MOOD Calgary 2027

MOOD: An exploration of the art of black and white portrait photography with Dave Brosha and Wayne Simpson.

If you love portrait photography and the transformative power of black and white — the way shadow and light can strip a portrait down to its very soul — then MOOD was made for you. This is a two-day deep dive into the art of black and white portraiture, led by passionate and experienced Canadian photographers Dave Brosha and Wayne Simpson, and it is anything but ordinary.

Expect long, immersive days, plenty of laughs, and a large amount of hands-on creative time. From the psychology of mood and light, to the moment of capture, to the nuanced craft of a stunning black and white edit, every step of the process is laid bare.

Consider it a masterclass in seeing the world in black and white — and making others feel it.

Dates: January 13-14, 2027

Cost: $1450 + tax for the two days (full price) or pay $750 + tax DEPOSIT with an installment of $700 + tax due Aug 31, 2026.

(NOTE: The $1450 +tax is the workshop Fee only - accommodation, meals, or transportation not included, although carpooling is encouraged).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (note: details subject to change)

Day 1

9:00AM until 11AM  -  Dave and Wayne will kick off the event with introductions, slideshows, and talks about their unique vision and voice in the monochromatic medium. During this morning's presentation, they'll examine a variety of styles and influences and take a deep dive into their own specific B+W headspace.

11 until 12:30 - INSTRUCTOR DEMO #1 -- The group will split up - half will go with Wayne and half will go with Dave as they demo a black and white portrait session. In this time, they will talk aloud their entire thought process, including obstacles they're trying to overcome, posing, expression, lighting, and mood.

12:30 until 1:30 - lunch break.

1:30PM until 2:30PM INSTRUCTOR DEMO #2. As with the first demo, Dave and Wayne will demo live (with the group split up between the instructors), building upon the lessons of the first portrait demo, showing their creative workflow.

2:45PM - 5:30PM PARTICIPANT PHOTOSHOOTS #1. Participants will break into small groups, be assigned subjects and proceed to create for almost 3 straight hours. Participants will help and support each other, as will Dave and Wayne.

Day 2

9:00AM until 11:00AM - INSTRUCTOR DEMO #3. While Day One demos were more focused on the essentials of strong portraiture and B+W lighting, Day Two will see Dave and Wayne get more advanced, with the potential of using multiple strobes, focusing more attention on lighting to create a mood, multi-light set-ups, effectively balancing ambient and introduced lighting, creating intricate monochromatic mood. As with Day One, the group will split up and see demos from both Wayne and Dave before diving into late morning shooting.

11:5 until 1:15 - PARTICIPANT PHOTOSHOOTS #2. Participants will continue building on their B+W skill sets, and will break into small groups and create their own B+W portraits.

1:15 until 2:15 Lunch break

2:15 until 4PM - PARTICIPANT PHOTOSHOOTS #2. Final and full-on creative!  Participants will break into small groups and create their own B+W portraits.  Participants will be assigned specific portrait tasks and challenges to allow them to focus on skill-building and in-the-moment creativity.

4PM until 6:30 PM Post-Processing DEMO/Participant Critique. One of the overlooked and/or rushed aspects of many workshops, Wayne and Dave will spend time going over their entire end-to-end editing process, which will include "live" edits of some of the B+W images they shot during the demos, explaining different Lightroom and Photoshop techniques. After their demos and discussion, participants will have roughly one hour to work on their images for the purpose of a critique.   Final group editing session, slideshow, and critique.

NOTE: While it is strongly advised to bring your own laptop for editing to best take advantage of the editing session, don't stress if you don't have a laptop. Participants can double up and also hop onto Dave and Wayne's laptops if need be.

NOTE: This workshop is limited to a maximum of 12 participants, so expect a lot of hands-on shooting time with lots of support from Dave and Wayne.

Payment and Cancellation Policy

A $750 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot, with an installment of $700 + tax due Aug 31, 2026.

Spots are non-refundable but are transferable (i.e. if the participant is able to find someone else to take their spot and can sell/transfer the spot to a new participant, this is acceptable). Please note it is the participant's responsibility to sell their spot if they are unable to attend.

You can pay the full amount up-front, too, should you choose.

For any additional questions, please contact any of the event organizers:

Dave Brosha - davebrosha@gmail.com

Wayne Simpson - wayne@waynesimpsonphotography.com