January 2024 DPA Newsletter
January 2024 DPA Newsletter:
Maximizing Your Winter Photos
$500 Off David Helfer Wells Travel Photo Workshops
January FinerWorks Winners!
Welcome to another exciting edition of our newsletter! As we step into the new year, our hearts are warmed by the memories, creativity, and enthusiasm you’ve generously shared with our community.
Digital Photo Academy is pleased to bring you the latest updates and photography inspiration in our recently relaunched monthly newsletter. This is all made possible by our valued sponsor, FinerWorks.
Maximize the Beauty of your Winter Photographs
If you want to get the best out of your winter photographs, check out this excellent advice from Digital Photo Academy Instructor Alina Oswald. She teaches workshops in both New York City and New Jersey!
Photographing Winter
By Digital Photo Academy Instructor Alina Oswald.
Now that the holidays are over, winter is here to stay for a few more months. It’s about to reign over us with short days, long nights, freezing temperatures, icy roads, snow, and slush. But oftentimes, the worst weather conditions offer us a chance to capture some of the most exciting photographs.
So, the question is: how do we tell the visual story of winter? How do we capture this season in photography?
We can start by photographing a few prominent subjects and scenes often associated with winter.
Let’s start with the obvious:
Snow: its color, texture, feel, symbolism, etc.
Enhance the feeling of “cold” associated with snow by capturing the cool hues of blue in the snow. Or capture the red/orange, warm hues to balance the feeling of “cold” and the comfort of “warmth” and tell a compelling story. For example, think of the symbolism or mood evoked in an image of a candlelight flickering on a window frame as the snow accumulates outside.
Enhance snow’s texture by photographing it using 90-degree side lighting (a.k.a. split lighting).
Also, capture patterns in the snow, s-shape lines, or diagonals that crisscross the frame. By themselves, they’ll make an interesting background. Capture footsteps in the snow. Focus on a bright or vibrant color subject along those trails—a red ball, perhaps left behind from the long-ago summer days, or an orange or bright blue hat or gloves left behind or lost by a passerby, maybe the same person whose footsteps now mark the snow.
Capture a close-up of one of those footsteps and the snowflakes filling it with fresh snow in the darkness of night.
Ice: its surface, reflections, or snow as icicles decorating a window, door frame, or someone’s clothes
Capture the texture of ice and objects frozen inside (dead leaves, branches, etc.)
Capture distorted reflections of houses, people, and streets.
Blizzard: the wind, the snowflakes dancing in the wind
Photographing a blizzard often means photographing the full fury of winter—motion (the wind), details (the snowflakes dancing in the air), sound, the sound of the wind, the sound of winter. It makes for an exciting photography: how would we photograph wind? How would we photograph the sound of the wind? (something to ponder upon, perhaps)
Winter Sports: Ice Skating. Skiing. Snowboarding
Ice skating, skiing and snowboarding, and sledding through the snow are all great opportunities to practice photographing sports and subjects in motion. Experiment with freezing the action (shooting at a super-fast shutter speed) and blurring the motion (dragging the shutter, using a slower shutter speed). Focus on the subject, zoom in, and also out. Try some panning—keep the subject in focus and blur the background. Experiment and have fun while at it.
How about the gear?
When photographing in freezing temperatures, rain, or snow, we must protect ourselves and our gear.
Dress in layers. Also, check out winter gloves made especially for photographers (photographers’ gloves). They keep your fingers and hands warm and make it easier to photograph in the cold.
Protect the photo gear:
Plastic rain sleeves come in handy to protect the lens and camera from light snow or rain. Lens hoods used correctly also come in handy to avoid water drops on the lens.
Sometimes, winter is not only about snow at all. It’s about humans and customs and celebrations. It is about Mother Nature, frozen and dormant underneath the thick blanket of snow or perhaps frozen within layers and layers of ice, waiting to come to life, yet again.
Below, you can see some excellent examples of winter photographs from some of the Digital Photo Academy instructors across the country:
Photo by Digital Photo Academy Boston Instructor Frank Siteman
Photo by Digital Photo Academy Chicago Instructor Ken Pino
Photo by Digital Photo Academy Denver Instructor Matt Litt
Photo by Digital Photo Academy Hudson Valley Instructor Brian Wolfe
Photo by Digital Photo Academy Minneapolis Instructor Tony Schreck
Photo by Digital Photo Academy Philadelphia Instructor Carl Finkbeiner
$500 Discount on Travel Photo Workshops with David Helfer Wells
In 2024, Digital Photo Academy Instructor David Helfer Wells will be leading 3 travel photo workshops through South India, Sicily, and Morocco.
He’s excited to offer our Digital Photo Academy database a $500 discount on any or all of these travel workshops!
Undiscovered South India
January 16 – January 30, 2024
Sicily: A Photography Journey on the Island of Light
March 24 – April 4, 2024
Morocco: A Visual Feast
November 1 – November 12, 2024
To get the DPA discount:
Email [email protected], or call them at 1.844.OPENSKY or +1.212.441.0024.
January FinerWorks Award Winners
Every month, our judges select 2 of our social media members to receive an HD Metal print of one of their photos, printed by our sponsor FinerWorks.
We choose one winner from each of our Facebook groups:
“Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs” and “Digital Photo Academy Community”
| Posted on our “Digital Photo Academy Community” Facebook group by Hannah Boothman: |
Here’s what Hannah had to say: “This past weekend I took a class with Carl from the Digital Photography Academy. I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed my experience – I began very much a beginner with no knowledge on my new Sony camera, but left with a much better understanding and some pretty nice photos.”
| Posted on our “Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs” Facebook group by Robert Fischer: |
Here’s what Bob had to say: “I am very honored that you contacted me about an award. It took me a year to get the courage to start posting my photos on your website.”
While Bob tells us in his quote that he felt somewhat intimidated about posting his work on our Facebook groups, ironically, he soon evolved into a prolific contributor. In fact, it became challenging for us to select the winning image from the plethora of top-quality photos that he posted. A lesson to all: keep taking pictures, and you will steadily find your photographic voice.
Live Photography Classes in 24 Cities
Access the live cities page on our website to explore upcoming photo workshops in your area. Elevate your photography skills with help from our experienced instructors in interactive sessions!
Our Social Media
Connect, share, and spread cheer! Join our Facebook groups to participate in our monthly prize contests in collaboration with FinerWorks.
Facebook Groups:
“Celebrating Senior Shutterbugs” and “Digital Photo Academy Community”
Main Pages:
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