Join us at some of our upcoming photography events, here are details regarding ten upcoming events: Two online presentations, one conference, two workshops and five photo events! We also offer both in-person (Hamden CT or on-location with travel costs)and Zoom remote mentoring on a wide variety of in-camera and post-processing techniques, as well as camera setupup, subject-specific mentoring (like birds, night, macro, etc.)image critiques, portfolio reviews, website creation, and more.
- Oct 28 (Saturday) Huntley Meadows
- October 28, 2023 6:45-10:45am EST
- https://events.eao.omsystem.com/workshop-huntley-meadows--with-Lisa-and-Tom-Cuchara
- Oct 29 (Sun.) Experience the Calm and Magic of a National Wildlife Refuge
- October 29, 2023 6:45-10:45am EST
- https://events.eao.omsystem.com/workshop-experience-the-calm-and-magic-of-a-national-wildlife-refuge-with-Lisa-and-Tom-Cuchara
- Oct 30 (Monday) Online Presentation: Birds, Birds Birds with OM SYSTEM Ambassador Lisa Cuchara
- October 30, 2023 2-4 PM EST (UTC/GMT -04:00 - America / New York)
- https://events.eao.omsystem.com/birds-birds-birds-with-lisa-cuchara
- Nov 2 (Thursday) Online Presentation: Wabi Sabi
- November 2nd, 6-8pm EST
- https://events.eao.omsystem.com/wabi-sabi-workshop-with-lisa-cuchara
- Nov 5 Click Conference 9am to 5pm
- http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=ttv9g9bab&oeidk=a07ejs8ngob215398f4
- Nov 6 Click Hands-on Workshop Focus Stacking
- Sign up here https://capecodartcenter.org/classes-workshops/nov-5-learn-focus-stacking-a-hands-on-workshop-with-tom-cuchara/
- Nov 6 Click Workshop Light Painting
- Sign up here https://capecodartcenter.org/classes-workshops/learn-light-painting-a-hands-on-workshop-with-lisa-cuchara-nov-5/
- Nov 11-12 Photograph Raptors (2 spots left)
- https://www.lisatom.photos/photo-events/photograph-birds-mainly-raptors
- November Photograph and Lightpaint Old Cars and more at Old Car City
- Email us for details PhotographyByLisaAndTom@comcast.net
- Dec. Longwood Gardens at night
- Email us for details PhotographyByLisaAndTom@comcast.net
Tom and I are super excited to announce that we will be leading three live workshops and two online presentations with OM System. These events are part of the celebration of the 2-year anniversary of the OM SYSTEM brand (on October 27th but the events are taking place worldwide Oct 27th to Nov 3rd).
Note that the online presentations are NOT camera brand specific and anyone will get a lot out of the presentations as they are about noticing the everyday beauty all around us. These events are Nature-based (rather than photography-based or computational technology-based). Please sign up ASAP before they fill up (at their low cost they will fill up fast).
Online Presentation: Birds, Birds Birds with OM SYSTEM Ambassador Lisa Cuchara October 30, 2023 2-4 PM EST (UTC/GMT -04:00 - America / New York)
Research has consistently shown that more contact and interaction with nature are associated with better body and brain health. Bird photography definitely fits the bill (lol) here as encounters with birds are associated with better mental health (even listening to recordings of their songs, even through headphones, can alleviate negative emotions). Luckily birds are all around us, even in urban environments. Your encounters with birds can also be used to tell stories, evoke emotions, generate laughter, promote responsible bird encounters, and to encourage bird and bird area conservation. This presentation will delve into some of the storytelling aspects of birding. Studies show that people who paid attention to the joy they felt for each bird reported greater mental health benefits than those who merely counted the birds they saw.The top 5 topics covered during this workshop:
-- How to get the most out of birds? Be aware. Be patient. Be observant. Be aware.
-- How to enjoy birds more? Be curious and Be present
-- We can find more joy by savoring the birds we see and the songs we hear.
-- Storytelling with your imagery (Bird portraits are nice, but storytelling is better).
-- Also, seek our “Characters” in your subjects (look for the “odd ducks”)
-- Patience, Perseverance, and Preparation – learn more about your feathered friends and discover that they are not indeed “birdbrains”.
Online Presentation: Wabi Sabi. November 2nd, 6-8pm EST https://events.eao.omsystem.com/wabi-sabi-workshop-with-lisa-cuchara
We often seek out the flowers, leaves, and such that are perfect, with no blemishes or defects. This presentation highlights subjects that are not perfect, such as flowers that have character, double-headed flowers, decaying fall leaves, the deformed coneflower that stands out as flawed and hence different and beautiful, lichen as it creates abstract patterns, etc. Traditionally Wabi-Sabi in “The Art of Imperfection” but it can be so much more, even a life philosophy as it teaches us to find beauty in everyday life. Wabi-Sabi is a kind of anti-aesthetic, an alternative to the dominating discriminatory ideas we hold about beauty. It is a way of honoring the seasons and knowing that we are always in a state of both becoming and falling away. Wabi Sabi describes the philosophy that beauty can be found in the everyday, in the old, and in the imperfect.
The top 5 topics covered during this workshop:
-- The philosophies of Wabi Sabi will be unveiled.
-- The beauty of imperfect and/or unconventional subjects will be highlighted.
-- The concept of slowing down and appreciating the beauty of everyday life will be explored.
-- The idea that things that might be overlooked or transient or aged can be beautiful.
-- Explore the view that “there is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in”
Workshop: Huntley Meadows: A Wildlife Watching Treasure in the Washington Metropolitan Area with OM SYSTEM Ambassadors Lisa & Tom Cuchara October 28, 2023 6:45-10:45am EST
Huntley Meadows Park has some of the best wildlife watching in the Washington metropolitan area. The wildlife sanctuary park is home to majestic forests, wildflower-speckled meadows, serenading frogs, turtles, beavers, vast wetlands bursting with life, and more. Walk with us in the early morning light along the wetland boardwalk that curves through a 500-acre marsh filled with “the most vibrant ecosystem in the region”. Your senses will be awakened as you walk along the trails and boardwalk as you see interesting birds, hear serenading frogs, touch the tree bark, and smell the wetlands and forests (sorry just four senses on this walk, no tasting the mushrooms or the licking frogs, lol). But seriously, seeing the earth and its creatures awaken before your eyes can be transformative.
The top 5 topics covered during this workshop:
1 - Your senses will be awakened as you walk along the trails and boardwalk.
2 - Listen for pileated woodpeckers or try to sneak up on serenading frogs.
3 - Watch for signs of river otters, muskrats, beavers, and more.
4 - Look for mushrooms, leaves, and plants and appreciate their place in this ecosystem.
5 - Learn some new fun facts regarding bird behaviors.
Workshop: Experience the Calm and Magic of a National Wildlife Refuge with OM SYSTEM Ambassadors Lisa & Tom Cuchara October 29, 2023 6:45-10:45am EST
There are about 600 National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in the USA, so chances are that there is one close to you! NWRs provide unique opportunities to see animals, flowers, mushrooms, and more. The world is a special place early in the morning: the water is still, the sun is just coming up to awaken birds and critters and evaporate the dew. For many, being out in the wee hours communing with nature is rejuvenating. We will stop frequently along the 4-mile long Wildlife drive that takes you through several types of wildlife-rich habitat (tidal marshland, forest, fields, ponds). Look for wildlife such as bald eagles, great blue herons, egrets, ospreys, hawks, foxes, pileated woodpeckers endangered rare Delmarva fox squirrels and more.
The daily fee for the Wildlife Drive is $3 per vehicle and $1 per hiker or biker. Entrance is free to visitors who have a valid Annual, Senior, Access, or Blackwater Pass, or who have a current Duck Stamp. Fees are the responsibility of each attendee.
The top 5 topics covered during this workshop:
1 - Experiencing the calm of the early morning at at National Wildlife Refuge
2 - Observing interesting bird and critter behaviors
3 - Appreciating the little things and look for pareidolia in nature (hearts, faces, etc.)
4 - Viewing majestic nature scenes in large landscapes and small macroscapes
5 - Inspiring you to find 'the odd ducks,' that is, subjects with character
experience-the-calm-and-magic-of-a-national-wildlife-refuge-with-Lisa-and-Tom-Cuchara
Please join us for the 7th annual CLICK! Photography Conference on November 4, 2023, a day of photographic education, inspiration and fun with great speakers, photo ops, photo competitions and more. Click! 2023 Photography Conference
Register http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=ttv9g9bab&oeidk=a07ejs8ngob215398f4
When: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Emerald Resort (formerly Resort and Conference Center),
35 Scudder Ave, Hyannis, MA, Cape Cod
Who Should Attend: All levels of photographers, phone photographers, digital artists, and anyone who wants to learn more about photography-
Register Today … $150. The cost covers all the speaker programs and photo ops on Saturday, plus morning coffee/tea and lunch.
Staying Over? Special conference rate at Emerald Resort of $120 a night. Use the code CCAC23 if booking online or call 1-866-828-8259) and tell them you’re with Cape Cod Art Center group.
Learn Focus stacking, a hands-on workshop
Date: Nov. 5, Sunday Time: 1:00-4:00 pm Cost: $199
Limit: 10 people
Focus stacking is a technique designed to achieve a deep depth of field by blending (ie stacking) several images together. Each stacked shot is focused in a different spot, so the combined depth of field is deeper than the depth of field produced by any of the individual images. Focus stacking is designed to overcome the limits of depth of field. That is, focus stacking is only necessary when you are faced with a scene that can not be handled by your camera maximum current depth of field capabilities (f22) and/or when the background would be distracting. Focus stacking can be used for architecture, landscape, flowers, still life, UrbEx, and macro subjects.
Things to bring:
Your camera and cards and batteries
Macro lens (for example Canon 100mm, Olympus 60 or 90mm, Nikon 105mm, Sony 90 or 105, etc.)
Cable release
Tripod (best for taking multiple sequential images). We do focus stack handheld, but when starting our a tripod is preferred.
If your camera does not have built in focus bracketing or focus stacking then a focusing rail will make your life immensely easier
Nikon D850 is the only dSLR we know that has it, many Nikon and Canon and Panasonic mirrorless cameras have it, plus Olympus and OM SYSTEM cameras have built-in focus bracketing and/or focus stacking. Nikon calls this focus shifting.
Learn Light Painting, a hands-on workshop with Lisa Cuchara
Date: Sunday, November 5 Time: 9am – 12pm (3 hours) Cost: $199
LOCATION: Cape Cod Art Center, 3480 Route 6A, Barnstable, MA 02630
Limited to 12 people
Join Lisa Cuchara for this hands-on light painting workshop. Light painting is using a hand-held light source like a flashlight or LED light to illuminate and enhance your subject. Your scene or object is brought to life by “painting” with a beam of light. The camera is set to Bulb mode (or Live Time or Live Composite on some cameras) and placed on a tripod during a long exposure to capture the light, giving you time to walk around and illuminate the subject with light. Lisa will cover key tips and techniques. Stations will be set up for you to practice on and create your own light paintings. This workshop is a follow-up to her presentation at the CLICK! Photography Conference. However, attendance at the conference is not required.
Join Lisa Cuchara for this hands-on light painting workshop. Lisa will cover key tips and techniques on how to paint and camera settings, and have — Stations with subjects will be set up with the primary goal for learning how to light paint and how to optimize camera setting for light painting: subjects such as a flower, a crystal ball and a few still life subjects will be included.
Things to bring:
- Your camera and cards and batteries
- Medium range lens (for example 24-70, 25-105, 12-100, etc.)
- Medium range lens (for example 24-70, 25-105, 12-100, etc.)
- Cable release
- Tripod (needed for taking long exposures in the dark)
