Shooting 101:
Intro to Natural Light
Course Begins: June 10, 2013
Full Participation Sold Out, study along seats still available
Lifetime Member
Registration Regular Member
Registration Non-Member
Registration
This course will help photographers who are comfortable working with their cameras in manual mode learn how to see and understand natural light and then put it to use to create beautiful images with depth and dimension.
course fee:
$300/person for full participation
$150/person for study along
Study-along members will have access to all materials and will be able to read the forum, see others’ assignments, but will not be able to post questions, conversation, or request critique on their assignments. Full Participation students will be able to do all of the above.
registrants:
30 participants
Study-along seats available.
For more information about our policies and workshop FAQ please click here.
what we cover:
- Week One: Metering, direction of light, color & quality of light
- Week Two: Types of light, window light and reflectors
- Week Three: Open shade and other structures
- Week Four: Backlighting and silhouettes
what you get:
- weekly lessons and assignments (PDFs)
- detailed, personalized guidance and critique from the instructor each week.
- opportunities for peer interaction and critique
- critique from at least one teaching assistant each week
what you need:
All students should have a solid understanding of the exposure triangle and working knowledge of shooting in manual mode. A camera, fixed aperture lens and a 5 in 1 reflector are required.
course instructor:
Lisa Harrison is a professional photographer and mom to two. You can view her work here. Lisa recently decided to specialize in Newborn Photography. She loves bright clean processing and natural skin tones.
teaching assistants:
This was my second workshop to take here at CM, but my first that really focused on shooting. In a nutshell, this class is money well spent. I had been wanting to take this class since I first joined CM, but missed out on the previous run because it fills up fast. I hesitated signing up for full participation because I thought it would be nice to stretch my money further and take more workshops. I am soooooo glad that I decided to do full participation! Yes, it’s an investment, but the feedback from Lisa and the TAs, as well as the ability to discuss assignments with your classmates is beyond worth the price. I thoroughly enjoyed every single week. I can see such a difference in my photographs since taking this class. I learned so many things and plan to go back over all the materials again and again until I master all of the techniques Lisa taught us. The camaraderie between the classmates also helped to make this course what it was. Everyone was so supportive and constructive in giving feedback. It’s a great way to get various points of view on your work, which I found motivated me even more to work hard on the assignments.
Lisa was so generous with her time and it really made it seem like we were in an in-person class, as opposed to an online class. The PDFs were so well organized and all her examples perfectly illustrated the techniques so that we could really grasp the concepts. I have read extensively about natural light, but I’ve never come across a guide that explained everything as well as Lisa does in this course. Instead of feeling confused, I felt empowered to go out and challenge myself, to approach the available light with an intent in mind and to really see light I’m working with. Lisa, I cannot say this enough—THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! :)
This was my second class I have taken at CM…the first one I did FP so I thought I would do this one as SA. I wish I didn’t because Lisa is such an awesome instructor!!! She is always there to answer anything…I have learned so much just from her CC for the girls in FP. I would have loved to have her CC mine but we have been moving so I haven’t been able to practice much anyway. Her PDF’s are great. I will definitely take another class with Lisa. Thank you Lisa for making this such a great class!!
I’m sad the class is over.
NL101 is the very first photography related class that I’ve taken here at CM or elsewhere. Before this I’ve been reading everything I can find and practicing whenever I can and I had a good grasp on focus and the exposure triangle. Despite that, nothing about my own images impressed me. I decided that was because I don’t know enough about lighting or composition and set out to learn.
I took NL101 full participation and while I hated writing that check I can’t imagine doing it any other way. The materials were excellent and well written and I know that I will come back to them again and again, but the thing that absolutely made the course for me was the availability and knowledge of the instructor and her willingness to share that with the participants. Lisa answered every question I had — and I had A LOT of questions. She held my hand as I tried things that were new to me and took the time to draw diagrams on my photos of my house to show me where I should place my model. At times I felt like she was teaching just for me, but she did the same for any other student who had questions or needed extra guidance or clarification or simply did get something that had already been covered.
Going into the course I felt stuck… like I had taken everything I knew and everything I had read as far as I could on my own. My images from the first week….? I shudder looking at them. The photos I took in the later weeks are some of my best work ever. If I could post before and after examples here it would probably sell the course!
I’m not stuck anymore. I have light to work on now, and I know *how* to work on it. That, right there, was everything I hoped to get from NL101.
Thank you Lisa.
What does it tell you that, at the conclusion of the class, nearly every single one of my classmates wrote that they were “so sad to see this class ending”? NL101 with Lisa is simply AWESOME. As other reviewers noted, it’s changed how I see light, and in four weeks, I have grown so much in the way I use light. Lisa’s materials and instruction are so clear and thorough, she responds to questions quickly, and her critiques and suggested edits were so helpful and encouraging. I would highly recommend doing this FP.
What a great course! When I signed up, I thought two things: Will a 101 level course be too basic? Will the instructors be available for questions, etc. I had no need to worry. I quickly realized that this course was actually quite challenging for me. Each week examines a particular concept in light (i.e. window lighting) and gives a few concepts to try
And instructor availability was a big surprise too. I found Lisa responded to my questions really quickly (I never had to wait a full day). Her critiques were terrific. I walked away from each week knowing how my results measured up and how to apply the concept to other pictures. Or how to retake the pictures to make them better.
I highly recommend this class.
I absolutely loved this class! It is amazing how beautiful your pictures can be once you learn how to use the light. Lisa is an amazing instructor! She was so interactive and responsive. She always had great feedback which was so valuable in the learning process! Can’t wait to take NL 201!
I just wanted to say…This was my very first course i took here at CM…and i was study along but i seriously LOVED every bit of it! The information Lisa gives is so to the point and understandable…She is very clear when she is instructing…I really wish i would have been able to do a full participation but of course it was sold out pretty quickly…If you are thinking of taking this class you should really consider it! I have been shooting professionally for almost 2 years and shooting in manual for 3 years…But i got to a place with my images where i felt i really needed to use light more effectively…When you start in photography there is sooo much information that you need to learn and absorb besides just learning how to use your camera…So much information that honestly i think you really never stop learning nomatter how advanced you are in your photography skills…So i was a little hesitant to take this class because i felt like i was way past beginner stages in my photography….But i decided to do it and i am so glad i did…Lisa covers so many topics and her PDF’s were so easy to follow along with and her critique is very honest and to the point and very professional…There were things that i already knew but there was alot of things i didnt know and it really helped give me that push i needed…i started to actually *see* the light and know the differences….She goes over a little bit of other extra information also that goes along with using light and shooting different lighting situations….She goes over showing you how to use different equipment when shooting in natural light….shows you the differences with metering…She is just a very awesome instructor and i would honestly LOVE to take another class by her….and i probably most likely will :)
So nomatter where you are in your photography…if you are thinking about this class that means you must need some sort of refresh in your natural lighting skills…and you should def register for this class you will come out with so much solid information that is not confusing and wont make your head spin around like “what?”….You will feel knowledgable and ready to start shooting in natural light and my images have been so much more smooth and clear since paying more attention to my light….I give this class 5 stars :)
Thank you so much Lisa!!
Mari
I just finished this course as a Study Along, and while I wish I could have taken it full participation (signed up too late), it was exactly what I needed to progress in my journey of learning photography. As a study along, you can learn right along with the full participants if you do the homework and absorb the materials diligently. Lisa’s CC is superb (honestly, the best I’ve seen so far), and by reading all of her CC along with her answers to questions, you will learn right along with everyone else. I have seen a lot of questions in the CM forum about open shade and backlighting. Well this is the course that answers those questions in depth with course content and especially, with the exercises she directs you to execute in order to discover how to find and use your available light. You will look at light much more strategically after taking this class. Something I have done now is to go back through all of my own personal images that I have taken in the past 9 months and examine them in light of (pun intended) the content of this course to “see” what I was missing when I pressed the shutter release, and the good news is that now I know what I should have done. I am excited to be much more strategic from now on before actually pressing that shutter release.
Highly, highly recommend this workshop!! Finding any light other than flat light never made sense to me until Lisa’s course. The course materials just explained it so clearly through examples and diagrams and Lisa was always available on the board for the many, many questions that the participants had. Her feedback and that of the TAs was so helpful and supportive. I really felt this course took me a huge step forward in my photography for I am looking at light in such a different way now! So glad I took this course, now I am looking for more natural light workshops to push me further. Thanks to Lisa and CM!!
Everything about this workshop is amazing…the material, the organization, the assignments, LISA!, and her incredibly thorough CC. So glad i decided to take this class- I know I’ll use what she taught me for a very long time. :)
First of all, let me say that all of the CMs workshops that I have taken have been the best educational tools I could have ever asked for. Every one has been worth every penny I’ve invested in it and more. Each one has provided me more information and knowledge than I was hoping for when I signed up for them, and this workshop was no exception. I saw this workshop advertised in the CMs Post that came to my e-mail. I thought, maybe this will be the workshop that will finally make color and light make sense to me. When it began, I became discouraged and thought I just don’t get it, this is not what I wanted. Was I ever wrong. I decided to struggle through it and to get what I could out of it. WOW, by the end of the workshop, I could not believe how it all came around and made sense. Some how Lisa and the other mentors worked miracles in my life. They were so patient with me and even allowed me to re-do an assignment because life got in the way for me during one of the weeks. I FOUND my style and love by the end of the workshop. I really didn’t realize it until I had a couple of weddings to shoot after the workshop. Once my photos were downloaded and I saw my work, I asked myself, who took these photos and how did they do it? It was me! I am not doing it perfectly, but I am doing it so much better than I have ever done it before. I have had more comments, loves and likes on Facebook and in person than I ever have on any photo shoot before. I have even received many WOWs! My very heart and soul rejoices as CMs workshops, and this amazing workshop, have helped to make my dreams come true and I am now able to express ME in my photos. I highly recommend this workshop to you! Please contact me personally if you need any more convincing that this is the workshop for you! Lisa and mentors…thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Do you reccomend this class after I finish the shooting 101–Best darn dslr with Lynn? I am trying to figure out what workshop to do next, there are so many :)
Hi Alicia! Yes, this would be a great next step after Shooting 101: The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever!
This class was an eye-opener for me. I am now seeing the light in a way that I never did before. Lisa’s lessons are well written, and easy to read and understand… I didn’t have any trouble grasping what she had written. Her CC was helpful and encouraging. Also, Leah, Sara and Monica were very helpful with their CC as well. This course definitely had an all star cast of instructors. I can already see the difference in my photography…. pre- NL101 and post- NL101.
I would recommend this class to anyone looking to learn how to utilize natural light! Thank you to Lisa for an amazing class!!!
This class was a phenomenal experience and I loved every minute of it. Lisa is a patient, wonderful instructor and her thoughtful and thorough feedback was priceless. The lessons were well laid out and easy to digest and Lisa never hesitated to post further explanation if it was needed.
It has completely changed the way I see light, from the color of it to the way it falls on my subject, and my shooting has improved greatly because as a result. I would definitely consider this class a “must have” for any aspiring photographer. You won’t regret it!
Intro to Natural Light is an incredible workshop! Lisa is a fantastic instructor and the materials she provided gave me an in-depth understanding of light and how to use it to create stronger images. Before this workshop, I had never been able to “see” light or its effects very well, but as I worked through the four weeks of materials, critiques, q&a’s, and other feedback, I found myself able to recognize various types of light, to better see the color and quality of the light around me, and to evaluate how lighting in various situations would impact my photography.
It’s hard to say enough about how thorough and helpful the lessons were, but even more than that, I have to emphasize that Lisa is a very gifted teacher. She went above and beyond every week — answering questions (quickly!), offering highly detailed feedback, and providing a variety of resources to help participants truly understand the material.
If you’re on the fence about taking this workshop, hop off that fence right now and sign up! It’s definitely worth it!
This is an awesome class and opened my eyes to actually “seeing” the light. The materials were great, the instructor and assistant instructors were awesome. They really cared about making sure you understand the material and concepts.
This class completely changed the way I see light, both in general and the way it falls on my subject. And my use of light is now so much more intentional in every shot I take. The material in this class is fabulous in helping one to understand natural light both inside and out and how to manipulate it to get a more interesting image. My photography has definitely changed for the better after taking this class and I have come out of it with some of my favorite all time images, some of which are already on my walls!
If for no other reason, take this class because Lisa is a phenomenal instructor and goes above and beyond with her thorough critique and detailed feedback. She has a unique way of making each person feel special in their own way and celebrates each person’s successes while at the same time giving instructive and motivating feedback on how to improve. She helps you to develop a critical eye that goes beyond just the aspect of light.
Thank you Lisa, and to the TAs, Monica, Leah, and Sara, for an amazing workshop. I am so thankful to have taken this class and to finally feel like I ‘see’ the light!
Everyone who develops an interest in photography has read or heard that they need to learn about light, but that admonition is so vague and it’s difficult to know what that means. Natural Light 101 helped to make that idea concrete. Lisa is simply an amazing instructor. She explains concepts so clearly and succinctly, and is constantly seeking ways to make the material as accessible as possible. She opened my eyes and I think that she changed the way that every class member sees light. Moreover, the effort that she puts into teaching is impressive. Her feedback on each and every assignment was incredibly thorough and helpful. I would encourage anyone and everyone to take advantage of her instruction and sign up.
This was my first workshop with Lisa and I was absolutely floored by how responsive she was throughout the entire class. Her thoughtful, detailed feedback is so far above and beyond, I’m not even sure how to characterize it. This is the first workshop where I have felt like I needed to download EVERYONE’S threads because she sprinkles diagrams and how-to videos throughout her critiques in order to help her students improve. The course content is practical, highly technical and, at least in my opinion, essential to seeing light in a way that I hope I can translate into my photography in order to take my work to the next level. I have been putting off learning photoshop and might just have to give it a shot, if only to have another class with Lisa. If you want to guarantee yourself money well spent, take this class!
I truly feel this workshop has given me the tools to go out and take pictures that will have that special something that makes them stand out from regular snapshots. I now look at things so differently and I love it:)! I was totally blown away by the cc’s that were given and how I not only learned from my own assignments, but everyone of my classmates as well. Lisa was able to explain “seeing the light” in a way I could understand and if I didn’t she would keep trying with videos and pictures till I did! I also appreciated getting extra feed back form the TA’s on things I wasn’t even seeing that will allow me to get even better. I am leaving this class(wishing it wasn’t over already) ready to go out and practice the things I have learned and will never forget the concepts that I learned this month! Thank you Lisa, Sara, Leah, and Monica for giving of your time and knowledge to help us on our photography journey. Oh yea, be prepared to want to go straight into another workshop as soon as this one is over because you want to keep building on what you have learned. I am headed to PS 101 in June to have Lisa turn me into a PS goddess:)!!
I am having a hard time putting in to words how much I loved this workshop, and I’m sad to see it end! There are just so many concepts I learned about light and how it affects an image that never even dawned on me before, yet make such a HUGE difference. I firmly believe that this class has changed how I “see the light.” Lisa is a phenomenal instructor. CC was always prompt and incredibly helpful. If she found people were struggling with a particular concept half way through the week she would take the time to go out and take additional pull back shots to illustrate the point. Often times it was these extra tutorials that provided the light bulb moment for me, so thank you SO much Lisa!
This workshop exceeded my expectations, and they were high after taking other workshops from Lisa. She is an amazing instructor and cheerleader. She provides so much information in this class in an organized and easy to understand fashion. I know that I will refer to the lessons from this class frequently. Lisa, Leah, Sara, and Monica provide extensive, thoughtful, and valuable feedback that only adds to the value of the workshop. I am so much more comfortable shooting in different lighting situations and my photography has grown after just 4 weeks. Some of the assignment photos for this workshop are now some of my favorite images. NL101 was one of the best investments I’ve made in my photography journey and I enjoyed every moment of it. You will not be disappointed.
Wow what a great class with one of of my favorite instructors. Lisa’s PDFs are so thorough and while filled with information, they are still very easy to understand. Her diagrams and tables are especially helpful and I will refer to them after the class often. Her CC is so detailed, thoughtful and helpful. I learned something in every class members lesson submission just by reading all of Lisa’s CC.
If you want to really learn to “see the light”, how to position your subjects for the light and to use Kelvin to improve your WB, this is the class for you. The golden hour, haze and silhouettes in the last week was just the frosting on the cake.
I loved this class. Thank you Lisa, Leah and Sara.