Sloss Furnaces
The focus of this night photography workshop will be a deep dive into light painting, composition, and black and white photography. Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is an incredible collection of 20th century metal machinery located on the eastern edge of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. We will use moonlight and light painting to breathe fire back into the furnaces.
Workshop Details
November 16-19, 2023 — Completed
This is a 3-night, 4-day workshop. Your adventure begins at 10 a.m. on November 16 and ends after a public final slideshow at Sloss Furnaces in the late afternoon of November 19.
$1,495 + applicable taxes. Register below.
Skill level
Intermediate and above. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
Location website
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Workshop Leaders
Registration
This event has passed. Thanks for your interest!
| • Deposit of $600 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $895 is due on August 18, 2023. —> Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is August 17, 2023 (see cancellation and refund policy). |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, or transportation to Birmingham, Alabama, or to our nightly shoot locations. |
The Sloss Furnaces Experience
This workshop grants access to one of the most important and still-intact historic industrial sites in the United States. If you like turn-of-the-century industrial ruins, then you will love weaving your way through the web of pipes and smokestacks that fueled the Sloss Furnaces from 1882 to 1970.
Sloss’ furnaces were known as the top producer of pig iron in the world. They brought the Industrial Revolution to the South and helped create Birmingham, Alabama.
The moon will be a waxing crescent and will aid our urban night shooting. We will be able to work outside the looming structures and challenge our compositional skills to capture the many intricate details, repeating patterns and sense of place. We’ll also be able to step inside the dark engine rooms and really work our light painting skills to reveal the many oversized gears, machines and tools of 20th century iron-making technology. We’ll have exclusive access until 11 p.m., for over 6 hours of shooting each night.
We scheduled this workshop in late fall to avoid the heat of the South as well as to start shooting in the early evening.
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
We hope to push you to step outside your comfort zone—to test the limits of what you and your camera can do. You’ll go home after the workshop with a solid grasp of composing and creating beautiful black and white images in complete darkness.
The focus of the formal education will be leveling up your compositions in a challenging environment, light painting, and how to see, shoot and process in black and white.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
scouting and planning
composing and focusing in low light
optimizing exposure for raw capture and development with Lightroom
a heavy infusion of light painting
pre-visualizing compositions for black and white
optimizing exposure for conversion to black and white
black-and-white post-processing
and more …
This workshop will have both field and classroom instruction. We will be in the classroom during the day, and out in the expansive Sloss grounds each night. While in the field, the instructors will demonstrate their own techniques and will work with participants to make sure everyone gets the most out of the workshop.
Sloss has generous room to explore, so everyone will be able to spread out and not get in one another’s way. Each participant will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Gabe and Lance in the field.
We do not tell our attendees what to photograph, and we won’t line you up in a row to all shoot the same thing (unless it’s helpful to get some people on track). Instead, we encourage you to use what you have learned to create your own unique images, and to let us guide you through the process should you desire.
We do not teach you to do what we do, but rather how to develop your own night vision.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation. We recommend arriving in Birmingham on November 15 and leaving on November 20.
Rental Car
You will need a rental car.
There is no need for four-wheel-drive.
If you are interested in sharing a car rental, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone in the group.
Nearby Airports:
Birmingham (BHM) — 15 minutes from the hotel
Lodging & Food
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Lodging
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day.
Info and group code will be when our lodging partner is ready to begin taking reservations.
If you are interested in sharing a room, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
You’ll definitely want to take advantage of the amazing southern food that can melt in your mouth in Birmingham!
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great late lunch.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snacks, food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
Weather
November is a very mild month in Birmingham, with an average temperature of 65 F during the day and 45 at night. We could encounter some rain and clouds—but that should only bring additional drama to the scene! There are plenty of indoor locations to shoot to avoid getting wet.
Recommended Attire
Warm clothing for cool autumn nights.
Wool hats, socks and warm gloves to keep you comfortable long into the night. Layers are highly recommended as we’ll experience a variety of temperatures during the day and night.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There won’t be any hikes, but there will be loose and uneven surfaces, and navigating the inside of dark, old industrial buildings. You should be comfortable carrying your own equipment in the dark.
Considerations
Please read our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
A Steel Journey …
“It has been a few years since I’ve been to Sloss, and it will be like revisiting an old friend.”
Sloss Furnaces was the first historically preserved modern ruin I visited many years ago. It kicked off a further fascination of ruinism and the history of the steel industry in the U.S. I was thrilled to gain access over several nights and to help create the first ever night photography workshop at Sloss in 2018.
It is a very special place that welcomes you with curious compositions and pushes you to see in black and white. I was amazed on my first night exploring Sloss that I could see the stars on a moonless night. That opened up even more creative juices as I played with star trails intersecting the massive lines of the industrial structures. I could spend endless nights configuring new compositions in this timeless place.
It has been a few years since I’ve been to Sloss, and it will be like revisiting an old friend. I’m also thrilled to share this experience with one of the finest urban night photographers I know, Lance Keimig. It will be his first time getting acquainted with the massive wonder of Sloss Furnaces.
I can’t wait to see the look in your eyes when the gates open and you take your first steps into this steel palace.
To me, every night I spend in Sloss is magical.
