Dahlias #1, 3, 5 & 7 by Sheen Watkins. Dahlias #2, 4 & 6 by Brooke Ley.
Workshop Cost: $300 per person/day; $250 per day if participant chooses Saturday and Sunday
- Flower photography tips, techniques to develop a broad portfolio
Limited to: 10 photographers (2 instructors if attendance is over 6 photographers: Sheen Watkins & Brooke Ley) per day.
Location: Dahlia HIll Society, Midland Michigan
# of Days: September 14 and/or 15. 1 and 2 day options. Each day starts at 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to take advantage of morning light.
Camera gear: camera with your favorite close up or macro lenses, tripod and light shields are suggested. See below for example.
- The area for photographing dahlias is flat and open. There are several steps that take you to each row of flowers.
Accommodations, transportation and meals are NOT included in cost of workshop,
Our photography location is at the Dahlia Hill Society. They cultivate and celebrate a diverse and exotic array of flowers in a delightful garden. With over 340 different varieties of Dahlias planted on a lovely hillside, gentle steps provide access to several rows of flowers of different sizes, shapes and colors.
This workshop is designed for all levels of photographers.
TO REGISTER: Send an email to sheensnaturephotography@gmail.com. A deposit of $100 is required to hold your spot(s) with the balance due August 14. Your deposit is refundable if cancellation is prior to August 14.
Sheen Watkins
Photographing flowers is both simple and complex. Their color, textures and details are a blank canvas waiting to be interpreted by our eye. Flower photography encourages us to slow down, observe what makes a given flower unique. Whether it's a pattern of petals, a stoic stamen or color collaboration - their details become center stage.
Dahlias are one of her favorite photography subjects both in the field and in post processing.
Sheen is a Michigan State Parks Photography Ambassador and is a moderator for Your Best Birds, an Instagram page of 350,000 members. Sheen is a docent for the Leelanau Conservancy where she leads bird and other nature hikes. She is a past board member for Saving Birds Thru Habitat.
Brooke Ley
Brooke's diverse portfolio crosses landscapes, birds, flowers and night imagery. She's a natural coach in working with others in their photography. A seasoned photographer, Brooke combines her technical expertise with an infectious enthusiasm for avian subjects. Her approach is about providing an experience that deepens participants' connection to birds and nature.
Her strength is harnessing light balanced with strong compositions as a stronghold to her subjects.
Both Brooke and Sheen work together as photo Ambassadors for the State of Michigan State Parks and curators of photography for Best of the Great Lakes State Instagram page where Brooke is the Administrator.