Eric Hagemann

Photographer - Educator - Owner of Solsticephoto

I am a fine art photographer and educator with a particular interest in the craft that happens after the shutter is pressed—organizing, interpreting, editing, and ultimately presenting a finished photograph.

I believe that photography is a multi-step process.  The photograph is not created in camera or only when the shutter is pressed.  Each photograph is your interpretation of the scene, and an important step in realizing your vision is the ability to process the photograph after the capture.  Not all photographs demand serious post-processing, but avoiding this step shortchanges your original vision.

I created SolsticePhoto to help photographers become more confident and capable in that part of the photographic process.

Photography and Post-Processing

My photography spans landscape, travel, architecture, and documentary work, with a strong interest in black-and-white and fine-art photography. My personal projects often involve photographing a subject over an extended period rather than pursuing individual images.

That approach has reinforced my belief that making a successful photograph rarely ends with the camera. Capture is the beginning of a process that includes selecting images, interpreting them, making decisions about tone and color, applying local adjustments, and preparing the finished photograph for its intended presentation.

Post-processing has therefore always been an integral part of my photography, not something separate from it.

Over the years, I have worked extensively with applications including Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and Affinity. The software has changed considerably. The fundamental skills have not.

Curves still manipulate tonal relationships. Masks still determine where an adjustment is applied. Layers still allow changes to be isolated and combined. Dodging and burning still shape light and direct attention.

Understanding those underlying concepts makes it much easier to learn—and move between—the applications used to implement them.

Teaching Photography

I teach photography and post-processing through online classes, workshops, webinars, camera clubs, and individual instruction.

My courses range from introductory subjects such as Lightroom workflow and basic image editing to more advanced topics including layers, selections, masking, luminosity masks, black-and-white processing, and dodging and burning.

I particularly enjoy working with photographers who have reached the point where simply knowing how to perform an operation isn't enough. They want to understand what the adjustment is doing, when to use it, and how it contributes to the finished photograph.

That distinction has increasingly shaped both my teaching and Solstice Photo.

A Photographer First

Although much of my teaching involves software, I don't consider software proficiency the ultimate objective.

Photoshop, Lightroom, Affinity, and other applications are tools. They give us increasingly sophisticated ways to manipulate an image, but you still have to decide what the photograph needs.

Where should the viewer look?

Should this area be lighter or darker?

Does the image need more or less contrast?

Should a color be emphasized or subdued?

Does an adjustment belong across the entire photograph, or only in one specific area?

Those are photographic decisions, not software decisions.

Learning the underlying principles of post-processing lets photographers answer those questions and use whatever tools they have to accomplish them.

My focus is helping photographers become more confident and capable in post-processing, removing barriers so they can focus on the photograph and create the images they imagine.