"In case, it's not obvious enough....THANK YOU MARC.  Much gratitude for all your insightful teaching, instructive crits, and great access...all made me a better photographer!" Joanne S.

This one-of-a-kind ONLINE course will teach you how to make stunning black and white images!

For those not able to commit to Marc's famous in-person workshops on this topic we have created this 10 week ONLINE format. Learn at your own pace, wherever you are in the world. Get personalized attention and feedback from your instructor and interact with like-minded students.

Ever since the beginning of photography, many of the most powerful and memorable images have been black and white photographs. With most digital cameras, however, the only way to take a black and white photograph *in-camera* is to shoot a low quality jpg image with little creative control ....if you're interested in high quality B+W imagery, you should shoot in RAW and then create a stunning B+W photograh using the techniques taught in this course.

So if you're confused about which black and white conversion technique to use, unsure about how to adjust the tonal range and balance of your black and white photos, then this online course is for you. Subject matter will include portrait, street and landscape imagery but the techniques discussed apply to virtually any photographic subject.

Award-winnig fine-art black and white photographer Marc Koegel will guide you through this 10 week online course. You'll learn by way of PDF handouts, instructional videos, as well as 4 assignments for which you will receive personalized feedback.

In addition to post production techniques, Marc will also cover 'how to see' in black and white. During assignment feedback, he will talk about and give his advice on effective composition, camera angle, lens selection etc

The private online forum, specifically setup for this online course, gives each participant the opportunity to interact, exchange comments, ideas, as well as ask questions.

This 10 week course will feature 3 'case-studies' where Marc will focus on showing you how he creates his award-winning images in portrait photography, landscape photography, and also using smart-phones to create stunning B+W photographs. These case-studies will put into practice all the techniques discussed throughout this course.

Images above: Copyright Marc Koegel Photography

Since 2002, Marc has had 550+ students from all over the world take one of his online Courses! Students came from all over the world, including (but not limited to) the follwoing countries: Canada, USA, Mexico, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Turkey, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, France, Portugal, Russia (Moscow), New Zealand

Marc's students have won several international awards, including the IPA (International Photo Awards), Spider Awards and PX3 (Prix De La Photographie Paris) using the techniques presented in this online course as well as his guidance through image reviews and critiques.

Class 1:

Introduction to this online course. What makes a good black and white photograph? Discussion on 'learning how to see in black and white'. How to get the best 'in-camera' black and white image.

Assignment 1 given

Class 2:

Simple black and white conversion techniques using lightroom and/or adobe camera RAW. Discussion about contrast, light and shadow, sharpness and how you can use all of these factors to create images with significantly more impact.

Class 3:

Simple black and white conversion techniques continued. Case Study #1: creating black and white portraits with impact!

Assignment 2 given

Class 4:

Advanced black and white conversion techniques using lightroom and adobe camera raw. Introduction to localized adjustments, and a discussion of how exactly this can take your photography to a new level. Demonstrations will include how to brighten eyes and teeth in your portraits, and more!

Class 5:

Case Study #2: creating black and white landscape images with impact! Demonstrations will include how to make selective adjustments to the foregroud, the sky, and your subject.

Assignment 3 given

Class 6:

Learning from the Masters: Marc will review the work of some of the best and most succesful B+W photographers throughout history and discuss why and how their work became so outstanding. We will discuss how we can use the same techniques to bring our photographs to the next level.

Following this discussion, Marc will demonstrate how to use popular plugin software such as Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 to create, and fine-tune your black and white images.

Note: Trial software can be downloaded for free, so you can follow along even if you don't own this software currently.

Class 7:

Using Adobe Photoshop for more advanced black and white conversions. This lesson will show how to use the black and white adjustment layer as well as enhance tonal range and make seletive adjustments using curves, layers and masks etc..

Assignment 4 given

Class 8:

Toning and colorizing your black and white images, using a variety of tools in lightroom, photoshop and plugin's such as Nik SilverEfex Pro 2

Class 9:

Creative techniques for black and white, including B+W HDR, recreating the look of film, finishing adjustments such as borders, grain etc...

Class 10:

Final class. Marc will present his review of Assignment #4.

Case Study #3: Creating award-winning black and white images using a smarthone camera. See step-by-step how amazing B+W images can be created with very simple cameras.

 

Here's a selection of student feedback received:

 

"I want to express what a joy this has been in learning from you. You are an inspired photographer and a great teacher, and I want to thank you for your video critiques and the time you invested to create the video lessons and handouts."

Jeff S.

"Marc, thank you for a very beneficial and enjoyable class. I sincerely appreciate your dedication to your students."

Sam B.

"Thanks Marc for your insight into long exposure photography and the constructive criticism of my photos. I'm very proud of the photos I now have and could not had achieved this without this class."

Ian T.

"The Google Community you created for the class was a great method to stay connected with all participants and learn from others, in addition to your spectacular reviews and videos. Your critique sessions are always quite insightful and done so in a very professional manner; I always learn a tremendous amount from your special gift of breaking images down and recommending improvements. This was my second "remote" class with you and look forward to one day taking a class from you in person. Thanks again for you guidance."

Joanne S.

"I’ve just come back from a trip de Turkey (amazing and beautiful country) and have been watching your posted reviews of our 5th assignment. It’s a fantastic learning experience, and I want to say how much I personally appreciate the time you put into it."

Greg H.

"I really apprceiated the video tutorials and video feedback of everyone's images. I learned so much and got inspired seeing what the other participants photographed. In addition to your PDF handouts it made for a truly multimedia learning experience. My only criticism is that I wish the course would have lasted longer -:) Thank you Marc."

Sebastian T.

"Your course has been a wonderful learning experience. And has taken me a step closer to the kind of photography I love the best. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you yet again for this opportunity."

Milicska J.

"I’ve really enjoyed your teaching and the techniques in producing this dramatic style of photography. Thanks for putting this course together and being able to go through and comment on each and every photo submitted."

Nis S.

"Your assignments got me out practicing and shooting. Your feedback was not only helpful but also extremely encouraging and motivating. Thank you for an amazing 10 weeks."

Sharon M.

"Thanks Marc. You have been a wonderful teacher. Even with my hearing impairment, I have easily followed your on-line tutorials and you have been so kind and positive with your feedback. This course came at the perfect time for me."

Shirley B.

"I am finding the note packages you send to be easy to follow.....thanks!"

Ron L.

"I have enjoyed the course very much. It really has stretched me, as a photographer....which is good.....and learned so much."

Jacquie C.

"I have really enjoyed this class and your feedback, thank you and I look forward to the continuation of this long exposure life style!"

Curtis J

"You have shown us step by step how to do this (long exposure photography), and what programs and techniques you are using. This has really given me something to sink my teeth into and a direction to take my hobby that gets me excited. I am super pleased. Thank you."

Mark S.

"In case, it's not obvious enough....THANK YOU MARC.  Much gratitude for all your insightful teaching, instructive crits, and great access...all made me a better photographer!"

Joanne S.

"Marc, many thanks for your review of my images. The way you look at these and your comments are incredibly helpful in giving me ideas for both building skill as a photographer, and giving me the visual tools to further understand composition."

Christopher M.

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How this ONLINE Course works:

Marc is excited to be teaching in this new online format.

Every week (on Monday morning), you'll receive your lesson for the week. The lesson typically is in the form of a PDF document that you can download and study, but Marc has also prepared video tutorials for you as well. Together, these materials provide a rich learning resource that will get you out shooting using new techniques and skills.

After studying the lessons, you'll have time to shoot the bi-weekly photo assignment. Photo Assignments are due on Sunday evening every two weeks (so you got 13 days to get each of them done).

Within 3 - 7 days you'll receive personalized feedback on your submitted assignments. This is where our online course really shines. Marc has reserved time to communicate and provide feedback to each student individually, something that is often a challenge in a 'traditional' workshop setting. To guarantee your access to your instructor Marc, we have limited this online class to only 18 participants. And all critiquing is done by Marc himself, not hired teaching assistants.

You upload your images to a password protected online community created using the service google plus, where only your fellow course participants and your instructor Marc can see them. Here, you can also receive comments and see the other participants images and what Marc and other's have said about them. There is also a forum were you can get in touch 24/7 with your questions and comments.

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Frequently asked questions:

Q: How is this course organized and the 'material' delivered?

A: For his online course, Marc uses a private community page created on google plus. All particpants will be pointed to and instructed how to join this private community created just for this course. This platform allows for everyone to interact, share images, questions, comment on other people's images etc. It is completely private and all content can only be seen by participnats in the course. Every Monday Marc will send an email with course content for that week. This content, which can in the form of a PDF and/or a video, is then also posted to the google plus community. Feedback for assignments are always in video format, and you will be able to see everyone's images and listen to Marc's thoughts about them (not just your own), so that you may learn from all of it.

It is important to note that interaction is not limited to Monday's only - that is the day for the 'official' handouts and tutorials, but you are free to interact 24/7. Finally, if you prefer to take this course but remain anonymous, you are welcome to join the online community with a different name (aka your nickname), or you can choose to participate using email only - in that case links to tutorial and image review video(s) will be emailed to you (but you will miss the interaction with the other students taking place on the online community).

 

Q: How much time will I need to work on this course each week?

A: A minimum of 20-30 minutes each week, plus shooting assignments. You can spend significantly more time, you will get out of this course what you put in.

 

Q: What kind of camera and lens do I need for this course?

A: Any digital or film camera will do, as long as it has manual controls and is able to do a 'bulb' exposure. In addition to your camera, you'll also need a good sturdy tripod, a remote or cable release (so you can keep your camera's shutter open for minutes), and a ND filter.

 

Q: What sofware do I need for this course?

A: The course will make extensive use of Adobe Lightroom, and will also include demonstration in Adobe Photoshop and popular plugin's such as Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. If you do not have Lightroom but Photoshop you can use teh inlcuded Bridge Software to do similar adjustments to what will be shown using Lightroom. The 'Adobe Creative Cloud' provides you with both Lightroom and Photoshop for the low subscription price of $10 per month. In addition, there are free trial downloads for all of the software presented.

Q: Do I have to be online at any specific times?

A: No you don't. The lessons are send via email, so you can work on them anytime, where-ever you happen to be. You submit the assignments online, and this can be done anytime before the assignment due date.

 

Q: Do I need to have a specific lens for this course?

A: No you don't. Any lens will do, even a kit lens that came with yor camera. You can even photograph using your iphone -)) What counts is the impact of teh final image, and less the kind of equipment that was used to create it.