Apogee Photo Magazine: STEVE GOTTLIEB

Apogee Photo Magazine

Behind the Workshops -
Focus on the Instructors:
STEVE GOTTLIEB

HORIZON PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

By Colleen Hall

For most photographers, at least most of us amateurs, rainy days are days to leave our camera in the bag. When the weather forecast for Steve Gottlieb’s “Your Creative Vision” weekend workshop called for two days of rain I was disheartened. Horizon Photography Workshops operate rain or shine—there are no “bad weather” refunds—so off I headed to northeast Maryland.

On Friday evening, students got acquainted, after which Steve gave a brief introductory talk and then handed out a sheet listing his “Eleven Keys to Photographic Creativity.” On Saturday morning, with soaking rain outside, Steve gave a forty-minute slide show, while discussing such subjects as foregrounds and backgrounds, selective focus, wide angle and tele, camera position, and lighting. Above all, Steve offered this advice: “Don’t be satisfied with the first thing that enters you eye, and maybe not even the second or third. Explore. Prowl, Experiment. Look with intensity. Creativity doesn’t happen when you’re casual or on auto-pilot. Work each subject and situation until you’ve gotten the most out of it.”

With our heads swimming in thought, we all stepped out into the rain, cameras in one hand, umbrellas in the other.

"Farmer"

To my surprise, rain, which only farmers seem to welcome, suddenly became our ally in seeing more creatively. Raindrops on roses became one of our favorite things (as the song goes)…and so were reflections in water, and bridges in the mist, and people’s faces under umbrellas. The unusual atmospherics helped me—and I think all of us—see differently. Steve kibitzed over our shoulder, suggesting different approaches and different subjects. (Perhaps Steve’s conviction about the varied ways of seeing is related to his having viewed the world from many different perspectives; before becoming a photographer, he was a lawyer, corporate official, tennis professional, and child model (for his father, renowned photographer William Gottlieb.)

Steve prodded us, but with a gentle sense of authority. His photographic vision and technical skill are obvious. He has combined a wide-ranging commercial photography career—architecture, people on location, nature, and much more—with publishing four exceptional books. One of his books, Abandoned America, was selected by People magazine and USA Today, as a 2002 “Gift Book of the Year,” as well as receiving “Best in Show” at the 2003 Chicago Book and Media Fair. (Steve designed and wrote his books, too!) Steve has been designated as one of a handful of “Kodak Professional Icons” in the United States.

Throughout the weekend, time in the Horizon studio was combined with extended time outdoors, practicing what we were learning. One particularly memorable exercise was taking a group portrait at a split rail fence. Each one of us tackled that assignment in his or her own way. Some shots included umbrellas, others didn’t; some had every face toward the camera, others didn’t; in some everyone was straight-faced, others were all smiles; some showed a background of trees, others an old house. The diversity was startling…and revealing. Clearly, everyone has his own personal creative vision.

As much I enjoyed the lectures and fieldwork, the most memorable parts of the weekend were the Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon critiques. (Most of us shot digital, and we viewed images on monitors; film users showed prints.) We each expressed our own thoughts about several of our own images, and then everyone threw in their two cents in a non-judgmental, non-competitive, highly supportive environment. To me, this really brought home a few particularly important lessons: the importance of getting in close to the subject, paying closer attention to backgrounds, making the right lens choice and, overall, working harder to make the photos better. The critique was a serious exercise, yet the room was filled with plenty of laughter. The loudest laugh: a photo of a student sitting in an open “port-o-potty,” taking advantage of the shade to view his LCD screen.

Bob Coffey, past president of the Delaware Photographic Society, an accomplished photographer and the elder statesman among us students, sent a note to his DPS colleagues and to his fellow students, that summed up my own feelings: “Out we went with umbrellas, ponchos and towels to dry off lenses and equipment. In the critique of our various images, everyone was impressed at the variety of shots that were taken—some of the same subjects, others of things that the rest of us didn't see or think to shoot. It was quite an inspiring exercise for all of us as it served to demonstrate the creativity that could be spawned in adverse conditions. My personal challenge to Steve was to help get me out of a photographic rut and capture things from different perspectives with more impact. He was two for two in this as twice he caught me doing something my normal way and directed me to try something I wouldn't have thought of doing on my own.”

"Bathing Suits"

Steve founded Horizon Photography Workshops just last October in Chesapeake City, a historic, colorful waterfront village on the C & D Canal in Maryland, strategically located ten miles from I-95, and almost equidistant from the two cities where he has spent his life: New York City and Washington, D.C. His venture has quickly expanded to include a wide range of subjects taught by some of the nation’s leading photographers: Nature (Tony Sweet), People (Bobbi Lane), Food (Lou Manna), Digital (Jon Cox), Still Life (Rich Russo), Glamour (Joe Edelman), Camera Basics (Dain Simons), Photojournalism (Frank VanRiper), Creative Vision, Book Publishing and Location Lighting (Steve Gottlieb). Horizon has already garnered considerable attention, such as a USA Today feature story: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-05-05-digital-photos_x.htm.

In his forward to Abandon America, Steve wrote: “Thanks go to the dozens of Americans I’ve met who lent this treasure hunter a hand, who offered location ideas and access, who shared a story and a laugh, and who, above all, made me feel at home wherever I was.” Speaking for myself and I think for my fellow students, we could offer similar sentiments of appreciation to Steve who helped us expand our creative vision.

More Steve Gottlieb photos....

Steve Gottlieb is Founder, Director and one of the Instructors at Horizon Photography Workshops, headquartered in Chesapeake City, in northeast Maryland. Horizon offers weekend workshops in many subjects for varying levels of experience. Both film and digital are used. For further information: www.horizonworkshops.com, or call (410) 885-2433.

Colleen Hall can be reached at turnerce@UDel.Edu