Get The Most From A Workshop

What to look for and what to expect from a photography workshop

By Rob Sheppard

Photo workshops can be a productive way to learn more about photography. They offer an opportunity to try new things, gain the expertise of an experienced instructor and share ideas with students who have similar backgrounds and interests. There’s a wide variety of workshops available, and it can be challenging to know exactly which workshop to take and what you can expect from the workshop. So it’s important to take a look at what you need from the experience and how you can get the most from it.

What Are You Looking For?
Outdoor photographers enjoy photography and, sooner or later, believe that a workshop can help them get even more enjoyment from taking pictures. While that’s exactly what happens most of the time, there’s no question that the right workshop for one photographer can be the wrong one for another. Before you sign up for a particular workshop, think about why you want to take it. Here are some possibilities:
• For the location
• For the instructor
• For the topic
• To build knowledge in a specific area
• To connect with other photographers
• To learn more about your camera
• To learn more about working with images in the computer

These are valid reasons for taking a photo workshop, but to get the most success from the experience, make your choice based on key needs and not on trying to get everything. If you expect a workshop to be great because of the location and the topic and the instructor and more, you may be disappointed because it’s difficult to have one workshop do all of these things well.

Bottom line: Find a workshop that fits your specific needs, but prioritize your needs so you can choose the one most likely to meet your expectations. It might be fun to have a workshop with a famous photographer, but if the location or the topic is unappealing to you, you won’t enjoy the experience.

Bill Fortney, founder of the Great American Photography Workshops (www.gaphotoworks.com), says a workshop should have three key components: fieldwork with a caring and dedicated teacher, critiques of your work and instructional lectures to help you become a better photographer.

Jim Clark (www.jimclarkphotography.com) works with many different workshop organizations, and he likes a workshop where the leader is a naturalist who’s well versed in the area, in addition to being a photography expert. Clark suggests locations where participants have time to simply enjoy the environment beyond taking pictures and where the leader is excited and passionate about the area.

Kerry Drager (www.betterphoto.com) is the point person for BetterPhoto.com and suggests that you should look at course descriptions carefully in order to be sure you have the skills and knowledge to take full advantage of the instruction. If you aren’t sure, check with the instructor or the workshop program. For example, it can be especially frustrating to discover that you’ve enrolled in a program for computer neophytes if you’re an advanced Photoshop user.

Page 1 of 4

« StartPrev1234Next End »

27 Comments

Deacon Jones makes this comment

Sunday, 26 April 2009

There is mention of a basic set of lenses in this article. What does this basic set consist of?
Margo Pinkerton makes this comment

Tuesday, 05 May 2009

Thank you for noticing and listing us. Just a correction, though; while I am The Barefoot Contessa (had the name since 1970), our workshops are called Barefoot Contessa Photo Adventures. Good article and good points! TBC
Christian Goltz makes this comment

Wednesday, 06 May 2009

I couldn't agree more, especially with "less is more", i.e., not to "pack too many locations into a short time frame". It takes TIME to connect with a location. Unfortunately, though, in particular when travelling to a remote country, participants still seem to be afraid to miss something important when not ticking off the list of sites. I've noticed this many times here in Namibia, where I offer "slow" workshops. Too bad, especially since Namibia is a vast and "slow" country by it's very nature... Good Light, Christian
air jordan 1 sale makes this comment

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

I agree you! excellent review! Hot Sale Air Jordan Shoes,Free Shipping,Cheap air jordan 1 sale,air jordan 3 for sale,nike air jordan six rings Nike Air Jordan 7 Women's High-heel Shoes,nike air jordan 3 women's shoes http://www.beautyjordan.com
abercrombie makes this comment

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

Good article and good points!
laptop battery makes this comment

Sunday, 01 November 2009

I agree you! excellent review!
ugg boots sale makes this comment

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

I need another Bailey Button Ugg Boots story Something to get off my chest Classic Tall Ugg Boots My life gets kinda boring Need something that I can Classic Short Ugg Boots confess Til' all my sleeves are stained red Ultra Tall Ugg Boots.
metin2 yang makes this comment

Friday, 04 December 2009

good post!
chi hair iron makes this comment

Friday, 18 December 2009

chi hair iron
Black GHD makes this comment

Monday, 04 January 2010

Black GHD
ball valves makes this comment

Thursday, 07 January 2010

very well , I like this post, Thanks very much.
butterfly valves makes this comment

Thursday, 07 January 2010

Thank you!
chi flat iron makes this comment

Friday, 08 January 2010

ugg boots uggs ugg boots sale ugg boots sale ugg boots sale ugg boots sale bailey button uggs Bailey Button Ugg Boots classic tall ugg boots ugg boots bailey button
ugg boots makes this comment

Friday, 08 January 2010

ugg boots
ugg boots sale makes this comment

Monday, 11 January 2010

if you want to buy here is some good Website for another you can see this any more:
ugg boots makes this comment

Monday, 11 January 2010

Are you want to buy uggs?There are many good ugg boots
nmseo makes this comment

Thursday, 14 January 2010

seo（搜索引擎優化）是我們主要業務，為大型企業網絡提供SEO搜尋引擎最佳化解決方案；數千家中大型企業網站營銷策劃經驗，提供企業SEO培訓，整站優化方案制定，整站優化實施，百度網站收錄恢復，網站重構壹條龍服務
ugg boots sale makes this comment

Friday, 15 January 2010

if you want to buy here is some good Website for another you can see this any more:
Chi Hair Straightener on sale makes this comment

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

well ,good article .chi hair iron in this season also make amazing by fashionable people.make style with it .nice.
GHD hair straightener makes this comment

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

thanks for sharing this nice post .ghd hair straightener always make you surprise after you use it .just do as you like .
UGG Boots UK|Classic UGG Boots makes this comment

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

this is a so nice post .ugg boots make this winter so beautiful ,and we are attracted by many girls who wear cardy ugg boots on the street ,so fashion ,i am just thinking about it .
links of lond makes this comment

Thursday, 21 January 2010

Support by UK shopping links of London earrings was intuitive and nowadays we have matured internationally with stores in 1990.links of londonThe party resulted from a clean exact for her wife, links londonJohn Ayton, founded the jewelry mark,links of london sale Links of London. Relations of London were founded in the UK, Hong Kong, links of london charms USA and Canada.links of london charms Links of London is one of the chief jewelry brands in the United Kingdom.links of london sweetie bracelet It lays a lot of weight on producing jewelry featuring newer, exceptional designs.It has been reported that silver tiffany & co was regularly melted to oxidization are general accessories. links of london braceletJewelry designs however did not been fixed; for old jewelry was really a repute logo and touch rings crafted out of the British.links of london friendship bracelet
gucci handbags makes this comment

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Thanks !
gucci shoes makes this comment

Monday, 25 January 2010

What to look for in the packaging of a genuine Gucci shoe: Genuine Gucci shoes usually come in dark brown dust bags. The bags are printed with the "double G" logo. The shoebox is also a dark brown and should have the word "Gucci" embossed on its lid. The lettering should be silver.
NBA basketball shoes makes this comment

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

I have started reading this book and love it so far! I just couldn't wait for it to go in to paper back.
ugg boots sale makes this comment

Wednesday, 03 February 2010

Thank you for your sharing.
ugg boots makes this comment

Saturday, 06 February 2010

Wow, thanks for the insightful post. I look forward to reading more from you.

How-To

Get The Most From A Workshop

What to look for and what to expect from a photography workshop

27 Comments

Add Comment

Recent OP Articles

Popular OP Articles

OP Most Popular Tags