"This class isn’t about what you know; it’s about how you feel."

With that brief introduction, Michael Gilbert sums up his Outdoor Photography: Light, Composition & Gesture class: The key to photography is not mastering sophisticated equipment; it’s being aware of your surroundings — sometimes beautiful, sometimes not — and responding to them.

An internationally acclaimed painter and photographer, Gilbert is curator of corporate collections at the Grand Wai­lea on Maui. He is also director of NaPua Gallery, a showcase of fine art that has operated at the hotel since it opened in 1991.

His class is part of Passport to the Arts, a program that he launched at the Grand Wai­lea two years ago to help participants discover their "inner artist." Since then he has shown hundreds of shutterbugs that photography is not as complicated as it seems. Many of his students have produced extraordinary photos with their cellphones.

"You don’t have to go to art school to be a great artist," said Gilbert, whose clients include Canon, Hallmark, Prudential and Mercedes-Benz. "Similarly, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to shoot great pictures. In fact, today’s motor-driven, auto-everything cameras make it virtually impossible for you not to shoot great pictures."

Gilbert begins his class with a 45-minute slide presentation filled with tips, anecdotes and lively discussions with students. "With photography it’s color first, composition second," he said. "The first thing people notice is color. You either like or don’t like a photo because of its colors."

The absence of color — different tones of black and white — can also evoke emotion. "This can be a fabulous choice for portraits and landscapes," Gilbert said. "If used correctly, black and white is a powerful medium, 10 times stronger than color."

After the classroom segment he accompanies participants on a short stroll around the resort, suggesting objects to photograph, explaining how to work with shadows and reflections, pointing out the ever-changing qualities of light and components of a scene.

They are then free to roam around for about half an hour, photographing whatever catches their eye. "I don’t give them too much time because I don’t want them to overthink things," Gilbert said. "I want them to enjoy themselves, be comfortable with their camera and keep shooting."

Back in the classroom, he pro­jects the results for all to see, gives students valuable feedback and helps them choose their best shot, which is printed on a 16-by-24-inch canvas as a ready-to-frame keepsake.

Gilbert wraps up the class with one final bit of advice: "Remember, photography captures a moment in time. If you wait even for a second, that moment might be gone, so don’t hesitate. Take the picture!"

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.

BEHOLD THE BEAUTY
For more information about these art-related events and activities at the Grand Wailea, visit NaPua Gallery or call 874-0510.

Learn about the resort’s museum-quality paintings, sculptures, graphics, murals and artifacts on a free hourlong tour. Included in the collection are more than 900 original works by internationally and locally renowned artists.

The tour starts at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays at NaPua Gallery. Advance reservations aren’t necessary.

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

Daily except Monday and Saturday, artists display, sell and demonstrate sculpture, ceramics, oil painting, photo collage, watercolor painting and more in the lobby. Chat with them and enjoy their work from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

MASTERS OF GLASS

America’s finest glass artists will gather at the resort Dec. 11-14. Planned are breakfast presentations, panel discussions, exhibitions and demonstrations — all open to the public. Special packages will be offered.

PASSPORT TO THE ARTS

It’s not necessary to be a hotel guest to participate in this program. Cost for all classes is $40 plus $25 for materials.

BEGINNING WATERCOLOR PAINTING

Instructor: Mary Faustine
Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-noon

Learn the basics of color and composition and create a design using Faustine’s custom stencils of Hawaii marine life and tropical flowers. Enrollment is limited to six students ages 16 and older.

OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY: LIGHT, COMPOSITION & GESTURE

Instructor: Michael Gilbert
Wednesdays and Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-noon

Classroom instruction is followed by a photographic exploration of the hotel’s grounds. Take home your best shot, printed on canvas. Enrollment is limited to six students.

OUTDOOR PAINTING

Instructor: Roxanne Broadbent
Thursdays, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

This outdoor acrylic painting class includes a demonstration of basic techniques and the chance to produce a finished painting. Enrollment limited to 10 students ages 14 and older.