I lived in a tourist town. People came from all over the world to visit Yosemite National Park – you had the Asians all crowded in the check out line (there were like 30 of them just between the cashier and the candy), the Germans, all bronzed and bleached (because they think we’ll assume they’re Californians that way, despite the visors and fanny-packs), the French, whom you’ll spot dissecting in the wine aisle (with indignant disgust, no doubt) and the hard-core New Yorkers, who move far too fast for the sequoia-hugging, granola-eating, bandana-wearing hippies who actually inhabit the small town. All these people. From all over the world. To see a place they’ve only heard of, and seen in pictures.
And after they’ve seen it for themselves, they’ll buy dozens of postcards – not because they didn’t have cameras (trust me, they do), but because the postcards just look so much better.
And I, as a young teenager, would buy those postcards. Not because I hadn’t seen Yosemite, but because those postcards were so beautiful. And something in me wanted to capture the same thing – the colors, the clarity, I wanted to capture the emotion on my own camera that I felt when I was looking at someone else’s picture.
I.P.S. gave me the foundational tools I needed to do that.
The Institute in Photographic Studies is a group of God-fearing, people-loving individuals who give their all to pass on the vision of photography to their students through their 7-day courses.
IPS will challenge you Spiritually, Photographically, Mentally, and Socially.
Spiritually
When I went to my first course with IPS, I was surprised at the quality of their devotions, which they did as a group, in the morning during breakfast (done with so much reverence and love, that first morning I wondered if I’d accidentally signed up for a course on how to have Bible Studies). One of the leaders would simply select a passage of scripture, and we would take turns reading it, and the leader would discuss it, and there would be a time for prayer. I personally have been spiritually encouraged at every class I’ve gone to (I’ve been to five) – my faith has been strengthened, and my eyes have been opened in many ways.
Photographically
Where can I even start? From the beginning to the end of every class, I am astonished at the difference I see in my photos. Perhaps the most marked difference for me began when I took the Portraiture & Lighting course – I saw photos in a completely different way. I learned to think outside the box, to take creative portraits – to analyze a situation, understand how I saw it, and to then capture that essence in a picture. I learned – and am still learning – how to not take “stupid” pictures. (In other words, you can’t turn off your mind and press the button!)
You will be tossed into a plethora of fun and excitingly diverse circumstances and get the opportunity to capture it on camera!
Mentally
As you are challenged to think outside the box with your photography, you will find your mind stretching. You will observe details you had not noticed before, firmly grasping new concepts, and love every moment.
Socially
Every time I go to a class I have the opportunity to meet wonderful new people – not in an overwhelming way, but in a totally cool, down-to-earth, over-coffee kind of way. When I went to my first class I was 15. I was the social butterfly’s ugly step-sister; I was shy and miserable, and hardly a friend. But those wonderful people loved me anyway and made me feel perfectly at home. I have found myself stretching to new heights at every class, reaching out, and being the one who is reached out to.
In summary?
If you regret it, you can write me a hate letter. I give you permission.
Go to an IPS workshop. Be changed and change your world.
-Anna Kraft
The Gillaspie Family
