Tips on how to make the most out of your photography workshop program
Are you an aspiring photographer looking to take your skills to the next level? If so, then you should join a professional and reputable photography workshop. It’s the best way to learn the tricks of the trade, gain more knowledge, photograph the most beautiful locations in the local and abroad, meet new people and explore amazing career opportunities along the way. Before you go on to attend a workshop, knowing these five tips will maximize your learning experience.
- Important considerations when searching for a perfect photography workshop
How to choose the right workshop? Most people prefer attending workshops in their local area. Which is not necessarily the best option if you happened to live in a small town, since most successful and professional photographers live and lecture in cities and countries that offer the most amount of work to those photographers, such as New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Tokyo, Milan and so forth. But the point is, if you want to get the best experience, you should give more importance to find the right instructor for you, rather than worrying about the location. Sometimes, the best photography workshops can far away but the knowledge and experience gained can exceed the inconvenience of traveling to those workshops
The point of attending a photography workshop is to work with Fashion Photographers who are inspiring, fun, engaging, and motivating and who have the experience of shaping the careers of hundreds of photographers. If you are going to spend your time in the company of an instructor who is only a teacher but has never done an actual advertising or fashion campaign and never been published, that should be enough to stop you from attending his workshops.
Nowadays , anyone with an expensive DSLR Camera and a studio calls himself a Professional photographer and even offer classes and workshops, but that doesn’t qualify them as a good and reputable photographers and instructors. The proof is always in the pudding! Make sure you look at their published work and compare them with other workshops instructor’s portfolio, and always choose the one with the most impressive body of work and years of experience in the business. Try to avoid any instructor that has no knowledge of Film photography and they only rely on photoshop to make their images better.
Okay, how to choose the best workshop leader? Well, most of them have their own blogs and social media accounts. Check out their posts and get a good feel of their photography skills, teaching style, and their personality. Get in touch with them and ask for referrals. Talk to some of their students, so you’ll get a better idea of how your workshop experience is going to be like. Keep in mind that the point is to work with someone you truly admire and learn and have fun at the same time.
The next thing you need to consider is whether the photography workshop is appropriate for you – is it for beginners, intermediates, or advanced photographers? Is it primarily a tour shop or a workshop? What is the itinerary like? Does it include more of travelling? Are you physically fit to visit the listed locations?
By answering these questions, you get to choose the best photography workshop that suits your needs and interest. That’s where you get the best experience.
- Follow your instructor’s instructions every step of the way
Sometimes, when attending a workshop you might be tempted to walk away from the group and take some shots in solitude in hopes of taking some rare close-ups or some other shots. Okay, no one is going to hold you back. But when you don’t follow your instructor, the chances are that you are going to miss some very important tips and lessons, which was the reason you attended his workshop at the first place.
Keep in mind that the purpose of attending the workshop is to improve your photography skills and learn innovative ideas and techniques that you might now know otherwise. You will have a lot of time to go for those close-up shots on your own, but by following your instructor, you will learn a lot more.
Watch how they hold the camera, how they see things, what angles they prefer, how they fix compositions, how they use filters, light, etc. That’s the real learning. Instead, if you are going to skip these and roam around in loneliness, you are probably missing the whole experience of the trip and the workshop
- Ask questions
In any photography workshop, each student will have a different level of understanding based on his or her experience. But, that shouldn’t stop you from asking questions. Always remember, no question is silly in a workshop. Sometimes, people in your group will have the same questions as yours. So by asking them, you are also helping someone and that makes learning even more healthy and fulfilling. Ask any experienced photography instructor, and they will tell you that their best students are the ones that constantly ask questions, seek guidance, and help others.
- Mingle with your group members
Let’s face it. Passionate photographers think, dream, and live photography. When you talk about it to your non-photographic lover, he is going to think you’re nuts. But your group members aren’t going to think that way. Make sure to interact with your workshop members and look forward to sharing and learning a lot from them. That could also lead to long term friendships with like-minded people.
By having five or more friends in the same field in different locations and talking to them more, you will get to know about the different opportunities and developments taking place in the industry. That’s good, right?
- Share your work and get constant feedback
Most photographers are proud to display their best works but when it comes to sharing their daily work, they feel a bit insecure. This is understandable, because you have the fear of being criticized or laughed at for your work. But, that’s not the right thing to do. If you want to grow as an artist, you should get constant feedback from your master and group members and work on the negative aspects. The world’s best known photographers are the ones that have faced multiple rejections and criticism. But, through the years, they have learnt to turn their weakness into their strong points, and that’s what helps them to stand out.
Keep these factors in mind when attending a photography workshop. You will get the best experience!
This post was contributed by “Daphne” a writer and social media strategist at IDigic. He is also a part-time fashion photographer who travels frequently from New York to Texas meeting inspiring photographers and capturing awe-inspiring moments through his Canon EOS 7D.
Here is a directory of photography workshops and festivals
