Workshops

Learning With Us

All of our Workshops are instructional in nature, and each was designed to help you master a specific aspect of photography. Unlike some "workshops" where instructional coverage and sequence is almost entirely determined on the spot, our workshops have specific goals and a carefully crafted sequence of lessons assembled specifically to get you to those goals as efficiently as possible. You'll know what to expect from one of our workshops before you book and, at its end, we'll ask you to evaluate how well we met your expectations. We employ theoretical teaching where it is helpful to understanding a concept, then, in most cases, we reinforce and refine the theory with practical application. This method has proven highly effective for most types of learners.

With the vast number of photography instruction books and videos readily available, some folks ask why they should bother with our workshops. Fair question. We definitely recommend you take advantage of whatever learning opportunities are available to you, but our workshops offer some very important benefits no book or video can. First, our workshops are interactive. If you have a question, or a "teachable moment" presents itself, either can be addressed on the spot. Live, interactive instruction also permits us to detect and correct misconceptions you may have so you won't try to build on a shaky foundation. No book or video ever did that. Second, a live learning situation provides context. Context, and a teacher who understands how to make that context relevant, is an essential ingredient in learning to efficiently apply knowledge so it actually gets the job done. Without context to guide application, knowledge tends to exist in a vacuum and it often fails to provide nearly the benefits it should. Lastly, once we figure out what type of learner you are, we can adjust our teaching style, without altering the content, to fit the way you learn.

Photography involves complex, and sometimes fairly obtuse, concepts. When encountered as a series of disconnected sound bites, those concepts can be vexingly difficult to grasp. The point of our workshops is to weave these concepts into a logical, easy-to-understand progression that will help fill your toolbox of photographic knowledge.

We offer nine different workshops in three areas of photography:

Foundations of Photography

For new photographers, for photographers who are frustrated by frequently unexpected results when they make photos, and for photographers who can't understand why their top-of-the-line equipment doesn't necessarily make top-of-the-line photos, these one-day workshops will get you pointed in the right direction. The skills we cover in our two Foundations of Photography workshops are essential for all types of photography and without a solid grasp of this knowledge, more advanced aspects of photography will remain elusive.

Foundations of Photography Workshop Descriptions & Details

Landscape Photography

If you have a solid grasp of the basics (see Foundations of Photography), the skills we teach in our one-day Introduction to Landscape Photography workshop will help you get started shooting in this very popular area of photography. Our other one-day workshops, Working With Water, Up Close, and Night Landscapes each addresses a specific aspect of landscape photography so you can explore these areas in much greater depth.

Landscape Photography Workshop Descriptions & Details

Rock & Ice Climbing Photography

We offer three one-day workshops in this highly-specialized area of photography; one for photographers who are not climbers and two for experienced climbers. Our Introduction to Climbing Photography is primarily aimed at non-climbers who want to learn to make dynamic photos of climbers, without getting onto technical terrain. Bring Your Climbs Home is for experienced, competent climbers who want to get better photos of their climbs and climbing partners without disrupting the climb, annoying their partners, or creating a safety hazard.  Serious Climbing Photography is for expert climbers who are also competent photographers, interested in photographing climbers from the very best vantage points (usually on the cliff). This workshop presents advanced photography techniques, such as shooting from booms and poles, as well as the rigging techniques required to operate in a vertical environment.

Rock & Ice Climbing Photography Workshop Descriptions & Details