m sure we’ll have some flowers available as well. You are also welcome to bring your own props to photograph during the workshop.
In From the Garden © 2020 Patty Hankins
We’ll be working with both continuous lighting and studio flash units – not only will we explain how we light a still life subject, but you’ll also get a chance to photograph using both types of lights. We’ll have several different backgrounds for you to use as well.
Summer’s Bounty © 2020 Patty Hankins
For this workshop, you will need a camera with full manual mode and a hot shoe for a flash. A tripod, and a cable release or wireless remote will be helpful but not required for the workshop.
The workshop is limited to 4 students to make sure everyone has plenty of opportunity to photograph and get any questions answered. We need a minimum of two people to register for the workshop before February 26 or the workshop will be cancelled.
You can read all about the workshop on my website at https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/stilllifephotographymarch-2020/ or if you have any questions about it, just drop me a note at patty@hankins.net
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 12, 2020 | Workshops
I’ve had a few questions about some of the lesser-known gardens we’ll be visiting during my Photographing the Gardens of Philadelphia workshop in May. So I thought I’d share a bit about some of them here on my blog in the coming weeks.
Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens in an amazing peaceful oasis in the heart of Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park Occupying only 1.2 acres, the gardens include beautiful landscapes hillsides, a waterfall, a koi pond, a traditional Japanese house and a tea house and garden. The site has been the home to Japanese buildings and landscaping dating back to the 1876 Centennial Exposition. For many years, it was the home of a Japanese Buddhist Temple Gate brought to the United States for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. The house was built in Japan in 1953 when is was exhibited at Museum of Modern Art in New York. After the exhibition in New York, the house was moved to its current location.
In the spring, the gardens are filled with blossoming azaleas and dogwood. With any luck, they will be in bloom when we visit during the workshop.
Here are a few of my photographs from Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens to give you a sense of what we might see and photograph there in May
Shofuso Japanese Gardens, Philadelphia, PA © 2017 Patty Hankins
Kimono, Shofuso Japanese House, Philadelphia, PA © 2017 Patty Hankins
Shofuso Japanese Gardens, Philadelphia, PA © 2019 Patty Hankins
In the Shofuso Japanese Gardens © 2018 Patty Hankins
Shofuso Japanese Gardens, Philadelphia, PA © 2019 Patty Hankins
Dogwood & Azaleas at Shofuso Japanese Gardens © 2018 Patty Hankins
Umbrella, Shofuso Japanese House, Philadelphia, PA © 2017 Patty Hankins
Dogwood Reflections © 2017 Patty Hankins
Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens is just one of the gardens we’ll visit during my Photographing the Gardens of Philadelphia Workshop in May. For more information about the workshop, visit https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/photographing-the-gardens-of-philadelphia-workshop-may-3-9-2020/
I’d love to have you join me for a week of photographing some of the beautiful gardens in the Philadelphia area.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 11, 2020 | Workshops
In January, we held our first Do You Need Help Editing Your Photos session. People seemed to find it really helpful. So we’re doing it again on March 14.
We know many photographers struggle with editing their photos. We have so many options for software – Lightroom, Photoshop, Topaz Studio, On1, Luminar and many others. And each one has incredible tools to help you edit.
But the problem is – unless you have a vision for what you want your final photo to look like, you can spend hours making adjustments and changes to your image and still not end up with a photograph you are happy with.
Over the years, Bill and I have developed an approach to thinking about how to edit our photos and the general order in which we do things. And we’re happy to share it with you in case it will help you approach editing your photos. And the great thing is – this approach works with whatever software package you use for editing!
So the details for the “Do You Need Help Editing Your Photos?” afternoon are
- Saturday March 14, 1 – 5 PM at our home in Bethesda
- 10 participants who bring one or two unedited and/or partially edited photo files on a USB drive
- Plan is we’ll talk a bit about how we approach editing and then show you how we would edit your photos using Lightroom, Photoshop and whatever else is on our computers in March.
- We’ll provide coffee and tea, and ask everyone to bring a treat to share.
- Other than that – there is no cost to attend.
If you’d like to join us on March 14, just drop me a note at Patty@Hankins.net. The first 10 people to respond will have a space at the event. I will create a waiting list if more than 10 people reply. And if this one goes well, we’ll try to schedule similar events later in the year.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 7, 2020 | Still Life, Workshops
One of the things I really enjoy about creating still life photographs is that I get to tell stories with them. And the stories can be anything I want them to be.
When I started learning about creating still lifes, I struggled with figuring out what to include in my scene and what to leave out. I kept hearing and reading that telling a story would make it easier to figure out what to include in my photograph. But being a literally minded person – if someone tells me to tell a story – my mind goes to telling a grand saga like Gone with the Wind or War and Peace. And trust me – thinking about creating still lifes that tell a complex story with multiple plots and characters did not make it any easier.
Then suddenly I realized I was making the whole story telling idea way too complicated. I didn’t need to tell a long saga, I just needed to have an idea for a scene and tell that story. Once I have an idea for a person, and an action or activity, I know what to include in my scene and what to leave out.
And the idea can be as simple as enjoying afternoon tea with fresh strawberries
Strawberries & Tea © 2018 Patty Hankins
Or coming in from the garden with fresh cut flowers and sitting down with a magazine and a cup of tea
In From the Garden © 2020 Patty Hankins
Or putting jewlery and a fan down on the dressing table after a wonderful evening out
One Enchanted Evening © 2020 Patty Hankins
If you’d like to tell some stories of your own with still life photographs, join me for my Creating Still Life Photographs with Vintage Objects Workshop on March 7 at my home in Bethesda. The workshop is limited to 4 participants to make sure everyone has plenty of time to create still lifes and tell stories. You can learn more about the workshop and register at https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/stilllifephotographymarch-2020/
by hankinslawrenceimages | Dec 13, 2019 | Workshops
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably noticed that my photography has shifted over the past few years from originally being flowers photographed outdoors in gardens and parks to many of my photographs being created in my studio. I thought I’d share some of my reasons for photographing more in my studio with you today.
When I’m photographing in my studio, I get to choose the flowers I want to photograph. In the spring and summer, I just head to my local farmer’s market and see what flowers are available from local flower farms. There are several flower farms who have stands at local markets, so I’m able to get flowers that were still growing in the fields the day before I buy them.
I can photograph in my studio any time I want to. We keep my studio lights set up in the family room most of the time. So,. I don’t have to check the weather, or wonder how the light will be at a botanical garden.I can just head into the family room, turn on the lights and create the light I want to use for photographing the flowers.
I can get as close to the flowers as I want to. In my studio I can put my tripod right up against the table and use multiple extension tubes to get within inches of the flowers I’m photographing. At a garden, I’m limited by where the flowers are in the beds. This spray rose was about 2 inches across when fully open. In my studio I was able to get close enough to fill the frame of my camera with it to capture this image.
I can use focus stacking to increase the depth of field in my image. When I’m photographing in a garden, I have to be concerned about the flowers moving. I have to make sure my shutter speed is fast enough to stop any motion caused by the wind, while at the same time hopefully having enough depth of field to capture the image I want. In the studio, I don’t have to worry about shutter speed, so I can use the greatest depth of field I can get with my lens. And if that isn’t enough depth of field, I can take multiple images of the same flower at different focal points and then stack them in software to get the depth of field I want for the final image. For this photo of a teddy bear gerbera daisy, I combined 19 images to create my final photo.
I can arrange the flowers however I want to. One of my favorite ways to photograph flowers is to bring a bunch of blossoms close to each other and look for patterns and textures in the petals. In my studio, I can arrange the flowers exactly how I want to – removing leaves or blossoms that aren’t in the right place. At the gardens, I’m not able to move the flowers into arrangements I want to photograph.
I can include other objects in my photographs. I’ve been exploring creating and photographing still lifes in my studio for the past several months. I love incorporating local flowers into photographs with vintage finds from antique stores and ebay.
And only in my studio do I get the help of my studio assistants, Dusty, Jackson, Ansel, and CJ. Dusty loves to curl up in her own personal sunbeam under the lights. While Jackson and Ansel always try to take time to stop and taste the flowers. CJ likes to make sure the flowers are in just the right place for my photos.
If you would like to learn to photograph flowers in a studio (and maybe get to work with my assistants), join me on January 25 for my Photographing Flowers in my Studio workshop. You’ll get a chance to work with my strobes, my continuous lights, the various modifiers, and backgrounds I use in my studio.
You can learn more about the workshop at https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/photographing-flowers-in-the-studio-workshop-jan-25-2020/
