Key West The Newspaper

On Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5, acclaimed photographer and instructor David H. Wells will lead “The Tools of Travel Photography,” a three-day workshop that will help photographers become versatile in their skills and fluid in their process, using minimal gear to achieve a maximum of results.

The workshop will begin with a presentation on Friday, March 3 from 6:00pm-8:00pm at the Custom House Museum’s third floor Helmerich Research and Learning Center. Wells will present the skills needed for good travel photography, including: the traveling photographer’s camera and bag, being in the right place at the right time, varying the time of the day, understanding the light, portraying people, stopping action vs showing motion, thoughts on tripods, and how to vary lenses.

“Travel photography prompts me to be in the moment as I make the image,” says the award-winning, internationally-travelled publication photographer. “The best travel photos prompt the viewer of that image to have that same experience of being engrossed in what I am showing them in the image.”

Drawn to Key West for the light, location “and the fact I’ve never been there,” Wells will then turn his focus to a long day of group location shooting on Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday morning to apply the techniques discussed in class. Saturday’s 9:00am session begins with a discussion on the basic tools of photography such as aperture and shutter speed, followed by a series of shooting prompts, technique and light explorations that will help students put lessons into practice. After a sunrise location shoot on Sunday morning, students will have the opportunity to fine-tune their portfolios, and will reconvene for a group editing process led by Wells, reflecting on points including artistic strengths and subject matter of interest.

Wells’ photography straddles the lines between fine-art and documentary work, using stills, time-lapse, and moving images as well as audio to create his award-winning narratives. He loves travel photography for the fact that “99% of the people in the world, no matter how seemingly different they are very similar to everyone else on earth,” he says.

The acclaimed photographer is on the faculty of the International Center for Photography in New York City, and was featured in Photo District News as a “Best Workshop Instructor.” His editorial, commercial, and location photography focuses on multimedia productions and photo-essays for publication and exhibition, with assignments that include Life Magazine, National Geographic Publications, and the New York Times Magazine and work created on assignment and through grant-funded projects shown on the websites of non-profit organizations and multi-national corporations.

While students using iphones and smart-phones are welcome to attend, Wells emphasizes that students “will learn more and have more control of the tools of photography with a conventional DSLR camera,” he says.

Reserve your spot in this limited-space workshop by registering online at http://www.kwahs.org/education/classes. For more information, call Adele Williams, Director of Education at 305-295-6616 x 15. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and bring bottled water for the photography excursion. Cost is $200 for KWAHS members or $175 for non-members. Your Museums. Your Community. It Takes An Island.