TESTIMONIALS
FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
(en)VISIONOGRAPHY
with
JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU
FOUNDER OF (en)VISIONOGRAPHY™
TWO-TIME WINNER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR IPA INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS ARCHITECTURE 2016 & 2021
For more details see WORKSHOPS & MENTORING
“Where I am in photography now, I owe it to Julia for being such an awesome mentor and teacher.”
“Julia is a true professional in her approach to photography.“
“Taking Julia’s workshop was the best thing I ever did: her natural teaching style gave me the confidence I needed.”
“I’ve learned that to become the best, you learn from the best, so I sought out Julia.”
“I believe Julia is one the best fine art photographers in the world. I fell in love with her work as soon as I discovered it.”
“Julia’s work is only surpassed by her gentle spirit and kindness as an instructor. “
“Learning from Julia is not just intensive and packed with valuable information, it is also fun and exciting.”
“Julia’s goal is to see each one of her students excel in both technical and creative aspects.“
“Julia is a true inspiration, a great photographer and I don’t think I would be able to learn from anyone else so quickly. “
“I highly recommend Julia’s workshops to anyone wanting to take their work to a level that they may have never thought possible. “
“I will forever be indebted to Julia, studying with her has truly been both an honor and a transformation for myself and my profession.”
“She changed the way I see, the way I approach a subject, the way I react to light, and the way I process my images. “
“The phrase “Highly Recommended” is just an understatement to describe the usefulness of Julia’s workshops.”
“I have had the good fortune to take two workshops, one year apart, from Julia Anna. The first in San Francisco, and the second in Los Angeles.
The preparation for the workshop was thorough and prepared me for what I was about to learn better than any other workshop. I have taken many workshops throughout the past 15 years as a photographer and quite simply, none compare. From day one in the class, I knew I was in for some serious work on my part. Julia Anna’s knowledge and her wish to share that expertise, enthusiasm and passion are wasted on none. I truly believe she does everything possible to help you grasp concepts and apply them the same day. She is a workshop leader in every sense of the word. You will find her helping each of her students assisting them in understanding a concept or technique first hand, and never photographing herself until everyone is finished, or once the entire workshop is ended and all have gone home. She is open to answer any question at any time and somehow is able to help all so no one is left out.
So why did I take the second class? (BTW, there were 5 other 2-time workshop attendees there). I felt I needed to get one more dose, feeling I did not get everything the first time, due to my lack of knowledge entering the workshop. Although I did have enough knowledge to do well and comprehend most, had I known more Photoshop I have come to find, out my life and creativity could have been made easier and a bit more successful.
Am I glad I took the second class? Oh my! I had no idea I had learned so very much in one year, but the work I have created since that second class, (only 2 weeks hence), has simply been amazing. So much so that after sharing some images from my San Francisco workshop with our local photography group and museum members, I was asked to have a one-person show in the local museum in January 2020 sharing images from both San Francisco and Los Angles. I am honored, but even more, having Julia Anna as a mentor and a coach has given me the freedom to be creative beyond my hopes and has me as impassioned as I have ever been. I also am creating other black and white portfolios for clouds and sand dunes with the learnings I received from Julia Anna. The concepts have helped me to find my vision and voice. Something I have searched for the entire 15 years of my photographic experience.
Yes, I am a fan, but then read other testimonials and you will see I am not alone in my praise and admiration for this international artist and wonderful person. She quickly becomes your friend within her workshop. So take advantage of this opportunity and take a workshop. I may see you there.”
– Bob Canepa – San Francisco, USA
“I wanted to thank you again for all the information, constructive suggestions and humor you provided for all of us during the intensive three-day workshop. Your insight into the flow was just perfect.
I got way more than I asked for in the workshop. I always like to see what’s in your head. Your work with all the participant images was extremely valuable. I am creating a new Adobe Portfolio Website for just B & W work to include Architecture, Dunes and Yosemite Landscapes in particular and your constructive critiques were so very helpful.
And the hours you put, well it was truly amazing. Thank you so much for the support and sharing of your knowledge to help me achieve my vision for so long now.”
– Bob Canepa – San Francisco, USA
“Working with Julia (on both a group and a private workshop and more extensively and intensely in private online mentoring) has helped me push the limits of my photography, helped me enjoy it more and also helped me discover so many things, not only about photography but also about myself as an artist.
Julia has developed her own divergent and creative thinking into innovative, practical techniques and exhibits the generosity of her spirit in fully sharing these unique ideas and practices through her teaching, her website and her writing. She shows great respect for (and extensive knowledge of) both the history of art and the history and traditions of photography and has extensive knowledge and understanding of the work and contributions of our photographic forebears. And this is delivered with passion, enthusiasm, energy and commitment in her workshops and private mentoring.
My Twitter profile says that I’m “seeing the world afresh” and, at the time I wrote it, I was referring to the almost magical impact of cataract interventions, restoring colour and vibrancy to my yellow and murky visual world. But it’s also an accurate description of the effect of working with Julia; she has inspired, mentored, challenged and supported my transition from engineering into photography; helped and guided this (retired, female) engineer to develop confidence and vision in fine art.
I feel privileged to be one of her students.”
– Paddy Dawson – Leeds, UK
“Julia is a complete artist, inspiration and passion, and as a teacher, she creates a learning adventure to obtain images in which vision is at the center of the photography process and creative processing.
I can say that this holistic way of approaching photography has given me tools to take photography to a higher level.
The workshop in Berlin was intense, challenging and fun, I loved every moment.
I warmly recommend the learning experience with Julia, who has this extraordinary quality of allowing the student to find his own voice when he is looking for it, as is my case.”
– Gabriela Pantu, Romania – https://www.instagram.com/gabrielapantu/
“I would like to share my immense gratitude to and for Julia Anna for such a photographic-life-changing workshop. She is an amazing instructor with such a talented vision, delivery and execution of such vision. She is a tough cookie who’s humble and down to earth.
I encourage anyone at any level to experience an (en)Visionography workshop. You won’t leave the way you came in. High 5’s to Julia Anna for the absolute best experience.”
– David M. Milstien – Los Angeles, USA – www.Erraticphotographic.com
“Julia’s Curriculum goes far beyond the how-to’s of capturing and processing. It’s a holistic approach that teaches the entire process from start to finish with the ultimate goal of creating a beautifully crafted and polished image. To sit in her workshop is to be led on a journey where you learn to see through the eyes of an artist and led to your own version of Julia’s magnificent vision.
The (en)Visionagraphy process liberates the photographer from traditional dogma and technical limitations espoused by so many today. It is not a recipe, but more a way of seeing and thinking about photography. Yes, the fundamentals of focus, exposure, and composition all apply, but they, along with processing, exist to serve the greater purpose.
Within a day I was seeing light, shape, and shadow more in line with Julia’s vision and began working towards the expression of my own interpretation of those same elements. The technique and style has uses in all forms of photography and most certainly isn’t limited solely to architectural photography. But julia shines here too. Her background as an architect and enthusiasm for that discipline was truly enlightening. The locations were chosen after extensive background research, scouting, and serious homework adding immensely to the overall experience.
If you only want to shoot better snapshots or dog pics, this is probably not the course for you. It’s definitely not a paint-by-numbers system. Instead, Julia teaches one how to see and then create something truly tangible that conveys the emotion, feel, and essence of what you see in your mind’s eye. Julia’s intelligence, pleasant attitude, and non-judgmental demeanor combine with her deep technical knowledge of everything photography to create a completely unique experience. As a bonus, I was given a precious glimpse inside the mind of a truly gifted artist whose generous nature allowed her to completely share her thoughts and feelings about the craft and her methods.
In the course of just a few all-too-short days, my entire approach to photography has evolved for the better. My strengths were supported, my weaknesses ignored ( or gently tweaked), and my feel for the complete process was developed immeasurably. My original goal was to learn how she makes the magic she does. Mission accomplished, plus so much more.“
– Greg Kelly – Palm Beach, Miami, USA
“It has been a privilege to be in Julia Anna mentorship program. Stepping from classical landscape into the world of fine art is a drastic shift, albeit one that speaks to my heart. Julia Anna’s program is the modern-day version of studying and working with a master. It has been fun, challenging, and extremely rewarding. Learning how to create images through (en)Visionograghy instead of snap shots has been what I have been hoping for in my work.
It’s obvious from Julia Anna’s images, business and interacting with her that she gives 100% to these endeavors. It is such a gift that she brings that same enthusiasm and dedication to the mentorship program. She is quite giving and really wants me to excel. Ready and willing to answer any of my questions. She meets me where I am in my growth as a photographer and gives me the tools and know-how to take the next leap (studying with her steps become leaps!).
The program might seem pricy, but breaking it down to the amount of individualized attention and the amount of material she provides, it is a great deal. It is also so helpful that it is ongoing, (not just 4-6 intense days of a workshop), which helps to integrate the skills and knowledge and work on the finer details. The value far exceeds the cost.
If someone is interested in developing and honing their skills to create black and white fine art images I highly recommend Julia Anna’s mentorship program!”
Jacelyn Bronte – Montana, United States
“I attended Julia’s workshop in Toronto recently and found it overwhelmingly helpful.
The techniques I learned have the potential to take my images to another level. It’s going to be fun conceiving and bringing to life future images using the techniques and insights that I learned from Julia at the workshop, and from her tutorials, videos and books. And Toronto is a great place with many photo opportunities so that was just an added bonus.”
Richard Lionberger – Colorado, United States – https://www.rllphoto.com
“I have been a photographer for at least 50 years. I’ve owned my own photography business, taught photography, and conducted workshops. This workshop was was truly a learning experience.
Julia is a very good photographer, artist, and technician with Photoshop. I noticed while out in the field she makes it a point to visit each photographer and help with their composition or some technical aspect with the camera. In the classroom, Julia is a wonderful teacher. She explains things thoroughly and answers all questions.
I strongly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in Black and White Architectural Photography.”
John Campbell – Michigan, US
“I recently completed a portfolio review/analysis, via a virtual meeting, with Julia. By the meeting’s end, I discovered more about my personal photography than I ever expected.
I gained appreciation for the importance of determining the vision (story) I want my final images to convey, and through analysis of volume, light, composition, etc., the best way to process to “present” that story. Some of the suggested changes were small. Others were more extensive. However, none were obvious to me before our meeting.
If you want to improve your photography in a relaxed atmosphere, with a truly inspiring individual, I recommend Julia without reservation.”
– Dom Mignone – South Carolina, US – https://www.dmignonephotographer.com/
“Julia Anna’s workshops are more than just full of information and expert teaching. She offers a fresh, new way of evaluating imagery! This allows you to go out into the photographic world to appraise your photographic targets & creations …in a new light. But not the clichéd, idiomatic “in a new light” – no; Julia Anna literally shows how to look for light in ways you may have never previously considered and then how to evaluate, work and edit that light in your images.
When she critiqued our own creations, she didn’t merely apply a blanket, boilerplate fix, or recommendation. She carefully evaluated every image, individually recommending improvements in a careful, considered way. It was enlightening to understand her thought process and methods!
Ms. Gospodarou is not just another award-winning photographer. She brings the unique practice of (architectural) drawing & shading to the photographic world, to more expertly deal with the lighting & perspective nuances of photography. This is what she passes on to her students and why all photographers, of any genre, should take her class.”
– Stu Curtis – Oregon, US – http://www.sandtosnow.net/ & https://www.instagram.com/sand_to_snow/
“I have been a big fan of Julia Anna’s work for a few years now and read her blog religiously. However, I could never get my schedule to line up when she had workshops. I say this to say that sometimes like the big blockbuster movie you waited too long to see after reading all of the reviews, and that everyone else has seen, that your expectations are much bigger than the actual experience when you finally see it. I can tell you this was not the case after just completing her most recent workshop in NYC.
My personal experience exceeded my own high expectations going in of what this course would deliver. Whether you are a professional or amateur like myself you will come away a better photographer than when you walked into the class. She combines both the craft side of the technical knowledge you need to know to understand and execute [ shooting and post processing] of her philosophy of [en]Visionography combined with the vision side of how to both think like and create like an artist.
She can explain intricate technical details of layers and masking with photoshop, or speak passionately and eloquently on 16-century painters, or the vision of any number of practicing modern architects. Not many can do that. No question is too basic or too complex that while you may be in a class with people more advanced than you or less so, all are made to feel very welcome and comfortable in learning with her.
I would highly recommend it to everyone who wants to take their photography to another level whatever that genre might be as it extends far beyond architectural shots. I am so looking to put into practice what she taught us, with the hope one day of coming closer in capturing something that she would consider, ”yes this is fine art, Lance.”
– Lance Saunders – Toronto, Canada – https://www.instagram.com/lancesaundersphoto/
“I recently joined Julia on her Tokyo (en)Visionography workshop. What a fabulous workshop, she is a very engaging and extremely knowledgeable teacher and a wonderful person and it is a privilege to be able to learn from her. It is an intensive and busy course, an excellent value for money.
This was my second workshop with Julia and I hope to do more and highly recommend her to you if you are interested in exploring creativity and want to further develop your vision as well as learn more of the technical aspects of post-processing applicable to (en)Visionograhy.”
– Sarah Caldwell – New Zeeland – https://www.instagram.com/sarah_e_caldwell/
“I’ve taken more than 20 photography courses since the pandemic began, and as measured by the number of unique things I learned that will take my photography to a whole new level, Julia’s three-day B&W course was the best. If you are interested in improving your B&W photography by learning the thinking and the processing she uses to create her award-winning B&W architecture photos, I recommend her three-day workshops without any hesitation.
Not only am I stunned at the photos she creates for her own portfolio, I’m delighted to be acquiring the unique skills that she developed to do what she does. In person, she’s a genuinely friendly person with an upbeat attitude and a good sense of humor.
I know you can read the description of her workshop on her website, but I thought I would try to bring my three-day experience to life for you. We spent every morning in a very nice boardroom, learning principles and practices, and every afternoon we went out to shoot some very interesting buildings she had already scouted out. That combination of “classroom” learning and shooting was a perfect blend for me.
In the classroom sessions worked on getting grounded in the principles and theory behind Julia’s B&W processing. Back when I was in college, theory and principles sessions were often boring, but this one definitely wasn’t. It’s one thing to read her book and to watch her videos – which I did in advance and highly recommend if you want to get the most out of her workshop – but it’s very different when you can interact with her and ask questions along the way.
In the processing sessions, Julia translated the theory and principles we learned into practice by processing one of her own photos – from start to finish. She began with the original out-of-camera image and reviewed her thinking as she was composing the shot. That was super helpful to me. Even on location, she was thinking about her composition in a much deeper way than I had ever done in my photos.
She explained her vision for that particular photo (and how she got to that vision), and then she took us through every processing step, from global edits, to making selections, to local edits, to final processing. She transformed “ordinary” into extraordinary right before our eyes, step by step, and we got to ask questions when we didn’t understand something.
In the portfolio review session, she applied her thinking and her processing skills to student photos, and that was equally interesting. Seeing her work on her own photo was fabulous, but seeing how she brought a photo from each student to a whole new place was even more inspiring. She took a photo I submitted in a whole new direction, and it was stunning how much she improved my original processing by shaping the light to make it dramatically more three-dimensional. She did the same with the photos of the other students, and I learned as much from seeing her work on their photos as I learned from her work on my photo.
Many student photos were of architecture, but some people had much more landscape experience than architecture experience, and they submitted landscape photos. It made no difference – she applied the exact same principles and processing methods to their landscape photos as well. In every case, she took what was already a good photo and brought it to a whole new level, creating three dimensions from two. It was a morning of learning I won’t forget for a long time.
In the practical part of the workshop, we shot some very interesting Chicago architecture. I lived in the Chicago area for a decade much earlier in my life and I thought I knew its sites fairly well, but Julia took us to buildings I’d never seen, and she found new perspectives and new compositions for places I had been to previously.
I learned a huge amount in Julia’s workshop, but I also realized how much more I have yet to learn, and will be taking another workshop from her again in the future. And one great bonus from her in-person workshop – I made friends with all the other students in the small class, every one of whom was a really good photographer. I look forward to staying in touch with them! “
Dan Simpson – San Francisco, CA
FURTHER STUDY RESOURCES
FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY, ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY, LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY
You can find more resources about fine art black and white photography, (en)Visionography, long exposure photography and architecture photography in my extensive collection of photography tutorials. To receive my future tutorials directly via email you can subscribe to my website.
Learn more about how to create fine art photography, from vision to processing and the final image in my video course From Vision to Final Image – Mastering Black and White Photography Processing, in my video tutorial Long Exposure, Architecture, Fine Art Photography – Creating (en)Visionography, in my book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography, or by attending one of my workshops.
To study with Julia Anna Gospodarou personally, find out about our
WORKSHOPS & MENTORING
Please consider making a donation
We believe in knowledge, we believe in education, and the freedom of spirit that creates great art. We believe in art and artists.
Please consider making a donation to help us continue sharing free content and offer knowledge and inspiration.
For more than a decade, we have been sharing free content on fine art photography, black and white photography, architecture photography, long exposure photography, as well as our original concepts of “(en)Visionography” and “Photography Drawing”.
Thousands of photographers started their journey in fine art photography here and found inspiration and practical resources that empowered them. Many have won awards for their work and are making a career in photography based on knowledge acquired from our free tutorials, books, courses, and workshops.
This makes us incredibly proud of our work.
To empower even more photographers to reach their dreams, we want to keep this resource free forever so every new or advanced photographer can have access to knowledge and inspiration.
To help us in our efforts to provide knowledge and inspiration for everyone, please consider becoming a patron of this website with your donations.
You will be part of this generous effort, and you can be proud of being a supporter of art and artists like the famous Maecenas of the past. Art and artists need your support, as always in the history of art and photography.
Thank you!
Julia Anna Gospodarou – Founder
Julia Anna Gospodarou is an internationally acclaimed award-winning photographer, an architect with a Master’s degree, a best-selling author, and a highly sought-after educator, teaching workshops and lecturing around the world. Founder of (en)Visionography™ and creator of Photography Drawing™, author of the best-selling book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography, multiple times awarded in the most important photography competitions worldwide (Two-Time International Photography Awards IPA Photographer of the Year 2016 & 2021, World Photography Awards SWPA Top 10 Finalist, and Hasselblad Masters Top 10 Finalist, as well as 100+ more awards), widely published internationally in books and magazines, Julia is passionate about art and photography and striving to spread the ideas of fine art photography and (en)Visionography all over the world.