• Instructors

    Benjamin Hardman
  • Skill Level

    Level 3

    Made for rising photographers: You know how to use your camera, edit with Lightroom, and want to learn more about developing your style and running a business.

  • What You Get

    5 hours of learning.

    + 25 segments.

    + 6 field episodes

    + Iceland Roadmap Guide

    + Downloadable lesson PDF

  • Learn to

    Create your own minimal style

    + Frame your subjects, using negative space.

    + Shoot stunning landscapes and wildlife shots.

    + Travel light with your gear.

    + Use Ben's editing techniques.

What You'll Learn

Ben wants to take you to some of the farthest reaches of the earth to teach you to get out there, to push harder, to find that epic shot, whether it's the small details or the sweeping landscapes. He'll also teach you some of his master editing techniques.

High Resolution Setup

1/25

Breaking down Benjamin’s go-to gear for when high-resolution imagery is of utmost importance.

Lightweight Gear Setup

2/25

Versatility is always a necessity, but sometimes weight can be a hinderance. This is what you would find Benjamin shooting with whilst on a mountaineering ascent when having lightweight gear is key.

Backpack Breakdown

3/25

A comprehensive look into the necessities that Benjamin carries with him on his expeditions.

Aerial Photography

4/25

Walking through the specialized aerial photography equipment that has revolutionized Benjamin’s work in recent years.

Gear & Clothing

5/25

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing” as the quote says. The Arctic is no exception. This is what Benjamin wears and uses, making him ready to take on extreme conditions.

Research & Preparation

6/25

Planning is important in a volatile arctic environment. Pre-planning and back-up plans could mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful shoot.

Seals of Glacier Lagoon

7/25

Ben is searching for Icelandic wildlife to photograph - demonstrating how composition and framing angle can affect the intensity of wildlife portraits, lining up the background frame, and what lenses you may need for this.

Editing: Lightroom Basics

8/25

You must shoot RAW to take advantage of Lightroom’s colour adjustments and full image dynamic range. This episode helps students understand RAW.

Capturing Glacial Detail

9/25

Benjamin is shooting details of the ice, showing sometimes the most impacting images are in the smaller, often overlooked details of a scene.

Editing: Macro Detail

10/25

Find out how lens choice brings out the detail of ice - tele vs macro and creating a visual story using a combination of both.

Editing: Image Stitching

11/25

Learn how to effectively create a multi-image stitch… even if it ends up being a 294 Megapixel image to get there.

Photographing the Elusive Reindeer

12/25

Finding a clean aesthetic in a busy scene, low angles, and placing the animal with a consistent background, using foreground elements for bokeh.

Documenting Iceland's Jagged Peaks

13/25

Composing a mountain peak with negative space, analyzing the light, and using adverse weather to create texture and emotion.

Editing: Atmospheric Mountains

14/25

Sculpting light to isolate centralised subjects, using Selective Adjustments (Radial, Brush, Grad ND) to balance the light & weight and draw the viewer into the subject.

Mountain Drone Photography

15/25

Benjamin will demonstrate how to find and isolate subjects with a drone - getting close to mountain faces or finding a clean scene with a bird's eye perspective (often using snow).

Editing: Aerial Abstraction

16/25

Using nature and its patterns and shapes to draw focus to a subject - leading lines such as mountain valleys and river streams.

Benjamin's Style

17/25

Style is like a fingerprint - it’s the personal aspect that makes your work uniquely you. The importance of finding and continuing to develop style is not only for personal taste, but for making yourself stand out against others in the highly competitive photography world.

What Inspires Benjamin

18/25

Benjamin shares how other photography isn’t his biggest inspiration, but rather the landscapes, music and emotion, and the patterns of weather and the changing earth.

Creating your own Voice

19/25

Starting first by recognising what inspires you - it can be photography, fashion, architecture, music. Gather what inspires you and have it somewhere it can be looked at (moodboard, posters, phone background).

Curation: Computer to Phone & Unum

20/25

This episode shares Benjamin’s emphasis on creating a cohesion across his images, and how this works to his advantage. His main platform is Instagram - so this relates to that.

Social Media Q&A with Alex

21/25

Having organized and well-executed social media can lead to job opportunities, exhibition opportunities, everything. Learn how Benjamin built his social media from the ground up.

Benjamin's Story & Business Tips

22/25

Benjamin shares his experience and some tips to help you start the journey of running your own business. He speaks from the perspective of taking on a business alone and the major considerations when working from home.

Presenting Professionally

23/25

Having a complete set-up and covering all aspects of your business (website, social media, email address, physical portfolio, logo, business card, references, account stats, client list, etc).

Workshop Takeaways

24/25

Wrapping up and Benjamin’s favorite noteworthy advice to take your craft to the next level.

Workshop Summary

25/25

Ben & Alex reflect and recap over the strongest points that have been shared in the workshop. Congrats, you finished, now get out there and shoot!

"This workshop is truly a gift to photographers who want to learn how to be more patient and see beauty in every subject."

— CHRIS BURKARD

Class Extras

Get more out of the lesson with an exclusive Iceland roadmap guide and downloadable content.

"Benjamin is one of those photographers who without a doubt inspires greatness from everyone his work touches. It's a personal push to reach beyond the boundaries as an artist to capture the world in a new light. Anyone with the privilege to learn from him should take it and run."

—PETER MCKINNON

Benjamin Hardman

Photographer, based in Iceland.
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