Introduction to Night Photography with Jürgen Lobert (In-person – 9 sessions)

Night photography is an increasingly popular niche that has become more accessible and common due to digital camera technology. Photographing the world at night portrays our surroundings quite literally in a very different light and usually mundane places become colorful displays. Time and motion recorded in long exposures add intrigue and a dimension not usually seen in still photography. This class will cover equipment and its settings to achieve correct exposure, color of light and white balance, post processing of images but also subject matter and composition, all important factors in shooting at night. From relatively short exposures of 15 seconds by streetlight to moonlit exposures for 30 minutes or more, we will explore the range of possibilities within this genre.

The workflow for this course will include biweekly alternating lectures, paired with image processing and critique, and on location photo shoots. The reviews will allow students to learn and practice editing techniques as well as share their work. The first class session will cover all aspects of night photography. If you are unable to attend that first class, we highly recommend that you consider waiting to take the course when it is offered in the future. Please also note that some of the location shoots will be outside of the Boston area and require some driving as well as walking in uneven terrain.

PREREQUISITES:

This course is suitable for any photographer wanting to learn night photography or to hone their existing skills. An understanding of their camera and its controls is needed, especially manually controlling time, aperture, ISO and white balance. File development techniques through Lightroom and/or Photoshop will be covered in the review sessions and students will use their own computers for processing during 3 of the classrooms sessions (Zoom attendance for classroom sessions is possible).

Gear Requirements: Any camera which has RAW file capability and manual exposure controls will work for this class. Students will need a tripod and intervalometer/remote control for steady long exposures. Equipment needs will be covered in the first session, bring your camera if you have questions.

Schedule:

9 sessions: Mondays, September 13 – Nov 8 2021 6 – 9 pm EST

On location shoots may be postponed due to weather, so the schedule may extend up to two weeks, but should conclude before Thanksgiving.

Cost: 

Members: $475  Non-Members $525

About the Instructor:

Jürgen Lobert is a Massachusetts-based fine art photographer, born and raised in Germany. He received a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry from Gutenberg University in Mainz before moving to the US in 1991.

Jürgen specializes in several night photography disciplines, daytime long exposures as well as urban exploration and infrared photography. He has been practicing photography since 1975 using color negative or slide film and adopted digital cameras in the late 1990s, now using Nikon cameras.

Jürgen started specializing in night photography in 2011, and adopted Lightroom and Photoshop for editing photos. Jürgen embraced this specialty quickly and started organizing night and long exposure photo events for others through Meetup groups in 2012, founding his own, the Greater Boston Night Photographers, in late 2013.

In addition to organizing about 40 photo shoots and workshops annually, he has also been lecturing at camera clubs, serving as a photo competition judge, organizing professional workshops and offering personalized coaching. Jürgen is a member of the Boston and Stony Brook Camera Clubs, a member of the Photographic Society of America and the Professional Photographers of America and he started teaching night photography at the New England School of Photography (NESOP) in 2017 until it closed in 2020. He maintains a blog about photography topics with how-to instructions and detailed insight into complex topics and has his own Patreon channel for advanced photo topics.

Jürgen can be found online at https://linktr.ee/jmlobert