Subscribe to the Zen Arts Workshops

You’ll see results immediately, but it will take a lifetime to master.

Neomodern teaches a method of photography that is unique. We have a "Zen-arts approach" and I would describe the pictures as a kind of poetry, haiku, but there are also lessons from ikebana, bonsai, enso, origami, and kintsugi, that all together inform and improve the work for both beginners and pros. There is a tendency to get caught up in the technical aspects of picture taking (cameras, lenses, software)—or the business aspects (getting a job, finding a dealer, building an audience), but we're going to focus on aesthetics and some philosophy: What is worth shooting? What makes one picture better than another? How do I grow once I have technical skill?  

This photography is frequently described as romantic and sensual—whether of trees, architecture, or nudes. It's improvisational. It's minimal. And it can be taught. We put a lot of emphasis on photographic composition, which is a key to improvement.

One of the best ways to get better is to look to other photographers—not just their cherry-picked photos, but all the photos shot in a given moment, and to understand the decisions being made to get to the best; and also to break down what kinds of post production was executed. In our program we'll talk about:

1) how to see, shoot, and compose on the fly;
2) how to select images;
3) post production; 
4) printing and sharing. 

You'll learn by experiencing the shoots through looking at full shoots, and following each step with me. I feel comfortable sharing not just the best with you here, but opening up about how they were achieved.

NSFW WARNING

Nudity: All shooting is instructive, but the nudes can be particularly so—in part because it is subject matter that is so widely shot and so familiar that it poses special challenges and is particularly illustrative to my points. While I post "selects" occasionally on Instagram and Facebook, too many of my nude photos cannot be shared on social media, and i'm a staunch believer in not editing them to make them safe to "community standards," so they'll be shown here without censoring. They are anonymous, but still personal and private. But you can always opt for workshops that restrict the NSFW content.