Description:
Every picture tells a story, or so says Rod Stewart.

Whatever your ambitions and motivations may be, this is a class for photographers who want to harness the camera's ability to tell stories. It makes absolutely no difference whether you are fully outfitted with the latest SLR equipment or are working with the simplest point-and-shoot. Telling good photographic stories transcends equipment.

This class may not transform you into a globe-trotting photojournalist, but it will spark your imagination. Who wouldn't love to have a more dynamic way of using their camera to document a trip or special event...or even the growth and development of your family over time?

Great pictures tell stories by capturing both information and emotion. Unfortunately, great pictures are hard to come by, even for the best photographers, because they require a combination of competence, preparation and opportunity - three things that rarely present themselves concurrently.

As a result, storytelling - visual storytelling - is more often achieved through combining photographs into "picture stories." Simple, right? Well, no, actually. As most professional photojournalists will tell you, picture stories are among the most difficult assignments.

In this class we will learn what it takes to create a successful picture story. You will learn the key components to dramatically improve your ability to tell a story through photography and retain the interest of your audience. You will learn how to think about, shoot and edit a picture story for maximum impact. We will also discuss presentation - single pages, books and multimedia - and how it can impact the way you pursue your story.  This workshop will help you harness the power of great photography to tell great stories.

Presented as a Lecture-Style Workshop:
These are our most affordable training programs, designed to introduce a subject quickly and efficiently. Students can take notes from the instructor's projected computer screen, and/or bring their own computer to follow along. Lecture-style workshops are normally held on weekday evenings from 6 pm – 9 pm and contain a maximum of 30 students (average is 8-20).

Who Should Take This:
Beginning to advanced photographers who want to create powerful narratives with a series of images.

Instructor:
Mark Osler is a veteran photojournalist with two decades of experience at many of the strongest newspapers in the country, in terms of use of photography. At The Herald, a small but widely-regarded newspaper in Jasper, Indiana, Mark photographed, edited and laid out as many as 10 picture stories a month. More recently, as a picture editor for the Rocky Mountain News, Mark earned a multitude of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography in 2003 for the News' coverage of the 2002 wildfires. Currently, Mark is based in Denver and continues to be a sought-after freelance photojournalist.

BDA Member Cost: $59.00 ($69.00 after Thursday, September 30, 2010)
Non Member Cost: $79.00 ($89.00 after Thursday, September 30, 2010)
Become a member to save $20.00