lean timms

p h o t o g r a p h y w o r k s h o p

u p s t a t e n y u s a

s a t 1 9 t h / s u n 2 0 t h

o c t o b e r 2 0 2 4

TWO DAY SIGNATURE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE IN UPSTATE NY

You are warmly invited to join me in upstate NY this autumn (fall!) in the picturesque Catskills, for an immersive and fun two days of learning, as I openly share with you everything I know about the art of photography.

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Workshop Dates: Saturday 19th October and Sunday 20th October 2024

Two Day Workshop Course Tickets: $2800 USD

Workshop Location: Hotel Lilien, Tannersville, Catskills, NY

Workshop Time: 8:30am - 5:30pm both days, with the option to join us for dinner on the Saturday evening.

Guest Speaker: Julie Pointer Adams - Author, photographer, stylist, art director, curator.

Guest Hospitality: Camp Craft Cocktails - makers and shakers of cocktails and community

Suitable For: This workshop is formatted for all photography lovers and levels  - including small business owners keen to up skill and create their own content, absolute beginners ready to dive in and learn a new art form, photography lovers wanting to progress and improve on their skills, those wanting to step up and into photography as a profession, and fellow photography professionals already in the field who are interested in furthering their industry insight, networking opportunities and creative nourishment. As a teacher it is my priority and joy to provide boundless value and approachable content for all.

Accommodation:
For those wanting to stay with us at the hotel for the weekend (we would love that!) there are a number of lovely room options available at Hotel Lilien. Please book this separately and directly with Hotel Lilien and let them know you are with Lean (the earlier the better so as not to miss out!). Alternatively there are some other lovely boutique Catskills accommodation options to view and consider by following this link. Please kindly note that your accommodation is an optional extra and an additional fee to the stand alone workshop ticket.

Please Kindly Note: Airfares, transportation to and from the hotel and accommodation for the workshop are not included in the ticket price.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

My signature two day photography course is absolutely packed to the brim with educational, creative, inspiring and insightful content. It's the perfect opportunity to launch into the world of photography, or to give your love for photography some delicious nourishment. As an intimate group of only 12 students, we will focus on storytelling as well as interior and travel photography, while exploring and workshopping our camera’s manual settings, the art of light, composition, your photography style, post processing, industry insight and so much more. The course is part theory and part practical, to cover all learning styles, and with plenty of time to play and photograph our weekend and surrounds together.

We will have ample opportunity to photograph the artfully restored and thoughtfully curated interiors of Hotel Lilien, as well as the nature-filled grounds and mountainous views surrounding the hotel. I hear the colours and delights of fall in upstate NY are to die for - and we will be there at the perfect time to capture and enjoy it all!

We will be making Hotel Lilien our nest for the weekend and will be spoiled by their generous hospitality. On Saturday we can look forward to welcome tea and coffee (available all day), lunch, afternoon cocoa cart (!!) and apero to finish our afternoon and guide us into the evening. We also warmly invite you to join us for dinner and drinks, to celebrate our first day of learning, sharing and creating together. On the Sunday the spoils continue with welcome tea and coffee (available all day), a lovely long lunch, and a cosy smores bonfire (!!) to end our weekend in the Catskills.

After two days together, you will go home with an abundance of photography knowledge, the ability to shoot your camera on manual settings, the confidence to approach and capture a scene using natural light, and inspiration to photograph, curate and share your own stories through imagery and a collection of new creative friends. Two full days means so much to cover, and I can’t wait to share everything I know and love about photography with you!

TOPICS WE WILL BE COVERING:

Natural light digital photography 101
We’ll dig into photography and camera basics, and why it’s important that you understand them. You’ll walk away with a thorough understanding of the (magical!) exposure triangle and be able to use your camera’s manual settings to help you confidently capture a number of different subjects and styles. For the professionals, I will share an abundance of my own tips and personal go to settings.

Light
Nothing gets me more excited than reading and embracing natural light. I’m particularly looking forward to the autumn light we’ll experience together upstate! We’ll explore light direction first, it’ll blow your mind. We’ll find light and shadow and all the ways they can both make a photograph sing. We’ll work with harsh light and soft light and learn how to manipulate the outcome of both. We’ll follow it around and go hunting for it both inside and outside of Hotel Lilien. I’ll share with you all my tips on light and bright photography along with the contrasting dark and moody chiaroscuro style.

Composition
The way a photograph is framed can completely shift the way a subject is viewed. It’s a really fun game. We will play with lots of different perspectives, angles, and formulas.

Storytelling
No matter the subject, a story is always worth being told. We could spend the whole weekend on storytelling alone. I have a special formula, you’ll love it. I can’t wait to dig into this with you and see the visual stories you will create in the Catskills.

Interior Photography
Photographing interiors is a beautiful and fun process, and the cosy and thoughtful interiors of Hotel Lilien will be the absolute perfect place for us to learn. I’ll share all the tips I have for taking a photograph that helps to make an interior space look delicious and inviting. There will be plenty of room for everyone to take photos. I used to be a high school teacher - everyone will get equal amounts of love!

Travel/Location Photography
This one makes my heart sing. It’s really all about sharing a genuine sense of place. We will be in a stunning location at the perfect time of year to take photos together that will inspire and transport - the ultimate goal of travel and location photography. We will use Hotel Lilien and its location in the Catskills as the perfect practice assignment for travel and editorial photography.

Post Production/Editing
I will step you through my editing flow, both on Lightroom and phone. We will cover the basics, explore your style, learn some exporting tricks, and develop your own preset.

Industry Chat
Let’s chat openly. The best type of industry chat. Marketing, pricing (actual numbers!), pitching and getting published, image licensing, editorial insights, creative inspiration etc, etc. This part is always juicy, insightful, and fun.

Q&As
I want to answer any and all of your questions. We will have plenty of time for questions throughout the workshop, and special allocated time, too. I am an open book and want you to go home with loads of information and value no matter your level in photography - so please bring your questions and I will give you all my answers!

above: behind the scenes highlights from past photography workshops
photos by Jane McCormack, Sabine Bannard, Belinda Monck and Jemima Phelps

ABOUT LEAN:

Lean Timms is an Australian travel, lifestyle and food photographer working across editorial, commercial and publishing fields, currently based on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Canberra Australia.

Forever exploring and full of curiosity for this world, Lean’s greatest love is to discover and document inspiring places and stories. Lean’s approach to photography is driven by natural light, in situ spontaneity, storytelling and capturing a genuine sense of place. 

A once upon a time creative arts high school teacher, Lean loves to teach and share, and has been lucky enough to teach photography at workshops and retreats all around the world.

Select Photography Clients and Publications:

Condé Nast Traveller
Lonely Planet
Vogue Living
QANTAS Travel Insider
Tourism Australia
Australian Traveller

Photo 2 & 3 of Lean by Zoe Helene.

ABOUT OUR LOCATION:

Hotel Lilien, Catskills, NY

Nestled just 120 miles north of Manhattan, New York’s Catskills beckon with rolling storybook farmland, dome-shaped mountain peaks, and enchanting towns steeped in both history and creativity. We will spend our photography workshop weekend at Hotel Lilien, an 1890’s Victorian estate transformed into small 18-room boutique hotel located in the small village of Tannersville (population: 579). Luxury lies in the velvet-y feel of the property, where natural light pours in from the stained-glass windows and bounces off the interior's dark wood paneling. We will set up our workshop learning space in the hotel’s intimate and warmly decorated meeting room. We will have access to the property’s inviting communal spaces including the library, woodburning stove lounge, pool, outdoor fire pit, cocktail bar and restaurant. Our cameras won’t know where to point and shoot! This will be our cosy nest for the entire weekend - embedded into and inspired by the beauty, colours, nature and warm hospitality of high autumn in upstate NY.

Accommodation:
For those wanting to stay with us at the hotel for the weekend (we would love that!) there are a number of lovely room options available at Hotel Lilien. Please book this separately and directly with Hotel Lilien and let them know you are with Lean (the earlier the better so as not to miss out!). Alternatively there are some other lovely boutique Catskills accommodation options to view and consider by following this link. Please kindly note that your accommodation is an optional extra and an additional fee to the stand alone workshop ticket.

above: Our creative nest for the weekend - Hotel Lilien
photos courtesy of Hotel Lilien

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER - JULIE POINTER ADAMS

Julie is a big-picture visionary, drawn to the nuances and details of down-to-earth beauty. She is most in her element when documenting the quiet, unvarnished moments of everyday spaces, living, and art-making.

Her background is in the visual arts and literature, with an MFA in Applied Craft & Design.  Julie first picked up a 35mm film camera at 15, and has been taking evocative, unfussy images ever since. She works exclusively with natural light and in situ settings.

Julie has written, photographed, and art directed two books: Al Fresco: Inspired Ideas for Outdoor Living and Wabi-Sabi Welcome: Learning to embrace the imperfect and entertain with thoughtfulness and ease. Both books are published by Artisan Books..

She is based in Carpinteria, California where she lives with her husband and their two sons.

Julie’s guest speaking session during our workshop will be on the subject of ‘Unleashing Your Creative Flow’.

Above photo of Julie by Laura Dart

ABOUT OUR GUEST HOSPITALITY - CAMP CRAFT COCKTAILS

Camp began with popsicles, a 1969 camper food truck, and a cross country road trip. After towing thousands of their handcrafted Bold City Pops in their vintage camper to the 2016 Desert Trip music festival in California, Suzanah Raffield and Rhonda Stringfellow knew they wanted to build even more community, so they deconstructed favorite pop recipes to pivot toward a shippable product. The concept of working in community was ignited during their years as camp staff. Distilling down all that they loved from their tenure as camp directors to the perfect name and mission for their business, Camp Craft Cocktails was born on I-10, with flavors that beg to be shared, and a soul for creating community.

Suzanah and Rhonda will be pouring us a mix of specialty house made drinks and serving us up big community minded inspiration throughout our weekend.

PAST WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIALS:

- What can I say other than wow! I didn't really know what to expect before embarking in this course, but Leans x2 day photography workshop absolutely blew my sock off. Lean is such an incredible teacher, no stone was left unturned, and the beautiful work book we got to keep has been a really lovely reference to return too. Lean was able to teach a broad range of students with different backgrounds and photography knowledge and keep everyone highly engaged. I honestly couldn't recommend this course more highly. I have walked away far more confident behind my lens and it was simply the best weekend with like minded creatives. If you get the opportunity to do this course, just book the ticket. you won't be disappointed. - Sarah Miles @sarahmiles.studio

- This course was an indulgent luxury for me, and a significant investment in my current chapter of life. Lean was cognisant of this, creating an experience that felt generous, whilst still understanding her own worth. Perhaps that is just a complicated way of saying I felt like it was good value for money! Lean seamlessly navigated a class of beginners and seasoned professionals - not an easy task by any stretch. Lean’s teaching is gentle and encouraging and she managed to guide without prescribing. The content was comprehensive and informative - I thought the breadth of content was great. But most of all Lean presented in a way that was vibrant and full of humour, which is obviously just a reflection on Lean as an individual - it is invigorating to be around passion, so thank you Lean for sharing this - Hannah Lewis @penguinpantry

- Lean is magic. Her workshops are packed with detail and yet somehow easily digestible. She makes difficult concepts accessible and so. damn. beautiful. But Lean’s workshops are so much more than just the content: the locations, the food, the styling, her guest teachers - every detail is so considered and beautiful and specially created to inspire. Lean’s genuine, natural and joyful energy is contagious, and she is unfailingly generous with her time, her knowledge, her experience, and her encouragement. The workshop was a significant investment for me at the time, but turned out to be worth every cent - the weekend I spent with Lean, her fabulous co-conspirators and my equally brilliant fellow attendees was an absolute highlight of my year. I think we're all still buzzing, six months later! You're in for a treat! - Jane McCormack @_jane_mccormack

- Lean's workshop truly exceeded my expectations. Lean is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, providing personalized feedback and guidance throughout the course. Set in a stunning location (Imprint House in Bryon Bay), the workshop offered a perfect blend of theory and hands-on practice, covering everything from shooting in manual mode to composition, storytelling and editing techniques. The small group size fostered a supportive atmosphere and each day was well-structured. Stepping into this experience as a beginner, I left with a newfound confidence. I highly recommend this workshop to photographers of all levels. It's an investment but it’s worth it and is an experience not to be missed. Thank you Lean for sharing your knowledge, creativity and patience. - Chelsy Furtado @__smell.the.roses__

- Lean’s approach to teaching photography is a breath of fresh air. She has a knack for breaking down the scary bits into something you can actually get excited about. Camera settings, composition, lighting – she broke it down to the basics and put it into everyday context, which really helped me translate these skills to my own work. Aside from everything that we learnt, Lean as a person is incredibly kind, patient, and genuinely invested in seeing everyone grow. She was so open about the industry and really encouraged everyone to try new things. It felt more like hanging out with a super knowledgeable friend for a weekend rather than sitting in a workshop. - Bella Chambers @social.laundry

Are you keen but not quite sure yet? Do you have some questions for me? Please feel very free to reach out by sending me an email. I would love to help and chat more with you!

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Unfortunately this is a non-refundable workshop. However, we do understand that things change and COVID looms. We would like to be as flexible as possible, so should you need to rearrange, we are more than happy to rebook you to another workshop at another time. Valid travel insurance is also encouraged for your trip. Thank you for understanding.

I look forward to a very full and inspiring weekend creating and learning together this fall in upstate NY!

Lean. X