Saturday, November 7 | 10:45 – 12:15 p.m. | Room 308
Sunday, November 8 | 12:45 – 2:15 p.m. | Room 308
How-to-Workshop Description
This hands-on workshop takes photographers of all experience levels into the world of dramatic black and white floral portraiture using a lightbox as the primary light source. The approach is rooted in a specific technique: backlighting flowers on a lightbox to activate petal translucency, then converting and processing the resulting RAW files into high-contrast, fine art black and white images with genuine tonal depth and visual impact.
Part 1: Introduction and Hands-On Shooting
Introduction: Why Black and White, Why the Lightbox
- What backlighting does that no other light source replicates: translucency, internal petal structure, tonal separation from within
- Why black and white is the natural endpoint for this technique: the removal of color forces the eye to read form, contrast, and texture alone
- Quick gallery walk-through: finished solarized black and white prints showing the tonal range participants will be working toward
Active Shooting Time
- Participants shoot freely at various stations; instructors circulates for individual feedback
- Flower rotation encouraged to build a varied set of RAW files
- The instructor circulates for individual guidance
Part 2: Post-Processing Demonstration
The workshop concludes with a projected post-processing demonstration covering the full Lightroom-to-Photoshop workflow, including black and white conversion, tonal inversion, and the solarization technique that gives this genre its signature edge-glow quality.
Lightroom: RAW Preparation
- Selecting the strongest bracket frame and why the overexposed version often wins
- Initial exposure, contrast, and white balance corrections
- Preparing a clean, slightly bright file for handoff to Photoshop
Summing it up: What Participants Will Leave With
- A full set of bracketed RAW files from their own lightbox shooting session
- A clear understanding of the solarization technique and how to replicate it independently
- The ability to apply this workflow to future lightbox sessions using any fresh flowers and standard editing software
- Reference materials covering (1) settings for handheld and tripod configurations for lightbox work as well as (2) a post-processing workflow summary describing the complete process from RAW file to finished print.
What’s Provided by the Instructor
- Portable LED lightboxes (one per station or paired as needed)
- Fresh flowers selected for translucency and tonal range
What You’ll Need to Bring
- Any digital camera with manual or aperture priority mode (mirrorless, DSLR, or advanced compact)
- A standard or macro lens (50mm to 100mm equivalent is ideal; kit lenses work well)
- Tripod (strongly recommended; a small tabletop tripod is sufficient)
- Memory card with adequate space for bracketed RAW files
Instructors Information
Padma Inguva is a fine art photographer whose lightbox floral work has been exhibited and recognized across the Mid-Atlantic photography community. Her images are characterized by a meticulous approach to light, tonal control, and the use of translucency as a compositional element rather than a side effect.
Padma has presented her floral work to camera club audiences in the U.S. and abroad, and has served as a photo contest judge for various camera clubs. She brings a practitioner’s directness to her teaching style: participants learn by doing, with real equipment and real flowers, in conditions that translate directly to their own studios and home setups.
Her portfolio and speaking credentials can be reviewed at padmasworld.com.
Al Rojas has co-conducted photography workshops alongside Padma since 2017 and has been instrumental in designing and building the custom lightboxes used in these sessions. Known for his patience and hands-on approach, Al works closely with participants on the technical side of the workshop, helping troubleshoot camera settings and lightbox positioning so that everyone is ready to shoot with confidence.
