Workshops Upon Request

Essdras is available to teach photo workshops locally, nationally and internationally. A workshop can be custom-designed to fit the needs of the individual or the group. Their length can be half-day, full-day or multi-day packages and be held on location, in a studio or classroom. Please contact him for specific details to plan your next learning adventure. Mentoring: He is also available for one-on-one portfolio reviews, editing and project- guidance on a per-hour or project bases.

Street Photography at the Washington, DC Monuments: The Journalist’s Approach

Capacity: Min. 4/ Max 12 Length of Session: 4 hours By embracing the chaos of daily life and applying the principles of layering, composition, decisive moments and other elements that go into making interesting images, you’ll learn to see the world anew. You’ll learn how to photograph people in public places in a non-threatening yet effective way. All of these while the iconic Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam memorials serve as the perfect backdrop for this class.

Site-specific Street Photography

Capacity: Min. 12/Max. 20 Length of Session: 4-6 hours This is workshop best suited for camera clubs or other groups at a location chosen by club members or administrators. It usually accompanied by a slide show presentation on the same or previous day. The slide show presentation aims to familiarize the audiences with the thinking process and M.O. of photojournalists. During the workshop the participants:

• Learn how to react and adapt to the ever-changing environment of an outdoor public settings such as a street, park, etc. This is a practical way of learning how to make photos when it matters the most: when things are happening right in front of you in a live scenario.
• Will discuss composition, quality of light, layering, points of entry, natural framing, points of escape and decisive moments.
• Learn how to photograph people in public places in a non-invasive, yet effective, way.

Creating Sophisticated Images

Capacity: Minimum of 12/ No max Length of Session: 4 hours This is a classroom-style workshop will improve your composition skills and overall image-content quality. We will:

• Discuss composition, layering, points of entry, points of escape,
• The use of negative a.k.a. as equivocal space and positive space,
• The why and how the brain processes and catalogs visual information and
• How to use this knowledge in order to create more interesting or sophisticated photos.

Portrait Photography and the Art of Light Appreciation and Application

Capacity: Min 8/ Max 16 Length of Session: 4 hours A good portrait captures a bit of the essence of the subject being photographed and it makes the viewer stop and pay attention to your image. Either by its content, composition or lighting and/ or by the environment that surrounds the subject. This class can be held either on-location or in a classroom/studio. You will learn to:

• Identify the most aesthetically-pleasing ways of positioning your subject(s) within an environment,
• Recognizing when to use natural versus artificial light, sources of light and quality of light,
• Elements of composition, the Fibonacci Sequence and spirals and
• The golden mean and its application to composition.