Education

September 2025 Education Night – Special Presentation – “An Introduction to Light Painting” by Chris Nicholson

Please join your fellow members for a Special Presentation on September 25th, “An Introduction to Light Painting” by Chris Nicholson.

Presentation Summary

In the process of learning night photography, you learn a lot about gear, focus, and exposure, and how to capture star points and trails. Then, before long, you start to wonder what to do with the dark foreground. In this presentation, Chris Nicholson will review the fundamentals of adding light to those shadows to reveal all the potential for that night composition.

Chris will discuss light painting tools, angle of light, proper technique, determining how much light to add, and more. By the end of this talk, you’ll feel more confident getting into dark environments to start painting, opening up whole new worlds of photographic opportunity.

Bio

Chris Nicholson is the author of Photographing National Parks and is a partner and director of content for National Parks at Night. As a former magazine editor and longtime magazine contributor, Chris’s work has appeared in over 40 books and periodicals. He has served as a book editor for National Parks Traveler, a content consultant for Chimani national park travel guide apps, and a writer for various photography websites. Chris is co-director of the Great Smoky Mountains Photo Fest, has taught for CreativeLive, is a regular presenter for Out of Chicago and the B&H Event Space, and he speaks at photography conferences and events around the U.S.

https://www.nationalparksatnight.com/

Some Samples of Chris’s Photos

Who Should Attend

This presentation is for all photographers! Lightpainting is a great technique to learn if you’re at all interested in shooting at night. FYI: Lightpainting is our assignment for November!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2025) members a few days before 08/25/2025.

Non -Members – If you are interested in joining us to see what we are all about, we will send you a Zoom Invitation for our Exhibit/Comments Night only. Special Presentations are for current members only. Our Exhibit/Comment Nights are on the 3rd Thursday of each month except December. Please send your Name and Email address with the Subject line “Zoom Invite Needed for MEETING on (appropriate date) to mytbcc@gmail.com so we can get the invitation to you.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on September 18th, and our Education Night on September 25, 2025, for this special presentation.

Keep pressing that shutter button!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

July 2025 Education Night – Special Presentation – The Fine Art of Black and White Photography by Jennifer King

Please join your fellow members for a Special Presentation on July 24th, “The Fine Art of Black and White Photography ” by Jennifer King!

Presentation Summary

There is something quite magical about black and white photography. The silver-like component that creates a sense of illusion, the dark tones that produce an emotional response, and the light that brings each image to life. We will walk through the creative process of capturing your vision, defining your style, and producing dramatic images from concept to processing.

Jennifer King Bio

Jennifer King is an internationally acclaimed nature and fine art photographer with a passion for teaching and inspiring photographers around the world. She draws on her fine art and design background to bring a fresh perspective to nature photography.

Jennifer is honored to have been named the first woman ambassador and master of photography in the field of nature photography by the industry. She has built a respectable reputation by combining award winning photography with dedication to advancing the role of women in photography and art. Jennifer is a Moab Master Photographer, recognized as 1 of 15 Amazing Women to Follow (by 500px), and is one of the premier black and white photographers in the country. She is also the founder of PHOTOGRAPHY for the FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER (pfabc.org), an industry-wide organization bringing together the biggest names in photography to raise money for breast cancer research.

You can find her photography, video tutorials, and interviews in Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Shutter Magazine, Camera in the Wild, Photography Talk, Smoky Mountains Journal of Photography, Our State Magazine, VIA Magazine, and more! Jennifer speaks at many yearly photographic summits such as NANPA, MPA, GNPA, MAPV, NVPS, CNPA, and FCCC.

Some Sample Images of Jennifer’s Art

Who Should Attend

This presentation is for all photographers! We all want to know what “fine art” is, and we all want to convert our images to Black and White in the best possible way.

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2025) members a few days before 07/24/2025.

Non -Members – If you are interested in joining us to see what we are all about, we will send you a Zoom Invitation for our Exhibit/Comments Night only. Our Exhibit/Comment Nights are on the 3rd Thursday of each month except December. Please send your Name and Email address with the Subject line “Zoom Invite Needed for MEETING on (appropriate date) to mytbcc@gmail.com so we can get the invitation to you.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on July 17th, and our Education Night on July 24, 2025, for this special presentation.

Keep pressing that shutter button!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

April 2025 Education Night – Special Presentation – Post-Processing Your Bird Photos by Tony Baldasaro

Please join your fellow TBCC members for a Special Presentation Education Night on April 24th!

Tony Baldasaro, an amazing photographer and educator, I met through Out of Chicago, will be our instructor for the session.

Summary of Presentation

So, you have taken up Bird Photography! Congratulations on choosing the most difficult subgenre of nature photography there is. 😕 Now, you’ve come home from a long day of photographing birds and have the daunting task of culling and processing cards full of images. Where do you begin? How do you select the images you are going to process, and how do you take an image from card to completion?

This class will focus on the unique challenge of post-processing in bird photography, including the large number of images bird photographers have to manage, the reality of shooting with less-than-ideal settings, and most importantly, the mindset that post-processing begins when you leave the house, not when you return.

Tony will share his mindset while shooting as well as his workflow for post-processing bird images using primarily Lightroom, Topaz, and Photoshop to create striking images.

Tony’s Bio

As a native New Englander, I enjoy the natural beauty of landscapes and wildlife images. After studying Biology and Ornithology in college, I have spent the better part of 30 years in public education, doing my best to share my passion for the natural world and my unwavering belief that everyone can learn in public school settings. Combining my educator experience with more than 20 years of nature photography, I have found immense joy in helping others improve their own nature photography, specifically Landscape and Wild Bird Photography. Through one-on-one coaching, speaking, and workshop opportunities, I have helped others improve their craft since 2017. When not photographing or teaching, my wife and I split time between the seacoast and lake regions of New Hampshire. Together, we have three adult children with whom we love spending time.

Examples of Tony’s Photos

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This presentation is for all photographers! Even though the emphasis will be on bird photography, Tony’s post-processing techniques and tips will apply to most genres of photography!

HOW TO ATTEND

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2025) members a few days before 04/24/2025.

Non -Members – If you are interested in joining us to see what we are all about, we will send you a Zoom Invitation for our Exhibit/Comments Night only. Please send your Name and Email address with the Subject line “Zoom Invite Needed for MEETING on (appropriate date)” to mytbcc@gmail.com so we can get the invitation to you. Our Exhibit/Comment Nights are on the 3rd Thursday of each month except December.

I hope to see you at our next outing on April 3rd (details emailed to all current members), at our Exhibit/Comment Night on April 17th, and our Education Night on April 24th, 2025, for this special presentation.

Just keep shooting!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

January 2025 Education Night – Special Presentation – “Creative Toy Photography” by Shelly Corbett

Members, please join us, on January 23rd, for a Special Presentation by Shelly Corbett, “Creative Toy Photography”.

Summary of the Presentation

Somewhere along the way, we leave our inner child behind—the one who conjures magical worlds and imaginary friends, who falls in love with princes and princesses, who slays dragons and rides unicorns into the sunset.

I invite you into those forgotten worlds through my toy-based photography. My photo subjects used to be human. Now they’re two inches tall and made of plastic. (Not only do they have more fun but they behave better, too!) Using various photographic and lighting techniques, props, and special lenses, I create dreamy worlds for my tiny subjects.

I promise you will leave this presentation with lots of ideas to inspire you to jump into this fun and addictive photography niche.

About Shelly

LEGO and their minifigures have always been a family favorite. Some years ago, between a creative rut and personal challenges, I watched a friend photographing minifigures at one of my adult-only LEGO-building parties. A lightbulb moment! I dove into this delightful toy photography world and never looked back. I discovered that we can’t afford to lose our sense of play and wonder. With toys as subjects, I can also explore a range of emotions that often seem out of reach. I hope you experience as much of a sense of joy and wonder with my art as I have making it.

Twelve years later, multiple blog posts and now encouraging others to follow in my footsteps through my workshops I want to bring a taste of this magical world to you. If you enjoy macro photography, portrait photography, storytelling, or nature photography, my short and entertaining presentation is for you. I will give you insights into the joys of toy photography. As a Lensbaby Ambassador, I will show you how to use Lensbaby lenses to create a magical world. And I will give you plenty of behind-the-scenes glimpses of my set-ups to inspire you. In addition, I will review briefly the tools you need to get started for either studio or outside set-ups.

Shelly’s website: https://shellycorbett.com/

Some Samples of Shelly’s Images

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This presentation is for all photographers! Shelly’s toy photography is all about story-telling. This is something we should all try to do with our photos more often. Also, if you have physical limitations this is a fun way to continue being creative on a small scale!

HOW TO ATTEND

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2025) members a few days before 01/23/2025.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on January 16th and our Education Night on January 23rd, 2025, for this special presentation.

Just keep shooting!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

July Education Night – Special Presentation – “Bokeh, Blur, and Brilliant Backgrounds” by Jackie Kramer

Members, please join us, on July 25th, 2024, for a Special Presentation by Jackie Kramer, for another amazing presentation, Bokeh, Blur, and Brilliant Backgrounds! Jackie dazzled us with her Flower Photography in 2020 (she was our first Zoom presenter!). She is so creative when it comes to bokeh and other backgrounds!

Summary of the Presentation

Join Jackie as she takes you on a journey through her digital garden of birds and flowers where she will share a variety of techniques that she uses to create unique effects. She will show how to artistically enhance natural foregrounds and backgrounds by using camera settings and specialty lenses. And for backgrounds that are uninspiring, she will share some ideas to spice them up in both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. You will be inspired to pick up your camera and make your own magic!

Jackie’s Bio

Jackie has been photographing the natural world, with an emphasis on flowers since high school. Jackie is a Lensbaby Ambassador and KelbyOne instructor who has received international acclaim for her images. Her work has been published in magazines, such as Photoshop User, Portfolio, LensWork, The Photographer Magazine, and on the cover of NANPA Expressions.

Jackie’s true passion is to encourage people to live their legacy, which she does primarily through her Facebook group, Phlorography – Artistic Floral Photography, with thousands of passionate floral photographers from around the world. She is committed to supporting other photographers and using photography as a medium to build relationships and enrich each other’s lives.

Website & Workshops: https://www.jackiekramerfineart.com/

Some Examples of Jackie’s Images

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This presentation is for all photographers! Bokeh and creative backgrounds can add a creative touch to many genres of photography. So even if you don’t photograph flowers, some of the techniques Jackie will share can be used with other types of images.

HOW TO ATTEND

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2024) members a few days before 07/25/2024.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on July 18th and our Education Night on July 25, 2024, for this special presentation.

Just keep shooting!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

June Education Night – Special Presentation – “Street Portraiture: It can change your life. And maybe someone else’s.” by Alan Shapiro

Please join us for our June Education Night, June 27, 2024, for a Special Presentation by returning photographer and educator, Alan Shapiro. Alan dazzled us with his amazing food photography last October but this time he will be talking about Street Portraiture, another genre he is well known for!

Summary of the Presentation

Alan Shapiro is a lifelong storyteller and a story gatherer.
These days, he just happens to always carry a camera.
When he talks about street (or environmental) portraiture, people immediately get anxious…intimidated.
His response is simple:
What if all this is about sharing good karma?
Finding and Sharing gratitude?
Finding and Sharing joy and delight?
What if this practice could fix things?
Amplify things that needed more attention?
Help someone overlooked feel seen?
What if your interaction with a perfect stranger made them feel a little more perfect…and was the highlight of their day?
Join Alan for an evening of stories, tips, and techniques about his experiences making portraits with perfect strangers and his cameras on (and off) city streets, all over the world.

Alan’s Bio

Alan grew up on the creative side of the advertising world, working with clients around the world; telling their unique stories in very unique ways. He had the pleasure of collaborating with many, talented photographers and film directors. He became envious of their art and craft.

At first, he saw it as a means of reducing his stress-filled life. As a Chief Creative Officer at the world’s largest Advertising Agency Network Omnicom, he needed a distraction. A friend gave him a camera. Then he bought another and another. His new hobby and daily “creative exercise regimen” turned into a joy-filled and all-consuming passion. Then, his first photo client called, followed by many more.

His work can be seen throughout the entire hospital set on ABC’s The Good Doctor, in launch campaigns for the Apple iPhone and Nikon as well as for Cadillac, OnStar, Lockheed Martin, Die Zeit, Ricoh, Cotton Incorporated, Scholastic, and numerous others. His work fills entire walls in Bose stores and Ritz Carlton Hotels worldwide and hangs in numerous private and corporate art collections. His macro, food and still-life work can be seen in countless editorial publications and products from housewares to clothing to puzzles.

As much as Alan loves creating images, he genuinely loves to teach; sharing his workflow from capture through post-processing and printing. He is a super high-energy instructor with a knack for getting people out of their comfort zone as well as helping them discover and capture beautifully simple things in beautifully unexpected ways.

Instagram: @alanshapiro515
Facebook: @alanwshapiro

Some Examples of Alan’s Street Portraiture

Who Should Attend

This presentation is for all photographers! This is probably the hardest genre of photography but it shouldn’t be. We are all in situations where a person or persons are part of a story in front of us. Alan will give you some tips on how to overcome your fears. If you can make street portraits you can pretty much do anything! Alan is a fun and interesting person so don’t miss it!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2024) members a few days before 06/27/2024.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on June 20th and our Education Night on June 27, 2024, for this special presentation.

Just keep shooting!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

April 2024 Education Night – Special Presentation- “The Art and Beauty of Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) Photography” by Stephanie Johnson

All current members are invited to attend our next special presentation by Stephanie Johnson on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 7 PM EDT.

I have seen several of Stephanie’s presentations and she will definitely show you how to take your ICM to the next level!

Summary of the Presentation

In her presentation “The Art and Beauty of Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) Photography” Stephanie shares her passion for ICM and talks about her journey from traditional landscape photographer to focusing primarily on ICM photography. Stephanie has a deep love and joy for the individually expressive nature of ICM and encourages photographers to ‘see things differently’ through the lens of their cameras, as well as through the lens of their inner creative selves. The art and beauty of ICM photography is that, by seeing things differently, we can connect with the ordinary, and even the mundane, to transform how we interact with our surroundings…to explore, experiment, and play with the camera in exciting new ways, resulting in images that are unique to each individual photographer.
In this talk, Stephanie covers some of the basic ICM principles and techniques, along with sample images to show the effects of various camera movements and the camera settings for each. Additionally, several examples showing scenes before and after using ICM will be shared, as well as a short fieldwork video to show some of the camera movements Stephanie uses in different location settings. Stephanie also touches on some more advanced ICM techniques in this presentation, such as multiple exposure ICMs. She also presents a section on mobile ICMs for the growing trend towards creating with mobile devices.

Stephanie’s Bio

Stephanie is a self-taught creative photographer, who is primarily focused on Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) and creative photography techniques as a form of artistic expression. She has honed her skill and evolved her artistry by getting out to ‘do the work’ as often as possible. She brings an interconnected, creative, and intuitive approach to her photography-as-art to visually express the essence of light, color, form, line, texture, mood, and emotion through the various in-camera creative techniques of ICM.

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts degree and graduate work in English Literature and has always had a very strong emotional connection to art, in all its various forms. She has a deep passion for creating uniquely artistic images by working with camera movement to reveal the essence of how any given scene feels for her in the moment, and as a creative photographer, she is always seeking to push the boundaries of her own artistry, as well as to encourage and inspire others to do the same by seeing things differently through the artistic lens of ICM, ME ICM, and creative photography techniques.

Stephanie is the Founder, Creator, and Publisher of “ICM Photography Magazine(ICMPhotoMag)”, a first-of-its-kind e-magazine dedicated solely to featuring ICM photography. Stephanie also leads on-location ICM workshops in the US and the UK in collaboration with various creative photographers and, as an instructor for Santa Fe Workshops, she leads ICM workshops online and on-location for SFW, as well. She
collaborates with various other online learning communities and camera clubs to share her passion, techniques, and knowledge of ICM. She is also an ICM/creative photography mentor and a co-founder of the ICMPhotoMag Network’s continuous learning online community.

Stephanie’s personal website can be found at www.stephjohnphoto.com.
Social Media –
www.facebook.com/stephjohnphoto
www.instagram.com/stephjohnphoto

Some Examples of Stephanie’s Images

Who Should Attend

This presentation is for all photographers! Even if ICM is not a passion, taking some time to play and be creative outside your normal genre(s) is beneficial for your art and your well-being! ICM is fun! And you never know, you may end up with a masterpiece!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2024) members a few days before 04/25/2024.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on April 18th and our Education Night on April 25, 2024, for this special presentation.

Just keep shooting!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

March Education Night – Special Presentation – “A Day in the Life – Gameday” by Kevin Sabitus

Please join us for this special presentation on March 28, 2024, for a look into the day of a professional sports photographer. This will be a great prep for our upcoming monthly assignment in April, Action Sports Photography!

Summary of Presentation

Road to becoming a professional from self-taught amateur

A day in the life – gameday

Technique

Workflow and editing

Q&A

Kevin’s Bio

Kevin Sabitus is currently a photographer for the National Football League.

During their 2020-21 seasons, Kevin served as an interim photographer for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors, and Toronto FC in Tampa Bay. He was a staff photographer for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2018-2020 as a member of the first full-time photography team in the organization’s history.

Before working at the Tampa Bay Rays, he was a Seasonal Photographer at Kansas City Chiefs for the 2017-18 NFL season. As a 2015 graduate of The University of Notre Dame, he worked for Fighting Irish Media and The Observer daily newspaper, covering athletic and social events.

In 2023, Kevin’s photo was used in ESPN the Magazine’s Super Bowl LVII edition cover.

Kevin received first place in the 2022 World Sports Photography Awards for American football.

Some Examples of Kevin’s Photos

Who Should Attend

Anyone interested in any kind of action photography. Sports photography is a great place to learn how to think on your feet, see the shot, and shoot quickly!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2024) members a few days before 03/28/2024.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on March 21st, and our Education Night on March 28, 2024, for this special presentation.

Just keep shooting!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

February Education Night – Special Presentation – “Planning Spectacular Moon Photos with PhotoPills” by Joshua Cripps

Join us on Thursday, February 22, 2024, for a dive into the photographer’s must-have app, PhotoPills, and some moon photography, with our great friend, Joshua Cripps!

Presentation Summary

Do you have a folder of blurry, out-of-focus, overexposed blob, and boring photos of the moon? You are not alone! In fact, I have more of those than I can count. The moon is one of the most beautiful sights in the natural world, and yet it is frustratingly difficult to photograph well. However, by understanding the 4 main challenges of moon photography you can create spectacular photos of our moon. In this talk, I will teach you to overcome the challenges of moon photography, as well as demonstrate how to use the PhotoPills and PeakFinder apps to plan breathtaking moon shots. I will demystify the complexity of PhotoPills and show you exactly which tools you need and how to use them to create extraordinary images.

Joshua’s Bio

Joshua Cripps is a wilderness landscape photographer who has garnered widespread acclaim for his strong compositional style and dramatic use of light and color. His images have been published by National Geographic, NASA, CNN, BBC, Nikon, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, and many others. He is one of today’s most sought-after photography educators, speaking at conferences and leading photo tours in North and South America, Europe, and the Pacific.

Josh grew up in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada and has been exploring the Range of Light for most of his life. Since 2015 Josh has made his home in the Eastern Sierra, one of the most spectacular and photogenic mountain landscapes in the world.

In 2023, Josh founded The Mount Whitney Gallery as a way to share his passion for the stunning landscapes of the Sierra Nevada and beyond. Located at the base of stunning Mount Whitney in the small town of Lone Pine, California, the gallery features fine art prints of Josh’s signature photographs. The gallery also serves as a classroom where Josh teaches other photographers how to capture their own spectacular photos.

Examples of Joshua’s Images for which he used PhotoPills

Who Should Attend

Anyone who wants to get a great image of the moon and learn how to use PhotoPills! And we all know Joshua is a fun presenter!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2024) members a few days prior to 02/22/2024.

I hope to see you at our first outing in 2024 at Bok Tower Gardens on Feb 3rd, at our rescheduled January Education Night on February 8th, Exhibit/Comment Night on February 15th, and our Education Night on February 22, 2024, for this special presentation. It is a busy month!

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

Our First Outing for 2024 – Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.

Join us on Saturday, February 3, 2024, for a visit to the iconic Bok Tower Gardens, 1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853 (map below).

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST.

This time of year, we can not only make images of Bok Tower and listen to the carillon within but also the camellias and maybe some azaleas and other cool weather flowers.

This place is perfect for infrared images since there is so much green!

An upcoming monthly assignment is ICM! That is another great technique to try in a botanical garden!

If you have any Lensbaby optics, that is another creative way to utilize what Bok Tower Gardens has to offer.

This is a great place to just have some photographic fun and practice our skills!

When and Where

The ticket booth is near the main entrance as you drive in. Admission is $20 per person. Once you are through that gate, drive onto the main parking area at the Visitor Center. We will meet on the plaza in front of the entrance to the Visitor Center at 9:30 AM on February 3, 2024. We will wait until 9:45am at the plaza and then head into the gardens. So, please arrive on time!

We will walk around and shoot throughout the gardens until around Noon. They have a very nice cafe right at the entrance so if it is not too crowded we will have lunch there. If crowded, we will find a place outside of the gardens to eat lunch.

What to Bring

Per the descriptions above, you can shoot just about anything here so the equipment depends on what you want to create! There can be a lot of walking involved so I would recommend a light kit. Remember your phone is a pretty good camera as well!

I hope you will join me and other members for our first official TBCC outing for 2024!

If you have any questions, please let me know. We will go over everything at our two Zoom meetings in January!

Lynn W.