Learn to paint with light from the artists behind The Keefer Method™ and the FDL™ Technique.
Four days inside the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles with Jerry Keefer, plus Sarel Van Staden and Maryna Cotton, traveling from South Africa to share their FDL™ Technique in person.
You love the subject. The photos just aren't there yet.
- You've got good gear... but your images still look like everyone else's.
- The image in your head never quite makes it onto the screen.
- Reflections and hot spots fight you on every curve.
- You've watched the light painting tutorials. You got streaks, blown highlights, and a lot of deleted frames.
- Post-production feels like guesswork. You know the image could look like art, but you don't know how to get it there.
- People love your work... and nobody's paying for it yet.
It's not your gear, and it's not your eye. You just haven't been shown the process.
It all starts in the dark.
Every Keefer Fine Art piece begins the same way... a dark room, a long exposure, and a single light moving across a subject, one deliberate stroke at a time. It's slow, patient work. And it creates images that feel more like paintings than photographs.
This workshop opens up that process. You'll learn it from the three photographers who now shoot cars and collections together across the country.
Not just for cars.
Jerry built his name on automobiles, but light painting works on anything worth looking at closely. He's used the same technique to create art from:
Whatever you love to photograph, you'll leave knowing how to light it like fine art.
This isn't a YouTube tutorial or a weekend lecture.
The complete process
From the first stroke of light to the final edit. Most courses stop at the shutter. This one doesn't.
Inside a real museum
You'll practice on historic vehicles at the Boyertown Museum, not on a classroom slide.
Shoot every night
Jerry beside you every night, with Sarel and Maryna joining as special guests... and only 12 seats so the help is real.
The business, too
Lori shows you how to turn beautiful images into collectors, commissions, and a brand.
Two perspectives. One craft.
01The Keefer Method™
Jerry's complete process, refined over ten years. First, how he uses light and shadow to photograph a scene. Then, the post-production process that transforms each image into a piece that looks like a true painting.
So every image you make carries a signature style people recognize as yours.
02The FDL™ Technique: Focused Diffused Lighting
The signature technique Sarel Van Staden and Maryna Cotton developed at Car Fine Art... a focused spot of soft light that sculpts every curve, tames reflections, and falls off into rich black. No complicated setups or expensive gear required. Presented in person by its creators, Sarel and Maryna, our special guests from South Africa.
So you can light anything beautifully with simple, portable gear.
03The business behind the art
How Jerry and Lori marketed Keefer Fine Art to attract clients and build a high-end brand.
Whether you sell your work or not, you'll learn how to share it so it gets seen... by the collectors, clubs, and museums who value it.
From Pennsylvania to California, from Germany to celebrity garages.
Keefer Fine Art prints hang in homes and collections around the world. And when Lori asked our collector list for cars for a single diner shoot, more than two dozen collectors volunteered theirs.
Learn by day. Shoot by night.
Days of training
Focused instruction on technique, lighting, and the thinking behind every image.
Evenings behind the camera
Hands-on shooting inside the museum, putting each day's lessons straight into practice.
Mentoring from Jerry, plus special guests
Only 12 seats, so you get real, one-on-one time with Jerry while you shoot... plus time with our special guests, Sarel and Maryna.
For photographers ready to create work worth collecting.
Whether you shoot for the love of it or you're building a business, you'll leave with a process that makes your work stand apart.
This workshop is for you if...
- You're comfortable in manual mode and ready to go deeper
- You want your images to look like art, not snapshots
- You'd love to sell your work someday... or you already do and want it to stand out
- You want to learn from fine art photographers, not just watch them
From keeping the lights on... to painting with them.
For 42 years, Jerry Keefer worked his way from electrician's apprentice to Master Dispatcher, managing the power grid for millions of people across multiple states. Somewhere along the way, he picked up a camera. He found that the same attention he'd always given great machines (the reverence, the eye for design and presence) could become art.
Early in his photography career, he mentored with Sarel Van Staden and Maryna Cotton of Car Fine Art. Over the next ten years he refined what became The Keefer Method™. Today the three of them photograph cars and collections together across the country.
And while Jerry was busy creating, Lori was making sure everyone knew. That's the marketing machine she'll show you how to build.
All the way from South Africa.
Sarel Van Staden and Maryna Cotton are traveling from their home in South Africa to share their FDL™ Technique in person. They've graciously donated their time so you can learn it the way Jerry did... straight from the people who created it.
Jerry Keefer
KEEFER FINE ARTThe artist behind Keefer Fine Art and an Air Force veteran. For ten years, Jerry has refined The Keefer Method™... sculpting a subject with light and shadow in the dark, then finishing each image in post-production until it reads like a true painting. His work spans automobiles, flowers, architecture, and museum collections, and his Limited Edition and Charity Edition prints are collected by patrons and support causes like the Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation.
Sarel Van Staden
SPECIAL GUEST · CAR FINE ARTCo-founder of Car Fine Art and co-creator of the FDL™ Technique (Focused Diffused Lighting), the soft, sculpted lighting technique behind their work. For about a decade, Sarel has refined a signature dark, minimalist style that treats every car as a piece of design.
Maryna Cotton
SPECIAL GUEST · CAR FINE ARTCo-founder of Car Fine Art and co-creator of the FDL™ Technique. A South African commercial photographer rooted in contemplative photography, Maryna brings simple, powerful compositions to every vehicle... treating automotive design as art.
Lori Keefer
MARKETING MENTOR · KEEFER FINE ARTCo-owner, COO, and Marketing Director of Keefer Fine Art. While Jerry was busy creating amazing images, Lori was behind the scenes making sure everyone knew about them. She positioned Keefer Fine Art as an upscale brand, built its collector program, and leads the storytelling and campaigns that bring clients in. Lori also consults with car clubs and museums to help them build their own marketing machines. She's an author, and she's currently creating The Sycamore Shore™, the couple's new lifestyle brand.
Twelve seats. Four days. One craft you'll keep for life.
- Four days of training at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles
- The Keefer Method™: Jerry's light-and-shadow shooting technique plus his complete post-production process
- Evening hands-on shooting sessions inside the museum
- Photography mentoring from Jerry Keefer, plus special guests Sarel Van Staden and Maryna Cotton presenting their FDL™ Technique in person
- Marketing mentoring from Lori Keefer: how Keefer Fine Art built a high-end brand and attracts its clients
- First five to register by November 14: a light painting kit Sarel designed for his FDL™ Technique, handcrafted by Sarel and Jerry ($500 value)
Plans change. Cancel by November 15 for a full refund (less a $100 processing fee). After that, your seat is fully transferable to another photographer. And if we ever need to cancel or reschedule, you'll get a full refund.
Sarel originally designed this kit for his FDL™ Technique. It's become part of how Jerry light paints, too. Now the two of them handcraft each one, and it's presented to you at the workshop. Yours to use all week... and to keep creating with long after. A $500 value, for the first five to register.
Questions, answered.
What experience level do I need?
You should be comfortable shooting in manual mode and have some familiarity with Photoshop. We'll take it from there.
What should I bring?
- Your camera (with manual mode) and a sturdy tripod
- A way to trigger your camera remotely. We use and recommend CamRanger... use our link to get $20 off your purchase.
- Your flash and flash trigger... we recommend the Godox AD200
Are lodging and meals included?
Lodging and meals are at your own expense. On each shoot night, we'll order delivery for the group, and the menu will be shared that day. Please let us know about any food allergies or dietary restrictions before the workshop.
Where should I stay?
Here are a few options near the museum:
- The Atherton Inn: a boutique inn in downtown Boyertown, walking distance from the museum
- Three Daughters Inn: a cozy B&B in Pottstown with breakfast included
- Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Pottstown Limerick: about 7 miles away, and you can earn Marriott points
- Comfort Inn & Suites Pottstown: a convenient hotel on Industrial Highway in Pottstown
I don't photograph cars. Is this for me?
Yes. We'll practice on historic vehicles at the museum, but the same techniques work on flowers, architecture, still life, artifacts, and anything else worth lighting like fine art.
What's your refund policy?
Full refund (less a $100 processing fee) through November 15. After that, seats are non-refundable but fully transferable to another photographer. If we cancel or reschedule, you'll receive a full refund.
Still have a question? Reach out to Lori at [email protected] and she'll get right back to you.