Selecting a Photo Workshop

A lot of photo enthusiasts enjoy going to workshops. Why? For one thing, one can photograph without the distractions of family, business, and other commitments. For another, there is a great synergy when a lot of photographers get together and share their work. Synergy, by the way, according to The American Heritage Dictionary, is "The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects." It comes from from the Greek sunergi, cooperation, from sunergos (συνεργός) — sun = together, ergos = working — or working together.

And work together is what you do in a photo workshop. You shoot together; you critique together; you often edit together; you share information; you get up early together and burn the midnight oil together; you often eat together; you … I could go on!

In a workshop setting, you gain inspiration from fellow participants, something you can never truly fathom until you have been in this setting. You can, after all, put 100 photographers (perish the thought) lined up to photograph a particular view; and you will get 100 different renditions of that view. The point is that we all see differently, and we all choose to interpret a subject in different ways.

You will learn to see differently, and you will improve your sense of composition and sense of what does and does not make an effective photograph. You may also learn about digital workflow and some of the programs that can help you. You may spend a lot of time in the classroom, or most of your hours may be spent outdoors.

I just Googled “photo workshops” and came up with “about 234,000” results. For me, that would be reason enough to just stop looking. How can I possibly wade through that many possibilities? Next I tried +“photo workshops” +Arches. Great! That narrowed it down to a mere 921. Modifying the search to +“photo workshops” +Arches +fall brings the results down to 216, and substituting “September” for “fall” reduces the results further to 184.

This is not to say that you won’t find a workshop this way, especially if you refine your search parameters as I illustrated above. There are other, easier ways to find workshops. Sites such as Apogee Photo, Shaw Guides, and Shutterbug, among others, that help you pare the list down and offer regional, seasonal, and/or date breakdowns. Pick up a copy of Outdoor Photographer and peruse the ads there. Companies that place ads in that magazine are usually established firms. Check out the NANPA site, if you are a member, and see if any discounts are offered.

Now, you’ve narrowed down the field at least a little bit, and you’ve bookmarked the sites in a special folder called “Workshops.” (Remember, you can also later delete those entries that do not end up suiting you.) Some questions you might consider:

• Are they interested in improving your skills, or are they looking for a way to get their trip paid for to some location?
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• Are they giving you lots of in-the-field instruction, or are you tagging along watching their technique?


• Will you spend a lot of time in the classroom, or will it be mostly outdoors?


• What is the ratio of student to instructor?


• Do you like the work you see of a particular instructor compared to other potential workshops on your list?


• Do you like the “feel” of the website (it often reflects the personalities of the instructor)?


• Does what a particular workshop offers match what you are seeking?

There are no right or wrong answers here.

Sometimes instructors keep their workshop and photo websites separate. In that case, look for the link, probably in the About Me or Bio section, to the regular photography website. Again, do you like the work you see? If you want to see credentials, you’ll probably find more than you need either under the Bio or the Clients listing.

It should be noted here that anyone giving workshops is most likely an award-winning photographer, so don’t be automatically swayed by that credential. The question here is, “Do their workshop participants win awards or gain entry into juried shows with photographs made during a workshop?”

Now that you have narrowed it down a bit further, call the companies that spark your interest. You can tell a lot more from a phone conversation than you can from an e-mail. Are you speaking to someone who comes from the “I done it” crowd or someone that is really interested in your questions? Is the person friendly or formal. Does his/her personality appeal to you? Does he/she have time to talk to you or offer to call you back if in the middle of a project? Again, there are no “right” answers here, only your reactions, favorable or unfavorable.

Another great resource are your photographer friends. Whose work has recently markedly improved? Was it after he/she had taken a photo workshop? Ask of them the same questions noted above in the bulleted list. Also ask what was good and bad about the workshop.

A couple of stories that may illustrate what you may want to avoid (then again, this may be your idea of nirvana).

A friend of ours went to a workshop run by a “big name” photographer in an exotic location that involved traveling by canoe. Every day, the instructor got into the lead canoe and, naturally, got the best opportunities for (guess what) the best shots.

“When do we get to go in the lead canoe?” asked one of the participants.

“Oh no, I always am in the lead canoe,” was the gist of the response.

As our friend said later, that was OK if the instructor had made that clear when people signed up. After all, the location was exotic and may still have been well worth the trip.

Years ago, I was photographing out west in one of our magnificent National Parks. I ran into a workshop, again run by a “big name.” It was not a small group, and they were basically shoulder to shoulder, nose to back, as space was quite limited. Yes, they were photographing wildlife, and yes, the instructor had placed the group in a fertile location for same.

My latest example was at a recent workshop we ran last fall. I was stopping, per my usual custom, to check in with the owner of the property on which we were going to photograph. I introduced our group to her, and we were chatting and catching up. Bit by bit, people wandered off to find their own subjects. Meanwhile, we saw two vans pass us and head up the hill. Again, another well-known name.

The doors opened, belching forth two groups who immediately set up their tripods in a row at the edge of the road up like dock pilings, all lenses aimed more-or-less in the same direction. I heard a voice yelling down to us.

“Get out of the way! We’re a holding a photography workshop.”

And we’re not? Excuse you? Where are your manners? Instead, I shook my head in disbelief and quietly suggested to our group that we move to a different part of the property.

One final thought. Excellent photographers are not necessarily good instructors, and there are excellent instructors who are not particularly strong photographers. Hopefully, you can find a combination of the two! As noted above, you have to find what works for you. Hopefully this article will help you narrow down the myriad of choices.

As always, we welcome your comments (see "comments" link below).