10%

Photographer's Buffet

See the results of this 30-day online photography course

By Tineke Ziemer

September 22^nd, 2024

Special Announcement!

I'm very excited to announce that Northern Persona will be running our popular Image Expressions Photography Course in 2025, for the first time in over 6 years. This is an in-depth year-long program that has in-person and online spaces available. In preparation for it, we hosted a 30 day online program to give participants a taster of what to expect in the big course. You can see the challenges and some of our favourite images below.

It was a wonderful group to work with and the level of dedication was impressive. If you know any of these budding photographers, please share some positive feedback with them, as well as sharing this post to help get their work out there.

Registration for the Image Expressions course starts later this fall, so please let us know if you'd like to be on the list to receive information when it's released. It's open to complete beginners or experienced photographers who want a deep dive into all aspects of photography on a creative, technical and artistically expressive level. Our students have gone on to start businesses, win awards, be published, and most importantly - capture their own personal memories in stunning imagery.

Read on to see some highlights of what the students created in the taster course this past month.

#1 - Hey World, It’s Me!

For lesson 1, the students learned about depth of field and were asked to photograph an object that represents something about them, using either literal or symbolic interpretation.

Here is my sample image, which symbolizes my transient lifestyle and my love of travel:

"Far from Home" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Boots and Roots" by Chelsea Hydamacka

"I Am Mother" by Tabby Wilson

"From Dude To Dad" by Lynden Goss

"Growth" by Mc Jc

#2 - Seeing Stars

The task for this assignment was night shooting, capturing starbursts in the highlights.

My sample image of the Quesnel footbridge over the Fraser River:

"Crossing the Rainbow Bridge" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Driving Into The Night" by Chelsea Hydamacka

"Night At The Museum" by Janet Clark

"As The Day Closes" by Patty Gerard Langlois

"Ignite The Night" by Tabby Wilson

"Starburst" by Mike Wooten

#3 - Making A Splash

The students learned about action photography, and were tasked with using good lighting and a high shutter speed to freeze the motion of liquid.

My sample image, a macro shot of a water drop falling off a melting icicle:

"Just Dropping By" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Jump Right In" by Chelsea Hydamacka

"A Splash Of Cream" by Janet Clark

"Shockwave" by Mc Jc

"Far Out, Man" by Tyana Huetzelmann

#4 - The Shadow Side

The students had a lesson about outdoor lighting. This assignment was all about evoking emotion using silhouettes.

My sample image of a group of 2024 graduates:

"Guys, We Did It!" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"One In A Million" by Lynden Goss

"Serenity" by Sandra Backer

"My Whole World on top of the World" by Tyana Huetzelmann

"Bed Time" by Mc Jc

#5 - Get Your Story Straight

The students were asked to use a large depth of field and think carefully about composition to create a landscape photo showcasing elements in the foreground, midde and background.

My sample image of a castle ruins in Scotland, in which I used a puddle to capture a reflection of the castle in the foreground:

"Reflecting on the Past" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Bridging The Gap..." by Donna Davis

"I Only See Beauty On The Road To My Daughters" by Juanita Curtis

"Hangmans" by Tabby Wilson

"Where's The Sail?" by Wilma Richardson

#6 - Still In The Game

The students had a lesson on window light and then were asked to take a still life photograph using a window light studio set up.

Here is my sample image using window light to capture a colourful array of feathers:

"Ruffle a Few Feathers" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Spilling Out..." by Donna Davis

"A Little Trinket Close To My Heart" by Aubrey Williams

"Time For Tea" by Chelsea Hydamacka

"Lights Bell" by Levi Walker

"Harvest Time" by Patty Gerard Langlois

#7 - Up Close And Personal

After a lesson on macro/close-up photography, the students were tasked with taking a close-up photo of a natural subject using the minimum focusing distance of their lens.

Here is my sample image - a macro shot of a bumble bee!

"I'll Bee Seeing You" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Frayed Petals" by Aubrey Williams

"Replenish..." by Juanita Curtis

"The Visitor" by Wilma Richardson

#8 - A Day In My Life

One of my favourite lessons to teach is candid photography. The students were asked to document a day in their life using candid shots.

Here is one of my recent candid photos of my friend Craig winning the affections of a beautiful horse in Scotland as we were passing by on a photo shoot.

"Connection" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Stop, Look, Listen, Breathe..." by Donna Davis

"As Candid As We Get!" by Juanita Curtis

"Remembering History" by Levi Walker

"Happiness Is..." by Tyana Huetzelmann

"Just Hanging" by Aubrey Williams

#9 - Treasure Hunt

I gave the students a treasure hunt with a list of things to look for on their walk. Shooting at ground level was the assignment this time round, to capture the world from a perspective that we don't normally see it.

Here is a sample image I took at ground level, of a dandelion seed about to take flight:

"The Time Has Come" by Tineke Ziemer

This is behind-the-scenes to show how I captured the above photo, using lilacs as the backdrop. My tripod head was flipped upside down so I still had stability while creating this up-close macro image from ground level.

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Courage" by Wilma Richardson

"Graffiti In The Ivy" by Janet Clark

"Down To Earth" by Tyana Huetzelmann

"Tiny Feet, Big Love" by Tabby Wilson

"Something Textured" by Mike Wooten

#10 - Let's Face It

For the final challenge, the students learned about people photography and were asked to find a model to do a head shot, with a strong focus on lighting.

People photography is my area of expertise so I always enjoy teaching it. There is an endless amount to learn in this area of photography, and I have 27 years worth of samples so it was hard to choose.

"Geisha" by Tineke Ziemer

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

"Untitled" by Mike Wooten

"My Cowboy" by Sandra Backer

"You Will Always Be My Little Girl" by Donna Davis

"Untitled" by Janet Clark

"My Rock" by Patty Gerard Langlois

Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to view the work of these photographers - some of whom are completely brand new to photography, and others who have been advancing their skills for many years already.

If you would like to participate in any of our online programs, or our upcoming Image Expressions Photography Course in 2025, please email northernpersona@telus.net