Midwest Photography Workshops

Drawning and Painting instructors tell their students "Don't Paint the object. Paint the Light". The same is true for photographers. We are at the Temple of Philae in Egypt. This woman is gazing up to the warm light. The yellow/warm quality of light creates an emotional quality that cooler color of light can not equal. Whether she is contemplating a deity or how she will pay tommorow's car payment, the light on her face spoke to me. He garment of traditional Egyptian is well placed with the Hieroglyphics behind her on the wall. Learn to see the light and your photographs will benefit.
Sony A1 camera body, Sony 24-70mm lens @ 39mm, f/3.2 1/40 sec, ISO 2500
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I love Monument Valley in Utah. The vistas are spectacular! The Navajo people are warm, friendly and accommodating. They know however that much of their income is from seasonal tourism. Some Navajoes not involved in the tourism trade are tiring from the influx of Bellaganas (white people who are not Navajoe.) I have been taking my students here for nearly 40 years. This is Ford Point. It is a man made point made the Hollywood movie director John Ford (Think of nearly any western featuring John Wayne). He wanted this very shot in his movie, so he brought in earth moving equipment an created this ledge. The local family lives a few hundred yards away and have a small trading post and store to sell wonderful tourquoise and silver jewelry. I have photographed the grandfather, his son, daughter and grandchildren and pay them to ride to this very spot for my students for this photograph wearing authentic Navajoe regalia (do not call it a costume). Linda and I have decorated our living room in Southwest decor and a 24x36 framed copy of this image is prominently displayed there.
Nikon F3 camera body, Nikon 80-400mm lens, f/22, 1/15 sec. Polarizing filter, Fujichrome Velvia color slide film ISO 50 scanned.
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I don't want anyone to think that I am a photography elitist that all my images were made using state-of-the-art fancy cameras. So I have posted a photo taken with my Apple IPhone at the Oregon Canon Beach. The beaches there have sea Stacks.
Apple Iphone 17, 7.5 mm lens, 1/2700 sec, f/2.2 ISO 20

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park is in Tennessee and stretches down to Cherokee North Carolina. Springtime is a magical time there. Here in Michigan, we haven't seen anything green in months, but there birds are chirping and flowers are blooming. The snow is melting from the tops of the mountains and the streams and waterfalls are full. And what is is that brings May Flowers? April showers of course! It rains in the Smokey mountains and during this particular time in this light rain, two children are walking from Bud Ogle's barn back to his log cabin. The color is pretty monocromatic green, but the splash of color in the umbrellas makes this picture.
Nikon D-4 camera body, Nikon 24-120mm lens @ 46mm. f/8, 1/30 sec. ISO 800.
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One per year, I teach a MASTER CLASS on sports photography. We often make arrangements with a local gym to have their atheletes in off season to come in and perform for my students in their competition leotards so my students can learn how to shoot sports and build their portfolios. Here are two young gymnasts performing for us at the Michigan Institute of Gymnasitcs in Canton. To get this photograph it needed to be corrographed and then executed. It certainly did not occur on the first attempt; to expect both athletes to leap in perfect synchronized rhythm would be optimistic at best. Plus the use of the camera in the burst mode to shoot a dozen frames in just one second, will help insure success.
Nikon D-3 camera body, Nikon 70-200 lens, f/2.8, 1/800 sec. ISO 12,800
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This is the Mohamed Ali Mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It was built from 1832-1857. It is also known as the Alabaster Mosque due to the large amounts of alibaster sone adorning its walls. Alabaster is a stone that can transmit light through it, but is soft and seldom used as a construction material.
Muhamed Ali was an Ottoman governor who initiated an extensive program of reforms and modernization in Egypt. The mosque was built to honor him and is now his final resting place. It features a huge dome that is so big that the size was crushing the stones built to support it. Egypt brought in architects and enginners from around the world to dismantal the dome and put in structural steel beams to properly support its weight. The mosque was re-oppened to prayer in 1939 by King Faruk I.
In 1846 a clock tower was built in the courtyard; a gift from King Louis Phillipe of France in exchange for the Luxor Obelisk now standing in Place de la Cocorde in Paris. But alas, the clock did not work and only recently got repaired to working order. This minaret (tower) is backlit by the sun making for an interesting photo.
Sony A1 camera body, Sony 24-70mm lens @ 24mm, 1/640 sec, f/9.0, ISO 100
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This is a Peonie. It grows to 1-3 feet tall in the late spring or early summer. While the bloom lasts only 7-10 days, it is very fragrant and its nectar attracts ants. The ants do not harm the flower. Peonies close every night and often during overcast weather to protect its delicate petals. The ancient Chinese people often used peonies to flavor their food and for medicine. It is one of the longest serving symbols next to the plum blossom in history. It is a very masculine symbol often used in tattoos are to represent an indifference or not responsible for the consequences type of attitude. I am leading a photo workshop Sunday June 7 from 1-4PM. The Upjohn gardens is a two-acre garden of peonies just a short walk from the University of Michigan Hospital. Bring your tripod, camera and macro lens to photograph this amazing flower.
Sony A1 camera body, Sony 70-200mm lens , f/22, 1/30 sec, ISO 200
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Bryce Denison will be live and in person this Sunday May 31, 2026 at the Jaycee Hall in Redford, MI 15585 Beech Daly Rd. starting at 9:30AM. He will answer questions on photography and pass out literature to provide a shameless sales pitch for the photography classes he teaches in nearby Farmington Hills for Midwest Photography Workshops. There is probably a nominal charge at the door (probably around $7.00) but don't let that stop you. There will be various used camera dealers there to sell you stuff you can't live without! Come see Bryce there.

Annastasia has been one of my favorite models for over 20 years. She requested that I shoot so pre wedding photos of her and her husband to be at St. Agnes Catholic church in Detroit. St. Agnes was dedicated to honor the 27 Ugandan Martyers who died a long time ago. While the church was built around 1929, it was abandoned in 2006. It has layed in ruins since then and has been a great place for photogrpahers to photograph urban decay. The church altar was made from Puewabic pottery tiles and it its prime was spectacular. My wife Linda and I got on our hands and knees and scrubbed the tile clean enough to photograph there. Vandals of course destroyed much of the church including buring the pews and smashing the stained glass. The altar was defaced by spray paint graffiti but still made for an interesting yet unique background.
Nikon D-3 camea body, Nikon 24-120 mm lens , f/22, 1/8 sec. ISO 3200
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Not too many years ago, there was thoroughbred horse racing at Hazel Park Racetrack. They closed. Those magnificent beasts could relly run and look good while doing it. I often took students here for my how to photograph sports classes. One of the great things was for a photographer, they could stand right next to the rail and not need the really big lenses.
Sony A9 camera body, Sony 70-200mm lens , f/5.6, 1/1600 sec. ISO 25,600
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