I have enjoyed teaching photography part time since the late 1980's, when I got my Masters from the International Center of Photography/New York University. Over the years, I have taught b&w film-based photography at all levels, color for both analog and digital photographers, traditional and digital color printing, basic camera classes, view camera photography, documentary, alternative processes, and history of photography. I have taught classes at ICP in New York, at a recreation center in Fairbanks, in remote Alaskan villages, at Luminous Works in Seattle, and at the main campuses of the University of Alaska and the University of Washington.
My favorite position is teaching Light Control at the Photographic Center Northwest (PCNW) in Seattle, which I have been doing at least yearly since 2000.
The small class size (limit of 12) allows for lots of hands-on learning in class, and the students get plenty of studio time between classes to practice and experiment on their own. The Photo Center is associated with Seattle University, so my class usually has students from SU, plus other students who enroll with the Photo Center directly.
Light Control Basics is one of the core classes at the Photographic Center. I often teach the fall evening class, when we start with natural light but move quickly to continuous studio lights, as daylight is in short supply during class time. We use both tungsten lights and the new daylight balanced lights with a range of umbrellas, diffusers, fill cards and flags. Then we spend five weeks with studio strobes, which are our most versatile lights at the Photo Center. The class serves as an introduction to studio practices and techniques for portraits, architecture, and still life. Also, the class is a great introduction for students who are thinking of acquiring photo lights or strobes. More importantly, the sequenced lessons and assignments of Light Control Basics help students learn how light shapes all of their photographs and video, and helps them anticipate lighting challenges and opportunities for all their photos, even when they are working exclusively with available light.