F/Stop - Prizewinning Photography - September, 2009

Caitlyn Klawitter was a student at PWP in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Every day is filled with challenging but rewarding projects and adventures. When I asked Caitlyn why she wanted to come to IPS she said, “I first heard about PWP a year ago. A few of my friends were planning to attend, and tried their best to convince ME to come too. At the time...a photography course was the LAST thing on my list of “to do desires.”

BUT! When I saw the pictures that were taken... I was BLOWN AWAY. They were dramatic, impacting, and artistic...Not to mention beautiful. In the past my camera had always acted more like an enemy than a friend. =P I was so excited when God provided the opportunity for me to attend this fall, providing the chance to learn how to showcase his glory in the art of photography.”

A lot of time is spent in the classroom learning about various styles and techniques that will later be applied in real time. On this particular day Caitlyn learned about different lighting situations used in portraiture. When I asked her about how she felt about the teaching Caitlyn said, “I really appreciated how the teaching was handled. The instructors are AWESOME! Besides being just generally cool people, I was encouraged and impressed by their genuine interest in each and every one of the students. I felt comfortable asking questions and asking for help, and the instructors were always right there to provide answers or lend a helping hand. All in all, it’s my opinion that the teaching was handled with excellence.”

Observation is an excellent way to learn; and that is exactly what Caitlyn did. Real portrait sessions were held for her to observe and learn from.

As you may have noticed, Caitlyn was not trapped in the classroom all of the time. There are many opportunities to get outside and enjoy and experience God’s amazing creation. This picture was taken during the ride to the Garden of the gods near Manitou Springs. There was an assignment that went with this outing however which Caitlyn described, “The afternoon assignment was portraiture. It was very challenging. We were given a list of 5 different pictures that we needed to take, a limit of 50 shots, and 2 hours.

While at times it was very challenging to know where to shoot, what to shoot, and HOW to shoot... It was an experience that stretched me and helped me grow in what I knew, while giving me an opportunity to put into action what I had learned.”

Light is the language of photography. If you can speak that language fluently, you are well on your way to becoming a great photographer. Caitlyn, along with the other students, learned about all sorts of different lighting situations and of ways to control the type of light that is implemented into their images.

Image review is very beneficial for catching those little details that need to be “tweaked” and “cropped in” just a bit. After every assignment is completed the images are reviewed by one of the instructors. When I asked Caitlyn what really “clicked” during her week she said “Haha!.. The shutter release? I was so excited when I started realizing that my camera didn’t have a mind of its own!

There is free time every day in which you can interact with the other students, play games, etc. When I asked Caitlyn what she thought about this “free time” she said, “It was relaxed and easy going, AND, much to my surprise, many times consisted of…..PHOTOGRAPHY! (By our own choice that is =p)”

I asked Caitlyn about her future photography goals and she said, “I enjoy photography in and of itself, and weather God will have me use that as a major part of my life… or just a hobby, my heart’s desire is to honor him and showcase His glory, His heart, and His majesty. I also asked Caitlyn if she would be coming back to IPS in the future and she said, “I would LOVE to attend future classes! “ And I hope that will become a reality in the future.

Text and Pictures by Benjamin Sahlstrom

There are many reasons students chooses to attend IPS. Some are interested in the art of photography and just want to learn more so that they can take better pictures and get a better grip on the techniques of the actual shooting and the more involved Photoshop techniques. When I asked Josh why wanted to attend IPS he said, “I attended IPS to learn more about photography and to make new friends that share my passion for it.”

This workshop was held in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The atmosphere was very laid back but still very structured. There was always a mix of actual classroom time and other activities. Josh said, “The teaching was handled very well, it was a very informal style of teaching, which made everyone feel very comfortable with asking questions. Yet, it wasn’t informal in a sloppy way; everything was very organized and easy to understand.”

Josh was encouraged to learn by actually taking his camera into his hands and change, tweak, and perfect the settings to get the effect he was looking for in whatever particular project was at hand. If questions arise all Josh had to do is ask.

Here, Josh was witnessing a real time photo shoot with a profession photographer as she explained all of the different poses and styles that were being incorporated during the session.

Lighting is a key element in photography and therefore a lot of time is dedicated to the subject. I asked Josh what he thought about the assignments and he said, “The afternoon assignments were really great, I really enjoyed putting into practice what we had been able to learn from observing our instructors.”

Questions are welcome and any instructor will gladly talk to you about whatever you need help on. I asked Josh about what his hope for his photography skills were and he said, “My future goals are to possibly make a career out of photography and to be able to affect people in a positive way through my photos.”

Portraiture is a challenging but very rewarding aspect of photography. I asked Josh what really “clicked” for him during the week and he said, “The single biggest thing that clicked for me was all the instruction on composition; it made a huge difference in my pictures.”

Josh said “The general atmosphere during the time when we were not expected to be doing any specific task was very laid back and was a great opportunity to interact with other students and get to know them better. If at all possible, I would love to take more classes at IPS.  It has been an awesome time! “