Don Werthmann

Don Werthmann is a Professional Photography Faculty member in the Digital Media Arts Department at Washtenaw Community College, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His career is immersed in photography and education, spanning over forty years that includes the film & digital eras, augmented with web design & development, and lighting for film & video. He is a Department Co-Chair of the Digital Media Arts Department that is inclusive of six technical and creative disciplines: Audio | 3D Animation | Graphic Design | Photography | Video | Web Development. 

As a Michigan native, his passion and appreciation for various forms of visual art and art history emerged when he was a teenager, which eventually led him to earning B.F.A. and M.A. degrees in Photography from Wayne State University, in Detroit. Immediately after obtaining his undergraduate degree in the mid-1980s, he worked as a freelance camera and lighting assistant in commercial, automotive studios in the Detroit area, producing national-level print advertisements & catalogs for many well-renowned auto companies. 

In the early-1990s Don discovered a strong calling to transition into a career in photo education, which led him to spending over eight years at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His tutelage under some of the most influential names in the photographic industry took incremental steps from student work-study, to teaching-assistant to being the Operations Manager for six years. Don was an instructor of two different, weeklong workshops for four years as well. During this pivotal phase of his career, Don learned to complement his instructional designs and learning outcomes with the organizational strategies and expectations practiced in the commercial sector of the photography industry.

The opening of the new century demanded earning a graduate degree and a simultaneous transition from film to digital capture workflow technologies. The combination of all these professional credentials uniquely position Don to teach with depth, a wide range of photography courses which is evident in a listing consisting of fifteen titles ranging from beginner to advanced to mentoring to study abroad opportunities. 

As an artist, Don is a practitioner in the genre of lyric documentary as his images are infused with curiosity, the lyricism of everyday life, and a naturally unfolding tapestry of events presented to the camera. He also enjoys producing expressive portraiture in the studio and on-location.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donwerthmann/