Zen Bootcamp   

Workshop Details | Zen Bootcamp with Allan MANDELL

This 1-day intensive course will focus entirely on the seven essential elements that determine a fully resolved photographic composition.  Students will learn by doing, by creating photographic compositions, and each component will be revealed to the student progressively as they demonstrate their understanding of the previous compositional element.

The workshop is based on the model of solving a Zen koan, or riddle.  In this model of learning the student meets with the teacher and receives a koan (in this case, their compositional element), then must solve the koan by demonstrating their understanding before moving on to the next level. 

With Luz Gallery as our home base, students will come & go during the course of the day returning with images to be immediately downloaded & evaluated with the instructor. If desired, students can meet with the teacher for a personal critique and will find out if they are ready to progress to the next level. 

Everyone will progress at their own pace, and will progress as far as they can in one day. Each student will be presented with as many successive ingredients or compositional elements (seven total), and go to as high a level, as they can master.

By the end of the day, students will have a clear understanding of as many essential elements of composition as they can master.  This is a cumulative experience, as all seven elements are required for a fully resolved composition.  However, even if the student masters only a few elements, this becomes a significant step forward in their personal evolution as a photographer.

Students will learn how to see and how to make choices decisively.  Students will learn how to receive feedback and move on, no matter how difficult. 

This is Zen Bootcamp and we are not going to beat around the bush.  The goal is shooting a fully resolved composition, and we will take the most direct path to get there as possible.

Prerequisites|   Students will need:

1. Determination and the desire for creative growth.

2. An open and inquisitive mind.

3. A working familiarity with how to operate their camera & obtain a reasonably correct exposure, as we will do only minimal post-processing of images.

What to Bring |

A digital camera & the ability to download images (there will be a computer at the gallery to download files onto, or students may bring their laptop, if they wish)

REGISTER ONLINE
Enrolment - limit of 8 participants. 

*Allan is also teaching a Macro Botanical Workshop with us this Spring.