Step into the landscape with curiosity and intention as autumn reaches its peak across the Brandywine Valley.
We begin at Longwood Gardens in the early morning, before the gates open to the public, working in macro to capture the fine detail of a single crimson leaf, a late-season bloom, or a frost-touched seed head. From there, the group travels together to Granogue, the historic 500-acre du Pont estate recently acquired by Longwood Gardens, for a rare opportunity to explore this newly accessible ground at the height of fall and photograph the expansive sweep of color rolling across its wooded hills and open meadows. It is, in every sense, a tale of two scales: the world held in your hand and the world stretching to the horizon. Through hands-on field instruction, participants practice using light, composition, and lens selection to reveal both the quiet patterns hidden in close-up and the blazing grandeur of the season at scale. Students will discover how scale itself transforms a photograph, how the intimate and the expansive each tell their own story, and will leave with a thoughtful collection of images that capture both the character of these remarkable places and the details within them. Participants should bring a digital camera with interchangeable lenses, a macro lens if available, charged batteries, memory cards, and a tripod for fieldwork.
Course Schedule
Online Orientation
Thursday, October 15, 6:00–7:00 pm
Onsite Session
Saturday, October 17, 2026
7:00–10:00 am at Longwood Gardens
11:00 am–2:00 pm at Granogue
Online Review
Tuesday, October 27, 6:00–8:00 pm
Full course content includes both the online and the onsite components.
Location
Onsite at Longwood Gardens and Granogue with additional online sessions.
This program will take place partially or entirely outdoors. Please dress for the weather and wear footwear suited for walking on uneven paths and through wet areas.
Instructor
Jon Cox
Jon Cox is President of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER Foundation) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Design at the University of Delaware. A National Geographic Explorer and Full Fellow of the Explorers Club, he has led 23 photographic study abroad programs worldwide. Cox is a pioneer in digital photography, author of two photography books, and former adventure photographer for Digital Camera Magazine. His work includes cultural mapping projects with Indigenous communities in Peru and Tanzania, and ongoing collaborations with the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware. His latest project, ARRIVALS, documents stories of refugees, immigrants, and displaced Native Americans through photography and storytelling.
Additional Info
Photos taken during photography classes at Longwood may not be sold for commercial uses.
