Recently, I had the pleasure of attending Art Wolfe’s The Art of Composition seminar in New York. Mr. Wolfe is currently presenting in a number of cities across the US and Canada. Those living in the New York City area are fortunate, in that many photographers come through on the lecture circuit. Whenever I can make the time, I try to attend these seminars, as one always learns something from each speaker. I have been a fan of Mr. Wolfe’s work for years, and made sure I kept the day free for his seminar.
Mr. Wolfe’s six-hour seminar was very different from others that I have attended. Rather than spending time on the nuts and bolts of photography, Art focused on the artistry of the craft. Trained as a painter, and an educator, Mr. Wolfe tackled subjects that are very hard to teach, namely, inspiration, passion, vision, and ultimately, composition. The first lecture of the day was more art theory class than photography lecture. It made you really THINK about the images presented. What Mr. Wolfe spent the day doing, was giving his students a new set of tools to help SEE a photograph.
Mr. Wolfe is an engaging speaker, and with his background in television with “Travels to the Edge”, knows how to hold an audience and work with it. It made for a well paced day. Art drew on almost four decades of images, shot in literally every corner of the globe. The breadth of geography and subject matter was truly impressive. Although Mr. Wolfe made his name in wildlife and nature photography, his cultural photography, still lifes, and abstract compositions show his true breadth as an artist. Drawing on the sheer scale of this body of work allowed the seminar participant to see a concept illustrated across a number of photographic disciplines, allowing one to see how lessons were relevant to their own photography.
If you live near one of the cities where Art will be speaking next, I highly recommend taking the time to attend this seminar. Photographers of all skill levels can learn something from a true master of the craft.
Trevor Peterson is a passionate photographer, whose work focuses primarily on cultural photography. Unfortunately, his photography frequently has to take a back seat to his primary career as a private equity professional.
Chris Martin participated in the recent Vietnam & Cambodia workshop with Art Wolfe. If you are interested in Chris’ photography, please contact him through his website & blog:
“I have long admired Art Wolfe’s photography and the artistic strengths he brings to his images. Joining his photo tour to Myanmar, I expected to visit amazing locations and make some great photographs within the settings as chosen by Art and his assistant Gavriel. The reality far exceeded these expectations as Art and Gavriel’s skill in connecting with people, coupled with our guide’s expert knowledge of the places we visited, made every day exceptional. The beautiful images made all came while having a great time travelling together, eating delicious food, traveling easily (whether by van, boat, plane or hot air balloon) and staying in very comfortable accommodations.
What I did not anticipate, and what made this tour outstanding, was the openness with which Art shared his keen eye for composition, color and the extra elements added (or subtracted) that can elevate an image into something special. Both Art and Gavriel openly shared their methods of approaching every scene, the images they visualized making and then the steps they took to create them. The conversations while on location and constructive critiques of images made by the group, has made a tangible difference in my photography. Further, the clarity of my own vision has jumped forward as a direct result of Art’s mentorship. To share in Art’s thought process from imagining an idea through to realizing it as an image is an incredible opportunity for any photographer. I am already planning for my next tour with Art Wolfe’s team.”
“In retrospect of my recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia I like to thank Art and Gavriel for their wonderful help and assistance during our travels to interesting places. I always seemed to be in trouble with my awkward tripod, the technical aspects of my camera, etc. But Gavriel and Art were present, helped and blocked out the technical difficulties to make a decent shot. How much did I learn!!! Many, many thanks. I have a different approach towards photography now. I am not only reporting a trip in images, I am composing my picture. Your way of looking at a scene had quite an impact on my photographic approach. Thank you, Art and Gavriel for inspiring me. Photography will be a lifelong passion, I cannot stop anymore.”
Travelling and shooting with Art and Gavriel was an amazing learning experience. Not only did we get to visit some of the most picturesque regions in the world but we benefited from one-on-one instruction with two of the best photographers in the business. This was a tour that was geared for photographers who are serious about their craft. On most days, we shot from dawn to dusk and when we weren’t shooting we were either working on our images, listening to Art’s great lecture series or having Art critique our work. In the field, Art and Gavriel were very generous with their time – Art would sometimes provide a running commentary as he selected and set-up for a shot, explaining his thought process and the results that he was trying to achieve. The end result, for me, was a set of images that I am very pleased with and, more importantly, a feeling that I achieved real growth as a photographer from my experiences on this trip.
