INSTRUCTOR
Phil Penman comes from a tranquil corner in the county of Dorset, England. Today he works as a freelance street photographer in New York.
Phil had an interest in the visual arts, photography and darkroom work at an early age. After studying photography at the Berkshire college of art and design his first job was at the Wokingham times, a local newspaper published in Berkshire. Penman photographed just about everything, including babies, sheep, and local politicians. at age 21, he received an offer from a photo agency and took charge of their customer Microsoft UK. looking after the company meant taking most of the corporate portraits.
Phil did not let this tie him down and he left Great Britain and set out for the United States. New York was his ultimate destination, but he made a detour to Los Angeles, where he worked for a celebrity news agency photographing living legends such as Jennifer Lopez, Bill Gates and superman Christopher Reeve.
After six months, the agency sent him to New York to establish an office.
Phil has covered the biggest entertainment and news stories in America, including the September 11th world trade center terrorist attacks – for which his work won worldwide recognition. Penman has spent the past 15 years cycling around the city documenting a broad spectrum of New York life.
Phil’s work has been exhibited at the Leica gallery in New York city as well as being featured in Leica Fotografie international.
He currently travels across the world photographing assignments for a diverse range of clients including the best-selling magazines People and Hello, British newspapers the Independent, Daily Mirror, the Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and the Guardian, as well as American publications USA today and New York post.
DESCRIPTION
Some of the best light in New York is early morning and early evening. The sun is low and the landscape of the city comes alive with light and shadow. The light seems to dance off of the glistening sheets of glass that cover the amazing steel structures of the city. People go into silhouette as they walk into to sun and seem to disappear into nowhere as they are engulfed by the steam coming from the city’s underbelly.
Join the Leica Akademie and Phil Penman as we explore the city. Phil has photographed New York for many years and enjoys photographing the city at these times. He will take us around to areas rich in texture when bathed in early morning or evening light. He will also be giving us insight into his creative process from how he sees to how he selects and then edits the final images.
TOPICS
Planning your day of shooting
Finding the light
Chasing the light
Seeing light and shadow
Composition
Image editing and processing
AGENDA
Friday
6:00p.m. – 8:30p.m. – Meet and Greet at the Leica Store SoHo. After a presentation students will have the chance to check out a Leica loaner camera for the weekend.
Saturday
5:00a.m. – 8:30a.m. – Dawn Patrol morning shoot.
8:30a.m. -9:30a.m.- Breakfast
10:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. – Image processing and editing discussion at the Penumbra Foundation.
7:00p.m. – 9:30p.m. – Optional Twilight shoot.
Sunday
1:00p.m. – 5:00p.m. – Group critique with Phil.
5:00p.m. – 6:00p.m. – Dinner break.
6:30p.m. – 9:30p.m. – Dusk shoot with models.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Anyone interested in the concrete landscapes of New York as they are lit by early morning and late evening light. This is also a rare opportunity to get creative insight from Phil.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
5:00am is not a misprint. It’s early, but that is a time the light is the best. You should have a good understanding of your camera as well as an understanding of basic image editing. You can use any camera and we will have a selection of Leica Cameras available for you to try for the weekend.
Attendance is strictly limited, so be sure to sign up at your earliest opportunity.
SPECIAL NOTES
Enrollment is limited to 12 participants.