Urban Night Photography with Jürgen Lobert 

Urban night photography is a popular way of expanding a skyline portfolio and a person’s skill set. Photographing the world at night portraits our surroundings quite literally in a very different light and usually mundane places like bridges, buildings and streets become colorful displays. Time and motion recorded in long exposures add intrigue and a dimension not usually seen in still photography. Urban night photos require a balance of highlights from a multitude of sources and deep shadows, which becomes a rewarding challenge needing different approaches compared to naturally moonlit scenes.

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 photographing at night. From relatively short exposures of 15 seconds by streetlight to smooth waterfront scenes and urban star trails of 20 minutes or more, we will explore the range of possibilities within this genre.

The workflow for this course will include lectures, paired with image processing and critique, alternating with location photo shoots every 2 weeks. 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. All location shoots will be in the Boston area but require some driving as well as street level walking.

PREREQUISITES:

This course is suitable for any beginner, intermediate or advanced photographer wanting to learn night photography or hone their existing experience. 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 4 of the classrooms sessions.

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

Schedule:

Unless the schedule needs to be pushed out due to weather (photo shoots cannot be done in rain or snow), the workshop should conclude before Thanksgiving.

Dates & Times: Wednesdays, 6pm-9pm (ET), September 18-November 13, 2024. This class is live, in person, classroom and onsite. Times vary, see schedule above.

Class Price: Member Price, $650.00 / Non-Member Price, $700.00 (Non-member price includes a one year membership to the Griffin Museum, a $75 value).

Level: All

Maximum: Eight Students

About the Instructor

Jürgen Lobert is a Massachusetts-based fine art photographer and educator, born and raised in Germany. He specializes in night photography, daytime long exposures, urban exploration and infrared imagery.

Jürgen has curated photography exhibits and his artwork is in the permanent collection of the Art Complex Museum, Duxbury MA and private collectors.

Jürgen also organizes photo excursions, workshops and tours, and he is an international lecturer, instructor and competition judge and teaches photography at the Griffin Museum of Photography. He is a Master Member of the New England Camera Club Council (MNEC) and the founder and organizer of the Greater Boston Night Photographers Meetup group.

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