Photography Workshops Instructors

Sam Abell is a gifted and insightful teacher, an expressive artist, and a sensitive photographer. He began working as a contract photographer for National Geographic in 1969. His recent book, Sam Abell: The Photographic Life (Rizzoli, 2002) features photographs from his career as a color photographer as well as previously unpublished photographs from his personal black-and-white diary. His next book, The Life of A Photograph, is to be published in fall 2008. Sam is currently writing and photographing a project on the headwaters of the Amazon, which will be exhibited at the Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, Virginia, in June 2009. This is Sam’s 20th year teaching at The Workshops.

Mim Adkins is a designer, photographer, and photography consultant. Her design clients include book and magazine publishers in Boston and New York as well as photographers nationwide. Mim is also a portrait photographer, creating artful lifestyle photography for her New England clients. During the 10 years that she co-taught “Publishing the Photographic Book” at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, she worked on more than 100 photo book projects. Many of these have since been published and can be seen on Mim’s Web site, www.mimspeak.com/books/.

A photographer for National Geographic for 43 years, William Albert Allard has published five books, including The Photographic Essay and Vanishing Breed, a classic on cowboys and the American West. His book, Portraits of America, is a retrospective of his work on American subjects from the Amish to minor league baseball, from the blues to rodeo. Bill has worked in many countries covering regions from Provence to Peru to Sicily.

Rick Allred jump-started his digital career in 1996, when he helped launch the Santa Fe Workshops digital program. Prior to his return to the Land of Enchantment, Rick was head of the photography department at the Hui No’Eau Visual Art Center in Maui, Hawaii for five years. Now the Digital Lab Manager for The Workshops, Rick is also a freelance photographer, artist, and educator based in Santa Fe. Rick teaches Photoshop and digital photography while also pursuing his creative projects.

Combining his knowledge of traditional and digital photography, Rick uses Photoshop for processing and creating fine art portraits. He is a patient and generous instructor, providing an environment where people can tackle technology with ease and break through creative boundaries. This is his fourth year teaching at The Workshops. Rick’s Web site address is www.rickallredimagery.com.

Kirk Amyx has worked as a photographer for the San Francisco advertising and design communities for nearly 20 years. Using light, composition, and refinements in Photoshop, he creates dynamic still-life and food imagery for many nationally known clients. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design and a photographer since the age of 12, he is known for a balanced approach of refined technique and creative vision.

Kirk has taught Photoshop at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and is currently a member of  the Graduate Fine Art Department at San José State University. He is a passionate and patient instructor who works easily with both novice Photoshop users and seasoned professionals. This is Kirk’s fifth year teaching at The Workshops. His Web site address is www.amyxphoto.com.

Ellen Anon is an internationally recognized nature photographer, educator, and writer. Her photos have been showcased in calendars, galleries, magazines, and books, and her fine-art images are in collections on several continents. An Apple VIP Pro Photographer, she teaches Photoshop, Aperture, and photography workshops at a variety of venues. Ellen is the co-author of Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers (Sybex, 2007) and Aperture Exposed (Sybex, 2006). She blogs regularly for O’Reilly’s Inside Aperture site and writes for the Aperture Users Professional Network. Her Web site address is www.ellenanon.com.

Jim Arndt, a nationally recognized advertising and editorial photographer, has studios in Santa Fe and Minneapolis and specializes in location productions and studio portraits. He is the recipient of over 500 advertising awards, including the Kelly Award for Best Magazine Campaign, dozens of Clios, and numerous Andys, Addies, New York Art Directors Club, and Communication Arts Photo and Advertising Annual awards. Jim was named Adweek National Photographer of the Year and Adweek “Creative All Star” photographer, and was listed among American Photo’s top photographers in advertising.

His work has been exhibited in galleries across the country, including Minneapolis, Santa Fe, Taos, and Austin. A partial list of Jim’s clients include US West, Marlboro, Wrangler, Rolling Stone, and Harley-Davidson. Jim has published five books, The Cowboy Boot Book, 100 Years of Western Wear, Art of the Boot, Cowboy Boots, and Art of the Cross. He is currently working on a sixth book on The West. Jim has taught at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and this is his fourth year teaching at The Workshops. His Web site address is www.jimarndtphotography.com.