Date & Time: Four consecutive Tuesdays (March 4, 11, 18, 25) | 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Location: Online Live via Zoom
Black-and-white photography offers a unique way to see the world—one that emphasizes contrast, texture, and form to create powerful, expressive images.
In this four-session course, you’ll learn to develop your eye for compelling black-and-white photography and learn to successfully utilize the tools in Lightroom or Photoshop to bring your vision to life.
Taught by Rich Seiling, former assistant curator at The Ansel Adams Gallery, this class provides a hands-on approach to black-and-white processing. Rich will guide you through the same techniques he uses to create stunning monochrome images—both for himself and his printmaking clients.
Each session is two hours long and builds on the last, using your own images for practical learning. Sessions are recorded and available for one month, so you can attend live or review the material on your own schedule.
Session 1 (March 4): The Art of Black & White Conversion
Your camera captures in color—so how do you translate that into a striking black-and-white image? Learn the critical techniques for conversion that will set your work apart, guided by the eye of a master.
Session 2 (March 11): Mastering Contrast for Maximum Impact
Contrast is the soul of black-and-white photography. Rich will teach you how to shape contrast for expressive results using Lightroom’s powerful Curves tool—plus, how to work around Lightroom’s built-in limitations for advanced control.
Session 3 (March 18): Local Adjustments—The Darkroom Approach
The secret to breathtaking black-and-white images? Precision control. Learn how to use brushing and masking for expert-level dodging and burning, guiding the viewer’s eye and creating a more dynamic composition.
Session 4 (March 25): Bringing Your Vision to Life
Refine your work and develop a deeper understanding of black-and-white expression. Through hands-on processing and feedback, we’ll work toward making your images more powerful and personal.
This Online Live class series will be conducted using Zoom. You will receive a Zoom Invitation Link a few days prior to the first session’s scheduled date. We will have recordings of each session available for four weeks after the session runs for students who miss a session, or would like to review what they learned during the live session.
Rich Seiling’s passion for capturing light and beauty with photography has led him on a series of adventures that have shaped his vision and view of the craft.  From a stint at The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite as an assistant curator, to his pioneering work in digital printmaking, founding of a leading fine art printing studio, and 22 years living in and photographing the Yosemite region of the Sierra Nevada, Rich has deeply explored the vision and craft of photography while continuing to express his own vision.Â
He learned photography in the darkroom, seeking to make prints with the rich tonal scale exemplified by the West Coast traditions of photography. But his frustration with color processes led him to explore digital photography starting in the early 1990s.
Combining his darkroom knowledge with digital tools led to a process for making color prints of museum quality that pushed the process to new heights. His reputation for making vibrant yet realistic digital prints allowed him to help photographers like Galen Rowell, Jack Dykinga, Robert Glenn Ketchum, and many others, make the transition to digital fine art printing. With his team at West Coast Imaging, he has helped produce numerous museum shows, supplied prints for leading galleries, and done prepress for art books from publishers like Taschen and Houghton Mifflin.Â
Working in both black & white and color, Rich strives to capture the profound beauty of nature and communicate it through vibrant, and sometimes large, prints. He considers himself a student of light, discovering its qualities and how it communicates the inherent realities of a subject, often seeking out fleeting moments of rare light that make the landscape sing its own voice.
Driven by the belief that each photographer has a unique story only they can tell, Rich teaches the art of photography through workshops and articles. His goal is to help students unlock their potential to tell their own stories by helping them gain control of the craft, expand their vision, and most of all, to experience the enrichment and joy that photography brings.
A full refund will be granted to those who notify us of registration cancelation at least 72 hours (3 days) prior to the series start date.
