Dallas PPA Workshop

Black-and-white photography is more than removing color—it is the process of seeing or shaping light, tone, texture, form, and emotion with purpose. In this full-day workshop, David Downs will guide participants through the complete creative process, from recognizing subjects with strong monochrome potential to producing polished, high-impact finished images. The morning will explore composition, tonal relationships, exposure, and the practical use of zones, including how to work with both controlled lighting and the existing light encountered in landscape, architecture, travel, street, and environmental photography. Participants will then apply those principles during a hands-on shooting experience featuring textured objects, organic subjects, geometric forms, and portrait opportunities. The afternoon will connect capture to post-production through live editing demonstrations using images created under similar lighting conditions, showing how RAW files are transformed through tonal control, local adjustments, dodging and burning, and purposeful finishing. Participants will leave with a more complete and repeatable approach to seeing, photographing, and editing compelling black-and-white images.

1. How to recognize subjects with strong black-and-white potential

2. How to work with light—whether it is controlled or encountered

3. How to understand tonal relationships and use zones as a practical visual tool

4. How to transform a RAW file into a polished, high-impact black-and--white photograph

5. How to build a complete black-and-white workflow from capture through presentation

What you will need:

• A camera with a lens or lenses providing a 35-150 focal length range
• If you wish to follow along with the editing process, you should bring a laptop and a tablet or mouse.