Black and White Photography Refined
© Kai McBride
ONLINE COURSE

Black and White Photography Refined

Interested in this class? Email us and we'll notify you next time it runs.

Have you admired the lyrical black and white work of other photographers and wondered how you could bring those dramatic qualities to your own images? Are you comfortable converting your digital photographs to black and white, but need help getting them to fully express the emotion you had in mind? In this class, students will learn how monochromatic images can be refined to express deeper meaning. We’ll explore how black and white allows for radically different tonal interpretations of the same photograph, and how that can alter our perception of the subject matter. Through analysis and discussion of both contemporary photography and student work, we’ll examine the character of black and white vs. color. We’ll also dive into technical considerations (exposure, processing, workflow) and scrutinize the variety of tools available to the digital photographer. Through weekly assignments and shooting exercises, students will expand their understanding of the language of black and white photography, and apply the lessons with certainty to their own work.

 

Please note: A camera capable of RAW captures and an editing program (Lightroom, Photoshop, Silver Efex Pro, etc) for B&W conversion and image manipulation.
 
Kai’s classes were terrific. The group was a good mix of levels of experience. I learned a lot, and realized how much I have yet to learn. I was inspired!
—Bob (New York City)
Kai's class was brilliant — he's such a good teacher and I hope he does more classes for you. He was so organized with the content and assignments and he left us with some outstanding resources. Wonderful to have met him and I loved rediscovering Black and White photography. Brought me back to the days as a teen in my parents’ basement, developing my own photos on our washer and dryer!
—Jennifer (Monaco)
I would like to thank you for a great course! It’s really going to help me move my way forward, although I'm not ready yet to be able to publish a whole book. What made this great was the amount of effort, time and thought you put into it, especially given the short duration. I have enjoyed and learnt a lot from the two courses I have taken with you and I will keep my eye open on Studelmedia for other courses you may be giving.
—Brendan (Mexico City)


Kai McBride
Kai McBride

Kai McBride is a photographer, musician, teacher, and avid cyclist who recently uprooted from Brooklyn to sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico. He spent the last ten years teaching photography and managing the photo facilities at Columbia University, his alma mater, where he received an MFA in 2008.

Born on the island of Kauai in 1972, by his 18th birthday Kai had lived in California, Oregon, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Texas, Oahu, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. He sharpened his powers of observation while adjusting to life between suburban ranch-style homes, cabins with no running water, and a 20-foot teepee in the field of a commune.

His photographs have been exhibited in museum and gallery exhibitions, and are held in public and private collections. His first monograph, About Face: Picturing Tampa, was published by SPQR Editions in Fall 2016.

Kai teaches black and white photography, photobooks, and more for StrudelmediaLive.