Are Photography Workshops worth it?

[ankitj]

Hi everyone,

I have always found that it would be nice to have some guidance taking landscape shots or wildlife shots. I am wondering if anyone has ever attended any Photo Workshops and found it useful.

Are there any that you can recommend? I am looking at nature/landscape/wildlife photography workshops.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you

AJ

[photoguy6405]

I attended a 5-day fall colors seminar a year and a half ago and I loved it. Learned alot. It was run by Gerlach Nature Photography. They're about half the price of many other workshops, and worth every penny. They do most of their stuff in Michigan and the Rocky Mountains, though.

[HastyPhoto]

For landscapes I would recommend my good friend www.tonysweet.com and for wildlife the best of the best Charles Glatzer at www.shootthelight.com

Are they worth it? Absolutely.

[argyle]

Worth it? It depends. How many folks are in the group? How much one-on-one time do you get with the instructor? Does the "big name" actually lead the instruction, or does he/she rely on multiple assistants (depending on group size)? Just a few basic questions to ask if you plan on attending a workshop. If you can find one that has a limited number of students (5 to 8 ), I'd say that it'd be worth it just for the fact that you'd come away with some new skills/techniques and probably some better images.

Matter of fact, I shot the pic in my avatar on a 4-day overnight camping workshop at Havasu Canyon. Great thing was, only three participants plus the workshop pro...got some great images, plus picked up a few tidbits of info that I never would have thought of myself had I not attended, as well as a few post-processing tricks.

[James P]

I have learned a great deal at photo workshops. I've learned even more by joining the local camera club.

[Todd Lambert]

Yeah, find a local club - these are a great way to learn. I was floored by the quality and the quantity of the clubs here in the Dallas area. There are several very large clubs and they have several weekly shoots where you can shoot different subject matters, using their lighting equipment etc.. it's great.

[ankitj]

Yeah, find a local club - these are a great way to learn. I was floored by the quality and the quantity of the clubs here in the Dallas area. There are several very large clubs and they have several weekly shoots where you can shoot different subject matters, using their lighting equipment etc.. it's great.

I have learned a great deal at photo workshops. I've learned even more by joining the local camera club.

Worth it? It depends. How many folks are in the group? How much one-on-one time do you get with the instructor? Does the "big name" actually lead the instruction, or does he/she rely on multiple assistants (depending on group size)? Just a few basic questions to ask if you plan on attending a workshop. If you can find one that has a limited number of students (5 to 8 ), I'd say that it'd be worth it just for the fact that you'd come away with some new skills/techniques and probably some better images.

Matter of fact, I shot the pic in my avatar on a 4-day overnight camping workshop at Havasu Canyon. Great thing was, only three participants plus the workshop pro...got some great images, plus picked up a few tidbits of info that I never would have thought of myself had I not attended, as well as a few post-processing tricks.

For landscapes I would recommend my good friend www.tonysweet.com (http://www.tonysweet.com) and for wildlife the best of the best Charles Glatzer at www.shootthelight.com (http://www.shootthelight.com)

Are they worth it? Absolutely.

I attended a 5-day fall colors seminar a year and a half ago and I loved it. Learned alot. It was run by Gerlach Nature Photography. They're about half the price of many other workshops, and worth every penny. They do most of their stuff in Michigan and the Rocky Mountains, though.


Thanks for the responses. I think I will start with a local club before going on a photo safari with a pro.

[yogestee]

I think workshops are worth it not only for the information but the networking also..

I used to attend a few.. One in particular I met two guys,,we did know each other from Adam.. We still keep in touch,, one has become a good friend..

[krb]

I spent yesterday afternoon in a workshop on composition with Corey Hilz (www.coreyhilz.com). The first half was in a classroom with him showing a slideshow of images and explaining details about what works or doesn't work. Most of that was on the basic side (found in almost any book on the subject) since the class needs to be useful to the most raw of newbies but there were a couple of more subtle issues in some shots that it was good to learn about. There's also a lot to be said for being able to see and hear the descriptions from a good teacher versus just reading a book. The second half was walking around shooting and it was great to have him look over your shoulder and give advice. Suggestions like zooming in tighter to eliminate some distractions on the edges of the frame or shifting to the side a little to give more separation between subjects that really did help.

I think it was a very productive way to spend $50 and a nice spring afternoon.

I also strongly agree with the camera club suggestion. Not all clubs are equal but membership in a good one can be the best money you'll spend, IMO

You can also look on meetup.com for a photography meetup group in your area. Less formal than a camera club but some of them are really good.