In my last article I talked about how to research a photography trip. Sometimes you may decide it’s better to go on a workshop rather than a do it yourself trip. Maybe the workshop leader is teaching a new technique that you’d like to learn or has detailed knowledge of an area that will probably guarantee a more productive outing.
Try to research the workshop and instructor, and if they will help you learn. See if the instructor posts work by students or has a group where participants share work. If you see good work being done by the students, it’s likely due to a good workshop leader. Some workshops are heavy on instruction, while others are more photo tours or photo ops and concentrate on getting you to good locations in good light, or providing subjects you want to photograph, while assuming you know basic photography. Also pay attention to any physical requirements mentioned in the workshop. At best you won’t enjoy a workshop beyond your abilities; at worst you may get overly fatigued or even injured.
Even though a good workshop has already done a lot of the research for you, you should still do some basic research. What will the weather be like and what clothing do you need to bring to cover the possibilities? What equipment do you need to bring? Some workshops provide a list of suggested clothing and equipment, or you can probably contact the leader.
Some workshops include lodging and/or meals; others require you to make your own reservations. Make your reservations as soon as possible, so you don’t wind up staying far from the group.
Trip insurance should be something you consider. The last two years have forced a lot of cancelled travel plans and even workshops. Also be sure your travel plan includes medical care and medical evacuation if you are out of the country.
When I can, I like to get to the workshop location at least a day in advance to get acclimated and recover from jet lag. Going early also helps eliminate anxiety if there are travel delays.
Once the workshop begins, meet the instructor and the other participants. Be on your best behavior and hope everyone else will be also (more on this later). Besides making new friends, you may find that you will learn from other participants as well as the instructor.
Often there is work to be done setting up, hauling gear, packing up afterwards and generally organizing. Whenever you can jump in and share the work; don’t be the one who sits back, doesn’t help and expects to be waited on.
When you are out shooting, watch where others are shooting, and don’t get in someone else’s photo. You may think you’re ok, but if the other photographer is shooting with a very wide angle lens you may intrude without knowing it. It’s always safe to ask “Am I in your shot?” Conversely, you know what your reputation will be if you are constantly charging in front of others. Often the workshop leader will start with group shooting from a distance, and move the group forward in stages; follow his directions.
If there is something you don’t understand, then ask for help, but try not to be the one talking and asking questions constantly and not allowing anyone else to learn. Also you may find that you will learn from your fellow photographers. Usually you will figure pretty quickly who the good photographers are. Glance at what the instructor and other photographers are shooting. Even though there may image reviews in the evening, it’s better to see what’s working while you are still in the field and can be sure you get a good shot, rather than find out what you missed that evening.
There may be one best viewpoint or several good shooting locations. If there is one best location, don’t monopolize it; share and later they will return the favor. Sometimes a location is so cramped that it’s difficult to even get a tripod in position. I’ve been in a couple of situations where once someone got their tripod in position, we left it in place and just swapped photographers and cameras. Of course this works best if everyone is using a common attachment like Arca Swiss plates.
Don’t forget to stop and just enjoy the location, without even taking a photo. Also with a good group, meals and breaks can be a very enjoyable part of the event.
Be flexible! Even the best workshop leader can’t control the weather, crowds, government shutdowns and road closings. The he best leaders do adapt quickly, or already have plan B or C ready. Go with the flow and you may still have a great workshop.
I’ll finish off with some stories of good and bad workshop behavior I’ve seen on some of my trips. Names will be omitted to protect the innocent (or guilty) photographers.
The Bad
I went to one workshop that was supposed to have a couple of hours of class in the morning before an afternoon of shooting. “Class” turned out to be a half hour of the photographer telling us how great he was, followed by an hour of him bashing a line of equipment that no longer sponsored him. When it came time to shoot, he was pretty much absent and we were on our own. Not surprisingly I don’t see him doing workshops any more.
I was on one workshop where there was a leader and about 30 photographers. This many photographers requires clear and firm direction to keep us out of each other’s way. What we got was an instructor who was wrapped up in working on his off camera flash technique, rather than paying attention to the group. To make things worse, he had his assistant out in front of us with the flash, and I lost a lot of good shots because the assistant was in my shot.
At a similar shoot, we had about 30 photographers and a very organized, attentive instructor who lined us up in a line so we didn’t block each other. Then one totally oblivious photographer proceeded to walk out in front of everybody and up and down the line. Our instructor tried unsuccessfully to reign her in (she really did her best short of tackling her), and she pulled this a few more times. We all took to yelling and screaming at her, but she remained totally oblivious or just didn’t care. Don’t be that photographer!
On another workshop we ran into one of those situations where there really was one best viewpoint. Most of us in the group were used to shooting together and sharing a location. But not one photographer. He ran in front of everyone to stake out the location and despite subtle and not so subtle hints to move for a minute and share the location, he didn’t budge. Years later we still gripe about him, and certainly we’d never willingly shoot in a group with him again.
The Good
I went out to Colorado for the Durango Silverton Fall photographers weekend. Each day we had about forty photographers on board and the train would stop at scenic locations, put the photographers out, and back up out of sight and then make a photo run or two. The group was about fifty percent hardcore photographers who also like trains, and about fifty percent hardcore train fanatics who did some photography or video. Our group leader did a phenomenal job of lining us up and making sure everyone had a clear shot and no one was blocking anyone else before he radioed the engineer to bring the train in. For two days, ten locations a day he kept us perfectly organized. Talking to him later I found out that among other things, he was a roller derby announcer, so I guess he was used to much rougher crowds.
On a winter wildlife workshop our leader did a lot helpful instruction, and managed us well in the field. Even though he was shooting, he made sure everyone else was getting good shots. When another photographer’s camera died (probably due to the subzero cold), he didn’t hesitate. He pulled the card out of his camera and handed his camera over and had them put their card in his camera and keep shooting. That’s a leader who really cares about his students more than about getting his own shots.
As I write this (Feb 2022) Covid finally seems to be waning and hopefully travel and photography workshops will begin to return to normal. Start looking for workshops that interest you, and hopefully you’ll come back with good photos, good stories, and new friends.
