Teachers conduct photography, painting workshops

Photographers and painters get a chance to study in Cape May Cape May - Photography workshops for beginners to expert will be part of the Tulip Festival this year. Nancy J. Ori, a photographer of architecture and landscape, will lead several groups of photographers and painters around Cape May. The workshops vary in levels from beginner to experienced artist in all mediums. All the workshops will focus on the gardens, architecture, portraits and natural environments of the historic Cape May area and will include a walking tour, wine and cheese reception, painting or photography sessions, discussions, critiques and hands-on opportunities. The streets, shoreline and spring blossoms of Cape May will supply each participant with photographic or painting possibilities. Workshops vary in length from three to four days beginning on Sunday, April 26 and concluding on Saturday, May 9. Registrations have begun and some workshops have a limited number of participants. In existence since 1990, the New Jersey Heritage Workshops offer a variety of fine art mediums to choose from. Digital and film photography topics include: landscape and architecture, portrait and street photography, Photoshop, inkjet printing, and lighting in the natural environment. The painting workshops include topics such as watercolor, traditional pastel, sketching, PanPastel and oil painting. The 2009 photography faculty includes: Nancy Ori from Berkeley Heights teaching natural light; Chip Forelli from Damascus, Pa., teaching the masters photography workshop for intermediate and advanced level photographers; Don Polzo from West Orange, teaching getting Up to speed with Photoshop and Inkjet printing; and Harvey Stein from New York City will be teaching photographing people and places. All instructors are experienced artists and teachers in their mediums and have been hand picked by Ori to fill out the program. Honing skills Although the content for each photography workshop varies, they all have certain elements in common. In general, they will focus on honing observational and technical skills, exploring the nature of photographic lighting, presenting portfolios and growing existing projects. Workshops are small, offering the opportunity for lots of one-on-one time with instructors as well as daytime shoots in the town and shore landscapes, on-location discussions and demonstrations on camera handling. The goal is to highlight a variety of techniques and approaches used by the various instructors to make meaningful images of landscapes and architecture that are personal and unique. Some sessions will involve transforming student images from the workshop through the use of simple Photoshop® techniques. Call for more information on specific workshops and to get lodging information. These workshops vary in price from $295 to $450. Some workshops are three days and others are four days. The fine art faculty includes: Lorraine Niemela from Colts Neck teaching Sketching as a Route to Art; Christina Debarry, former president of the Pastel Society teaching Pastels on Location and the newest workshop for the season on PanPastels; and Gerry Heydt from Plainfield will be teaching Oil Painting in the Landscape. All, or a portion of some workshops will be on location in the streets and along the shoreline in and around Cape May. There will also be opportunities to work with photography and hear some tips from Nancy Ori about lighting and how to handle your camera better to get good photos to paint from. All levels are welcome. These workshops vary in price from $295 to $395 and are either three or four days in length. Ori gives special emphasis to beginners. Her workshops have a casual style and she enjoys watching the students grow in creativity through the process in their particular medium. With more than 30 years experience as a professional photographer, she is also a widely exhibited fine artist and instructor. She is founder and director of the NJ Photography Forum and the Heritage Workshop Series and has been affiliated with the Ansel Adams Workshop in California, the Visual Art Center of New Jersey in Summit, the Summit Area Community Schools, Peters Valley Craft Education Center in Layton, Somerset Art Association, Newark Museum, Grounds for Sculpture, Morris Museum and the Watchung Hills Adult School. All workshops will be centered around the comfortable atmosphere of a private cottage within the historic district of Cape May. Participants are responsible for their own meals, accommodations and transportation during each workshop. Some inexpensive rooms are available at the cottage where the workshops are held. For additional information and registration, call Nancy Ori directly at 908-790-8820.