Last week, the Soho Photo Gallery showcased a photography exhibit by students in Lawrence Wheatman’s PHOTOGRAPHY: FROM BEGINNER TO EXHIBITOR course. From natural landscapes and urban scenes to portraits, the students presented collections that they worked on over the course of the semester and that expressed their unique creative vision. Below, students Kamila Sedziak and Susanne Mueller share what drew them to photography and what inspires them. You can visit their websites to learn more about them and see more of their excellent work.
KAMILA SEDZIAK
“Hiking in the mountains and viewing landscapes from their slopes gives me a unique perspective on the world that surrounds us with all its beauty and greatness – it’s where I escape the busy city life 
for a while. For the ‘Mountainscapes’ series, I traveled to various U.S. National and State Parks to photograph shapes of the mountains and rock patterns carved by water, wind, clouds. I was inspired by lights and shadows that paint the landscapes and captured their mysterious appearance. “
“I have been an adjunct professor at NYSPS since 2012 teaching classes for the coaching certification as well as the human capital management and leadership. I always wanted to take up a creative subject not related to my professional executive coaching career. I met Professor Wheatman at a NYSPS function where he explained to me it would be good to take a class in a creative medium complementing my writing and weekly blogging (www.smuellernyc.blogspot.com), hence my decision to take up the 
photography class: From Beginner to Exhibitor. In this class, I learned to focus better, to look at things differently, to take more time, and to develop my passion for something totally different. My passion became trees and their bark. Growing up in Switzerland, I enjoyed the outdoors with hiking and biking. While living in New York City, I miss nature tremendously; maybe that was my fascination to look deeper. “You see what YOU want to see” has been the theme for my photo show. You can look at those pictures the way you want, there is no right or wrong answer. A lot of visitors were amazed by how much we can see in those trees. As an executive coach, I invite my clients to look deeper, focus further, and take more time to enjoy what is in front of them.”
****
If you are inspired to create your own photographic masterpieces in the new year, consider taking one of our Photography or Business of Photography courses:
Photography: From Beginner to Exhibitor
The Portrait Project: Portraying People
Expressive Photography: Creating Art
Digital Retouching and Advanced Photographic Workflow
The Digital Darkroom with Photoshop
Professional Practices and Business Development for Photographers
Kamila’s art is very impressive!