Back from the Valley of Death

Back from the Valley of Death and Some Tips on Photography Workshops

Hey all, I just wanted to touch base with you with recent developments.

I just got back from our photo workshop in Death Valley which is one of the reasons that I haven’t posted anything in the last week.

The workshop was fantastic, but to be honest, it came with it’s share of challenges and unexpected “incidents”. More on that later.

Joe (Consentino) and I enjoyed teaching and sharing photography lessons with our participants. We packed a lot of photography goodness out at Death Valley. We captured some great images and I’m looking forward to sharing some of those with you soon.

Death Valley is a vast (largest National Park in the continental US) area. It’s an environment full of character: textures, colors, shapes and stunning views. A photographer’s photogenic playland!

Teaching a photo workshop is ALWAYS fun. I’ve always enjoyed teaching and get to meet other passionate photographers of all experience and skill levels. I can geek out on photo-goodness and share my knowledge and experience with enthusiasts from all around the world. I always enjoy both the formal “class” sessions as well as the informal photography coaching and chatting that inevitably happens on workshops.

On this workshop, we were able to touch on concepts of: Landscape photography, concepts of composition, night photography, tripod use techniques, low perspective photography, light painting, sunrise shooting, concepts of off camera flash and “SoftBright” light compositing, focus stacking, sunset photography and more. On the last day, we wrapped up by sharing images and providing some critiques and suggestions.

If you haven’t joined a photography workshop and are thinking about it, here’s my tip: you should!

Photo workshops allow you to connect with other passionate photographers, learn new skills and gets you to locations with subject matter and imagery that you simply can’t get back home.

If you’re interested in finding a photo workshop, here are a few tips:

1) Search for interesting locations that will bring you to areas with photogenic subject matter. One of the best things about workshops is that they can bring you to new locations with interesting, photogenic opportunities. Do a little “Googling” and find out what kind of images you might expect to bring back from your workshop.

2) Pay attention to what is being offered. Will the workshop include food, hotel, transportation? There are a lot of variables to taken into consideration. Certain workshops might offer a “full service” experience, but might be more costly. Others might be a “bare-bones” offering with no frills. Find out beforehand what the workshop is offering and providing.

3) Do a little research and find out who is teaching the workshop. The quality of the workshop can vary widely depending on WHOis providing the instruction. You want to choose an instructor who is not only skilled in photography, but more importantly someone who is experienced in training / teaching and being able to skillfully share their knowledge with you. A wildly talented photographer who can’t easily convey their knowledge to you might not be the best fit.

4) As the Nike slogan goes: Just Do It! Find a workshop and sign up. Once you’re enrolled you can look forward with excitement to the day of the workshop. You can plan, prepare and be ready to learn and come back with some awesome skills and images.

If you enjoy how I teach and share my knowledge and skills of photography, please consider attending one of my upcoming photography workshop offerings at Explore Photography Workshops.

Click below to see more images in a Spark page