GroovyGeek wrote:
Yes, most workshops are expensive. No, you do not want to go to one just to take you to pretty places. Yes, many (most?) workshops do little more than take you to pretty places.
With that out of the way, paying for selected workshops has made me a FAR better photographer. Taught me how to scout, compose, what to look for in the weather, how to think about light vs color, provided a framework for post processing, and a host of other essential skills.
Unfortunately a single workshop with ANYONE will be far from sufficient to cross a threshold towards meaningful usefulness. If you can commit to taking one workshop a year from a carefully selected leader do it. Otherwise spend the money on a self organized trip.
I like your post. It acknowledges the problems and unrealistic ideas that may be associated with the workshop idea, but it also acknowledges that there are some really good workshops and workshop teachers. Quality varies widely, as does content and focus.
Despite having been a film photographer for years, in the early 2000s I was having a heck of a time getting my digital printing to move beyond a very pedestrian level. I asked a friend who is well-known for the quality of his prints (he was regarded as one of the masters of the dye-transfer prices) if there was a book, a workshop, or a class that would help me. One of his workshops might well have done the trick... but he told me to bring over some files and we'd look at them. Four hours later, after watching him do what he does with them, I had learned probably 90% of the important stuff I had been missing.
In other words, despite the fact that I prefer to learn in the autodidactic mode, I learned critical stuff quickly and efficiently from an experienced practitioner. I would not hesitate to recommend that person to someone looking for a workshop in his areas of expertise.
Workshops aren't the only way to get what you are looking for — they might be, or something else might be more effective. It depends a whole lot on who teaches the workshop of class — their focus, their skills, their interest in sharing, their ability to teach, how well what they offer aligns with what you want/need to learn.
There's no easy answer to the right way to proceed here. Some folks will do best with an autodidactic mode. Some will benefit from a class. Some need personal mentoring. Some just benefit from to being around other photographers.
GroovyGeek wrote:
Yes, most workshops are expensive. No, you do not want to go to one just to take you to pretty places. Yes, many (most?) workshops do little more than take you to pretty places.
With that out of the way, paying for selected workshops has made me a FAR better photographer. Taught me how to scout, compose, what to look for in the weather, how to think about light vs color, provided a framework for post processing, and a host of other essential skills.
Unfortunately a single workshop with ANYONE will be far from sufficient to cross a threshold towards meaningful usefulness. If you can commit to taking one workshop a year from a carefully selected leader do it. Otherwise spend the money on a self organized trip.
I like your post. It acknowledges the problems and unrealistic ideas that may be associated with the workshop idea, but it also acknowledges that there are some really good workshops and workshop teachers. Quality varies widely, as does content and focus.
Despite having been a film photographer for years, in the early 2000s I was having a heck of a time getting my digital printing to move beyond a very pedestrian level. I asked a friend who is well-known for the quality of his prints (he was regarded as one of the masters of the dye-transfer prices) if there was a book, a workshop, or a class that would help me. One of his workshops might well have done the trick... but he told me to bring over some files and we'd look at them. Four hours later, after watching him do what he does with them, I had learned probably 90% of the important stuff I had been missing.
Workshops aren't the only way to get what you are looking for — they might be, or something else might be more effective. It depends a whole lot on who teaches the workshop of class — their focus, their skills, their interest in sharing, their ability to teach, how well what they offer aligns with what you want/need to learn.
There's no easy answer to the right way to proceed here. Some folks will do best with an autodidactic mode. Some will benefit from a class. Some need personal mentoring. Some just benefit from to being around other photographers.
GroovyGeek wrote:
Yes, most workshops are expensive. No, you do not want to go to one just to take you to pretty places. Yes, many (most?) workshops do little more than take you to pretty places.
With that out of the way, paying for selected workshops has made me a FAR better photographer. Taught me how to scout, compose, what to look for in the weather, how to think about light vs color, provided a framework for post processing, and a host of other essential skills.
Unfortunately a single workshop with ANYONE will be far from sufficient to cross a threshold towards meaningful usefulness. If you can commit to taking one workshop a year from a carefully selected leader do it. Otherwise spend the money on a self organized trip.
I like your post. It acknowledges the problems and unrealistic ideas that may be associated with the workshop idea, but it also acknowledges that there are some really good workshops and workshop teachers. Quality varies widely, as does content and focus.
Despite having been a film photographer for years, in the early 2000s I was having a heck of a time getting my digital printing to move beyond a very pedestrian level. I asked a friend who is well-known for the quality of his prints (he was regarded as one of the masters of the dye-transfer prices) if there was a book, a workshop, or a class that would help me. One of his workshops might well have done the trick... but he told me to bring over some files and we'd look at them. Four hours later, after watching him do what he does with them, I had learned probably 90% of the important stuff I had been missing.
Workshops aren't the only way to get what you are looking for — they might be, or something else might be more effective. It depends a whole lot on who teaches the workshop of class — their focus, their skills, their interest in sharing, their ability to teach, how well what they offer aligns with what you want/need to learn.
There's no easy answer to the right way to proceed here. Some folks will do best with an autodidactic mode. Some will benefit from a class. Some need personal mentoring. Some justice to be around photographers.
Dan
Apr 01, 2022 at 08:25 AM
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