What Are You Getting from the Workshop?
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Hello folks. I recently spent a number of hours reviewing instructions and “truths” provided to a fine photographer and fellow scientist who spent good money to attend a workshop in the hope of building skills to help make better photographs.
The review process resulted in my using science and data to debunk the alleged truths as misinformation, where by saying misinformation, I am being excessively kind. so this article exists for all those considering paying for a workshop and some questions that you should ask BEFORE booking.
Reasonable Questions
Will the workshop leaders be making images during the workshop that are not solely for the purpose of illustrating a point? If Yes, you are paying for someone else’s trip. A workshop leader should NEVER be photographing for him or herself on the workshop.
How many people will be attending the workshop and what will be the instructor to attendee ratio? If the ratio of attendees to instructors is greater than 3:1 assume that you will receive minimal personal attention which is what you are paying for.
Are the workshop leaders accredited to teach, or have they a long history of successful teaching? Being a solid photographer does not make one a good teacher. Being a good teacher, does not mean that the person is a solid photographer. You should only be paying for a leader who is both, lest you find little value in the expense.
Many workshop leaders refer to themselves as professional photographers. By what standard? Does the person work full time as a photographer in the genre that the workshop entails? If not, what makes the person a pro? Is it decades of practical experience? Is it having watched a bunch of videos and being decent at marketing? How can you independently validate their claims?
Does the workshop specifically define in precise terms what you will take away from it? Are there texts, handouts, cheatsheets or referential materials for after the workshop?
How is the workshop structured? Is there classroom time, shooting time, conversational critique time? Is there a commitment to 1:1 time? The more vague the answers or no answer, the higher the probability of failure.
Are there additional fees that are not included, such as charges for inks, printer paper, display calibration or other elements necessary to workshop success? As some workshops are conducted in out of the way locations or the “dreaded personal secret photo location” are there passes, food and lodging required over and above the cost of the workshop.
Is there power available to charge batteries, laptops and such as may be needed during the workshop?
If gear is being provided, what level of sparing is offered and what guarantee is provided that the gear is in proper and full working order?
How hard is it to get to the shooting locations? What fitness level is required? What clothing, boots and the like are required? Are there hazards to be aware of? What protections are provided for the safety of the attendees?
Does participation require you to provide copies of your images to the workshop leaders for any reason? If yes, run like hell away.
If the workshop involves working with skies for example, and it pours down rain all the time, is there a refund provided?
A Photo Location is not a Workshop
Workshops often involve locations appropriate to having good subjects for a camera. You can make more interesting images when you have interesting subjects, but there are thousands of good photo locations readily found on 500px and other public sites, and the artists often provide good guidance to get yourself to a position similar to where the image was made.
Maybe it’s a place where the workshop organizer has negotiated access such as to a private animal park or avian sanctuary. Could you make a similar deal directly without paying for the coordination and markup of the service? Does the location incur a license fee or limit what you can and cannot photograph that you can know in advance of the workshop rather than discovering after you have paid and arrived?
The Sad Reality
Photography is expensive and many passing adequate photographers take a contest success. or likes on social media as indicators that they are qualified to lead a workshop. This results in a wide range of workshops being advertised by the incompetent and incapable. There are more lousy workshops offered these days than ever in the past, and the really great photographer educators do very few workshops where you actually get to make your own images unless they get paid a lot of money for the workshop, because doing a workshop well is a VERY demanding exercise.
So treat yourself with respect. Be pleasant but cautious A little skepticism will save you money and time and the minimizing of frustration and anger will help you make better images in the long run. I’d rather do one good workshop with an instructor / photographer that I know that I can trust to deliver, than six in a year that add up to costing less, but deliver nothing of value. It’s quality not quantity.
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