Fine Art Models
©Kim Weston
©Kim Weston
At Weston Photography, we have a rich tradition of working with the finest art models within the industry. We have been photographing the figure before it was the “IN” thing to do. Kim and Gina started Weston Workshops in 2001, when the internet was brand new and a film camera was still the camera of choice. Since 2001, we have cultivated long last relationships with models that come work with us. In Kim’s new book, “Growing up Weston: In the Presence of Women” , he has a few separate sections strictly dedicated to models that have had a significant impact on his work. As the industry has evolved over the years, we have kept to our strict set of guidelines for nude models working at Weston Workshops. We pride ourselves in working with the highest caliber of models so that you can have the best experience when photographing with us.
Photography Instruction
Kim has over 40 years of photographic experience under his belt. He learned the technique of film photography from his father, Cole Weston, while Cole was printing his grandfather, Edward Weston’s , work. Kim always says that he wished he had gotten to know his grandfather but learned a lot from him over the years helping Cole print his work. We are looking for photo workshop participants who truly want to improve their photography. There could be many levels to their process, and we are willing to help them along the way to get to that end goal. Wether it is improving their composition, their use of natural light, or their comofortabliltiy with a model, we have the knowledge and experience to help. We encourage our participants to come to our workshops with a goal in mind. Something they want to achieve from each workshop. We believe this practice helps tremendously with growth as a photographer. We aren’t here just to take photographs of naked women. We are here to improve on seeing photographically.
Photography Locations
Our main location for our photography workshops is our residence on Wildcat Hill. This is the property that Edward Weston lived from 1938 - 1958 and produced some of his most iconic work at Point Lobos. He lived with Charis a portion of the time and was a very prolific photographer. At one point, Edward and Charis has 40 cats on the property, hence the name Wildcat Hill. We still can’t figure having 40 cats and a one room studio to process photography in. One problem: Cat Hair!
Wildcat Hill has been the foundation location for our photo workshops. The light is amazing and there is so much opportunity for photographic expression. Participants find they keep coming back and are always seeing something new to photograph. Along with Wildcat Hill, we have conducted Weston Destination Workshops all around the world. Locations include: Scotland, Spain, Germany, France, Mexico and the states of Wyoming and New York in our home country. We love to travel, meet new people, and witness all the photographic opportunity there is out there in the world. We are currently looking into locations in Portugal and Italy which we are very excited about. Stay tuned for 2023 in Europe!
Photo Reviews
A crucial part to any photography workshop is actually sitting down and looking at the work that has been created. Too often photographers go in and just start snapping away without seeing what they are getting. That is one massive benefit to the digital camera. You are able to see the image and composition instantly. This can then help you tweak the shot to get exactly what you are going for. While this is a major benefit, it can also be seen as a drawback. The tendency to live in the back of your camera is very real with a digital camera. It then becomes harder to actually be present in the moment, and visualize the final image. The photographer leans on the capability of the camera to take 200 photos in an instant rather then their eye. This can be very detrimental to the photographer’s overall approach to a scene.
At Weston Photography Workshops, after each day of shooting, we have a photo review the next morning. These aren’t critiques but more a way of slowing the process down and seeing what kind of images you are getting. We stress cropping in camera, which can be hard with the digital camera, and this is a way to get an idea of the kind of framing you are capturing. We don’t like to call them critiques because art is objective for the most part. There are small things that a participant can do that can greatly improve the overall structure of the image, however, and that is what we are aiming to help with during photog reviews. Depending on the length of the workshop, there can be up to 4 reviews to help narrow the photographers scope of what they actually want to capture when photographing the figure.
Join Us!
We hope the above information helps you make the informed decision to join us for a Weston Photography Workshop! You deserve to focus in on your creativity and produce photography in the highest degree of creativity with amazing models, instructive teachers and encouraging workshop members. See you at a workshop!