First outdoor shoot with my night class

Last Thursday was the first night I could leave the class room with my class in Tech Amergin Waterville to shoot some photos during the blue hour. We received new tripods recently that we tested and even did a bit of light painting using the torch of the phone.
In previous weeks my students prepared for long exposure settings and working with the tripods.
A welcomed light source was the local oil delivery truck that provided interesting lights on the near house wall and lane.
The warm tee afterwards in the Sea Lodge Hotel was a good way to finish the night.
©Michael Herrmann 2017

Karl Blossfeldt Photos and Ceramic Art at Tech Amergin Waterville

The photographs of Karl Blossfeldt(1865-1932) were source of inspiration and reflection for the second time at the ceramic class at Tech Amergin Waterville.
Blossfeldt created the photographs during his tutorship at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Berlin until art gallery owner Karl Nierendorf saw them and invited him for an exhibition.
Nierendorf also suggested to publish the photographs in a book that eventually came out 1928 by the title "Art Forms in Nature". Today one of the 100 most important photography books.
"Art Forms in Nature" became very soon an international success and is still available in bookshops.

The 120 photographs published are detailed images of plant parts but in a controlled studio setting. Blossfeldt saw the photos as a link between the art and nature and used them to show students what natural shapes exist and where they are coming from. Do to the magnification he could show relationships between shapes and grows.
Simple shapes, combinations of different plants on one panel or repeating pattern, the book has a very  interesting almost tense dramaturgy in its design of pages.
The images are a manifestation of the vast amount of variations of shapes nature is offering.

This is a second exhibition by students of the ceramic class in Tech Amergin working with Karl Blossfeldt´s photographs. This time the focus was on the ornamental designs of the ceramic pieces and the use of shape as pattern or texture. The exhibition looks at the relationship between three-dimensional shapes and designed surfaces reflecting on Blossfeldt´s photographs.
In addition to the traditional categories in pottery like pots, bowls, containers and tiles a special group project was the work on a hanging mobile.
The inspiration for the mobile came indeed from looking at the work of Alexander Calder.
Calder created art objects by using wire and metal and left them standing or hanging in the space of a room where they would be moved by the air.
The exhibition is open for the month of May during the week from 10-5pm.
©Michael Herrmann 2016

Waterville Night Class at Charlie Chaplin Statue

Charlie Chaplin Statue shot with open aperture, 40mm lens.ISO 100

Night scene Waterville

Photography class Tech Amergin Waterville

7 Minutes exposure

Due to the longer days I have started working outside
with my Digital Photography Fetac level 5 class
at Tech Amergin Waterville.
We were on the beach the week before.
 Last night we focused on the Charlie Chaplin statue and the village at twilight.
I could not resist taking one long exposure of the sea with a
7 minute shutterspeed.
The use of tripod, bulb settings and cable release or self timer was part of the exercise.

Practical Photography course at Tech Amergin Waterville

I´m starting this practical photography workshop series next week at Tech Amergin Waterville. It will cover the different technical challenges and creative ways to make your photography going stronger. Any questions can be asked.
There will be a wide range of equipment advice and I´m showing
the use of flash lights, tripods and filters. Get ready for the spring and summer days with your camera and book your place at
0669478956.

Lightroom Courses and Workshops, Tech Amergin Waterville

I´m going to continue to teach Adobe Lightroom 4 in Tech Amergin Waterville soon. In the new term we will look closer at the Map, Book and Web module.
 In addition to what we´ve already done in the Print module we are having a practice session about print settings and learn how to avoid costly mistakes.
The course is running for 4 weeks on a Tuesday night in two hour sessions and costs €50.
You need to bring your laptop with the program installed with you. The 4 week trial version can be downloaded here: Lightroom 4 trial
Please install the program only at the first date of the class to avail of the full four weeks trial. The download can be done at an earlier stage.
Workshops
  In addition to the intermediate course, I´m offereing two Lightroom workshops.
The first workshop is an introduction into Lightroom 4 for everybody who has not used Lightroom before or has just started using the program and need a bit of help. I´m covering the different modules of Lightroom 4 and show how simple and easy it is to organise your photo files, the editing process and how to export photos for different purposes like the internet and printing.
You need to bring your laptop with the programm downloaded and installed. You can bring your laptop and I will install the trial version before we start.
Saturday 9th March, 10.00-4.00 pm Fee €40

 The second workshop is called "The Photography Book making workshop" - Intermediate 
Lightroom 4 offers a very good module to create photography books.
In this workshop you will learn how to use the right settings and design options on the first day to enable you to use photos and text in your book project.
The second day will take place in a printers studio, here you will watch first-hand the printing of a sample book on a high quality printer.
Basic experience in using Lightroom required for this workshop.

 Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd March 10am - 4.30 pm Fee €75, materials €6.

You can register your place for the course and workshops at
Tech Amergin  in Waterville or online at Tech Amergin Waterville
You can phone Angela at the helpdesk  T: 066 9478956

Skelligs again, Tech Amergin Spring Programme

To know your subject well is always a great advantage in photography. Still, one of the great joys of a landscape photographer is to return to the same place and see the scene in new light, from different angle and in a new context.
 The seasons and the ever changing light in Kerry helps a lot so that you never run out of reasons to return. I love going to the same place again and again and find something that I did not expexted at all. Even if its just there for a couple minutes. The light becomes a special event and what Henri Cartier Bresson called "the decisive moment". If you are in the right place and your gear is ready and most importantly your mind is ready to receive the signal, you are lucky.
 Being prepared helps, like using a decent tripod and having gloves on when its cold.
You can´t be disappointed because you are coming home with something that can be a treasure, something special. The result can be very different but the main thing is, you´ve tryed and you can now review what you´ve done. Doing it is the secret.

 Moirisk, The Glen. County Kerry. The Skelligs. ©Michael Herrmann 2013

Tech Amergin Waterville click here for the link has published the Spring Programme now, have a look please.
 I´m going to teach further Lightroom classes and start a new Digital Photography Fetac level 5 course.
Some interesting workshops and special walks are also part of the programme

Certificate Night Tech Amergin,Waterville

Paddy Bushe introducing the musician

Congratulation to Allen, John, Derarca, Deirde, Eva, Aislinn and Paul for a finishing their Fetac level 5 digital photography course with great results. Again all my students finished with distinction. After the presentation one of the best musicians of Ireland, Brendan Begley took the stage and performed together with his son Brian. Brendan launched his new cd and played and sang  some wonderful tunes. You can order the cd on his website:http://brendanbegley.com/

Bob Ellis- "House on Fire" photography project at Tech Amergin, Waterville, County Kerry

Digital Photography Course

A new Digital Photography Course is going to start at the end of February in Tech Amergin, Waterville. It is a Level 5 Fetac Course and it will run for 26 weeks on Tuesday evenings. Some knowledge of your camera and computers would be beneficial.
There are still places left, so if you are interested contact me or Angela in Tech Amergin, Waterville to enroll. (Tel. 066-9478956 ).

We are approaching the final two weeks of our current course and everybody is very busy putting their projects together of which you can see some here later...

Photo Editing Course at Tech Amergin and a Competition

My Photo Editing Course in Tech Amergin, Waterville is starting next Tuesday night, 29 June. If you like to learn how to improve your photos, how to crop, to resize for print and internet and include text in your images, give Angela at Tech Amergin a ring on 0669478956.
And here is the contest:
 I´m giving away one version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 if you tell me which of the 4 photos above is not edited.
Use the contact form above and write the number of the photo you think that is not edited (starting from top).

 The winner will be selected Thursday July 1, 5 pm.
Good luck.