The Friedman Archives Photography Seminars

The Friedman Archives Seminars

The Friedman Archives High-Impact Photography Seminars are back!  Geared toward anyone who owns a digital camera from any manufacturer, this course is for anyone who has ever said to themselves, "I already have a great camera. So why aren't my pictures making people say "Wow!"?  They are geared toward those who would like to learn more, reinforce what they already know, experiment, and become inspired to become better photographers.  Not "just another photo seminar"; the Friedman Archives Seminar represents a fresh and different approach that completely cuts through today's complexity and gets to the roots of getting "Wow!"-type images - whether you're using a DSLR, mirrorless, or still using film. :-)
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"It’s the best money you’ll ever spend for a photo class. Gary obviously loves what he does and can also make a complex topic easy to understand, which is a great combination.  It made me a better photographer! - George Saadeh
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The High-Impact Photography seminars are structured differently from almost all other photo courses -- Whereas most other courses bombard you with the technical stuff first, The Friedman Archives Seminars recognizes that modern cameras do a pretty good job with focusing and exposure, but do a miserable job with composition and the art aspect of photography (realms best left for the HUMAN).  Much more than your usual photographic how-to's, the seminar gets into the mindset of great photographers and help you approach photography in a completely organic and intuitive way.

Dates: April 26-27, 2025 (2 days)   Each day goes from 10AM - 6 PM.

Event Address: Holiday Inn & Suites 17035 Condit Road Morgan Hill, California 95037 https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/morgan-hill/sjcmh/hoteldetail Cost: Each day is an affordable $150

The seminar starts out heavy on the creative aspects, and then slowly delves into the technical realm as needed as the weekend progresses.  You can attend one day or both depending on where your skill set currently stands.  Neither day has a prerequisite.

Day 1 ("The Creative Class", or "The camera can do quite a bit by itself.  Teach me about creativity and light and the "Wow!" secrets of the pro's".)
* The compositional secrets of the National Geographic photographers
* What the Kodachrome shooters knew about high-impact images (hint: they never needed Photoshop!)
* How to "see" light like the Hollywood Cinematographers do
* Mythbusting: Small vs. Large Sensor.  RAW vs. JPG.  How many megapixels do you really need?
* Compositional rules derived from the world of fine art
* The difference between snapshots and photographs (and why both are important)
* The secrets to outstanding travel photography
* Making the most of available light
* How your exposure meter thinks (or "Why can't the camera just make it look the way I see it?")
* In-class exercises for creativity and composition
* The "inner game" mindsets used by all the photographic masters
* The single most important thing you must do before you pick up your camera.
* Computational photography and how our smartphones can handle difficult light better than the “big cameras”.
* A practical "zen" approach to compelling images using the camera you already have, without getting bogged down in technical stuff

Day 2 ("The Technical Stuff everyone wants to know" (and then some!))
* The four variables of exposure, explained intuitively.
* The three types of metering, and which ones are actually useful.
* Wireless Flash - how to add drama to your images by controlling your light (with a live demonstration)
* Color balance and Human Perception
* The RAW vs. JPG argument explained without religious fervor (with some surprising revelations!)
* How to avoid horrific .jpg compression artifacts
* The important problem of print vs. screen resolution
* The only eight Post-processing functions I use

Day 2 Bonus (in the evening; $35 extra) - Hands-on exercises with wireless flash.  Many have lauded this portion for helping them get past the intimidation stage and see just how easy and fun the process actually is!  

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"Unpretentious photographer sharing his knowledge and experience shamelessly!   Gary, you were AWESOME!  Lisa Buchanan
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Who is Gary Friedman?

Gary is a professional photographer who runs the stock image website www.FriedmanArchives.com, and is Associate Editor of CameraCraft magazine in the UK (one of the last great photo mags!).  He has written over 50 books on specific digital cameras, explaining each feature and teaching people how to get the most out of it.  He's been keeping a steady photography blog since 2008 and has been conducting these seminars around the world since 2007.  

Sign up here!

Remember, the overriding goal of photography is to have FUN, to experience your world, and to give you an excuse to go out and do things you wouldn't normally get a chance to do.  (Oh, and also to make other people say, “Wow!”.)  These seminars were designed to be different from any course you ever took -- an engaging and fun way to rekindle your enthusiasm for great photography.  A shorter learning curve doesn’t exist!

Shortly after you register you'll receive an email with more details, including hours, what to bring, etc.

Host or Publisher Gary Friedman