Have you ever wondered how photography workshops can ignite your creativity, refine your skills and push your business to new heights? I'm here to tell you that workshops are a game changer. They offer an opportunity for camaraderie and connection, for learning and growth, and for witnessing the transformative power of your photography. I'll share my insights on the importance of these workshops, not only for your personal artistic journey but for your business as well.
We'll also tackle the necessity of staying on top of industry trends, and how workshops can aid you in this endeavor. If you're worried about just mimicking what everyone else is doing, worry no more! We'll discuss how to incorporate trends into your work in a unique way. However, not all workshops are created equal. I'll equip you with the knowledge to discern which workshops to avoid, such as those offering portfolio building sessions where everyone ends up with identical photos.
I'll talk about the 5 things every swell-structured photography workshop should provide for deep learning to improve your skills:
1. Knowledge Expansion
2. Networking and Collaboration
3. Creative Inspiration
4. Constructive Criticism and Feedback
5. Personal Confidence and Growth
6. Exposure to Industry and Artistic Trends
My goal is to help you get the most value out of your investment in a photography workshop. I'll delve into the details of what makes a workshop truly beneficial, from its size to its focus on portfolio through individualized creativity and detailed planning. I'll even share my personal experiences attending workshops, and their impact on my photography journey. It's time to spark your creativity, broaden your network, and take your photography to new heights. So, tune in and let's explore photography workshops together.
Resources, Photographers, and Companies Mentioned During This Episode
Questions or Comments? Reach out at MariaB@CluedUpBTS.com and I'll be in touch* directly or address your comment on the podcast.
*By submitting a question or statement, you agree that your submission can be discussed publicly on the podcast, website, or other platforms owned by or affiliated with CluedUpBTS and its parent company, HeadshotNJ, and affiliate company Maria B Photography Studio. while retaining your anonymity.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Maria (00:03):
Hi everyone.
Welcome to this week's episodeof Clued Up, the Behind the
Scenes Photography Podcast.
I'm your host, maria B.
Before we get started with thisweek's episode, I just want to
make you aware of something.
If you subscribe or if youattempted to download last
week's episode, when you didthere was probably an annoying
(00:24):
ticking sound in the backgroundwhich just made listening
impossible.
I apologize for that.
I inadvertently uploaded thewrong version of last week's
episode.
That version had been deletedand re-recorded with that sound
removed, but I uploaded theincorrect version.
(00:45):
Anyway, that episode has beentaken down and the re-recorded
episode that is much lessdisturbing is now up.
If you want to catch lastweek's episode, please go into
where we subscribe to get yourpodcast and you'll see it there.
(01:06):
Okay, let's move on to thisweek's episode.
Today we're going to be talkingabout workshops, in particular,
the transformative power ofworkshops.
Now, if you've been listeningfor a while, you know I am heavy
into continuing education forphotographers.
(01:29):
You never stop learning.
You simply can't.
In this week's episode we'regoing to talk about the value
and the power of transformativeworkshops that influence and
actually change and they shouldchange the way you work.
You also know that in mydiscussions about education for
(01:54):
photographers.
I've talked about the problemsthat many of us have, that we
dedicate our time, effort andour money to attending
conferences and workshops andthen you know, when it's all
over, we actually question wasthis a smart move?
So in today's episode, we'regoing to talk about that, and
(02:18):
we're going to talk about therapidly evolving world of
photography and how workshopsshould keep you relevant and
should help you hone in yourskills as a photographer while
keeping you current.
Let's get started.
Welcome to Clued Up with MariaB, the behind the scenes
(02:38):
photography podcast.
Clued Up is your insider's viewto building successful magazine
style photo shoots.
We talk design and concept,fashion and style, tech, social
media and, of course, business,plus so much more, including how
to avoid common photographypitfalls.
You'll also meet some specialguests who work behind the
(03:00):
camera and in front of the lens.
Whether you're an aspiringphotographer, a portrait
photographer, thinking aboutstarting your own business, or
you just have an interest inwhat it takes to plan and
execute professional shoots,you've come to the right place.
I'm your host, maria B.
Now let's get you Clued Up,okay, so let's start with the
(03:23):
fact that, in this rapidlyevolving world of photography,
staying relevant and honing inon your skills is paramount to
your success and to yourbusiness.
In today's world, anyone with acouple of dollars in the bank,
anyone with a major credit card,can walk into the store,
(03:45):
purchase a high priced camera,purchase a really good lens or a
couple of lenses and poof.
They're calling themselves aprofessional photographer, but
we know that what separates atrue pro from someone who can
(04:10):
simply afford expensive gear isthe education and the
understanding, both in the artand in the science of
photography.
Among the self study programsand the online tutorials that we
all do and most of which wetend not to complete, attending
(04:32):
workshops is an invaluableexperience that can easily
easily elevate and inspire yourcraft as well as your career,
raising the quality of your workas a photographer.
Workshops, in particular,should be immersive learning
(04:56):
experiences that offerphotographers a unique
opportunity to gain insights,exchange ideas, as well as
foster sense of community.
In this episode, we're going totalk more about that experience
.
We're going to explore theimportance of attending
(05:17):
workshops for photographers andsee how these transformational
experiences can shape yourartistic journey and improve
your business.
So there are a few things thatI kind of consider these the
foundations of a good workshopin terms of their structure or
(05:40):
what they should accomplish.
So the first thing is knowledgeexpansion.
Workshops provide aconcentrated, structured
learning environment, or theyshould.
Workshops allow you, thephotographer, to delve deep into
various aspects of your crafts,especially when these workshops
(06:05):
are led by seasonedprofessionals and industry
experts who share their wealthof knowledge, their tips, their
tricks and, probably the mostimportant thing, their
experiences.
Through workshops, you, as aphotographer, should gain hands
(06:27):
on and yeah, hands on experiencein new techniques, in cutting
edge equipment, and you shouldexplore, or attending a workshop
can potentially provide you theexperience of exploring
different genres of photography.
(06:47):
Notice before I said hands onexperience.
You should not attend aworkshop if that means that you
are sitting around watching andthen you get up to take a photo
of the subject that's beingphotographed, so that you and
every other attendee end uphaving the same photo.
(07:09):
A workshop should be animmersive experience and it
should be hands on, and you'regoing to hear me say that a lot
in this episode.
If you're attending aconference and part of that
conference happens to beworkshops, I'd be a little bit
leery, because a workshop and aconference, they should be
(07:31):
structured differently, and whenworkshops are part of a
conference, I sort of questionif you are getting the true
value out of that workshop, butI'm going to talk more about
that later as well.
Getting back to the point aboutknowledge expansion, workshops
should open your mind and itshould.
Workshop should expand yourcreativity and your techniques.
(07:57):
The best workshops change yourapproach to photography.
The second thing that aworkshop should do it should
widen your network and it shouldprovide you with the
opportunity for collaboration.
Workshops bring togetherlike-minded individuals.
(08:18):
Attendees tend to share thatsame passion for photography.
You develop camaraderie and youdevelop connections during
these workshops and this canlead to fruitful collaborations
after the workshop is over, andin some cases it can lead to
(08:41):
friendships or photographyfriendships, basically because
you're meeting people who arethe same point in their
photography career as you are.
Workshops allow you to interactwith your fellow photographers,
with your instructor,instructors and even potential
(09:02):
clients, because once you knowphotographers, when you need a
photo taken of yourself, yourbusiness, who are you going to
go to?
Obviously someone who you know,and you get to experience the
quality of their work.
So workshops again provideinteraction with your fellow
(09:22):
photographers, with yourinstructors, and provide
potential for clients.
Workshops expand yourprofessional network and it can
open the door to new projectsand ventures, collaborations and
even getting your new portraitor your new head shot taken by a
(09:44):
fellow photographer.
When workshops are small, wellorganized and well structured,
you also have the opportunity tospeak with instructors one on
one.
Listen, not everyone likes toget up in front of the room and
ask a question or make a comment.
Workshops tend to be moreconducive to those who are
(10:08):
intimidated by crowds or who mayjust be shy.
Often you can just speak to aninstructor on the side.
You can ask them a questiondirectly.
But what I found is that peoplewho don't like to speak up
generally have some great ideasor ask some really interesting
(10:32):
questions.
So when you get your instructoroff to the side and in your low
tone, almost shy voice, you askthis brilliant question,
usually whoever's running theclass says you know that's a
great question, and then theytalk to the class about what you
(10:52):
asked and you get some re, someaffirmation that your ideas are
good ideas or that yourquestions or are good questions.
And probably what happensfrequently is that that question
is something that almosteverybody else wanted to ask,
(11:13):
but you're the one who went tothe instructor, the person
leading the class and asked it.
So small, intimate workshopstend to provide an atmosphere
more conducive to exchange ofideas, either between
instructors and attendees orbetween photographers.
(11:35):
The other thing about workshopsis that they provide creative
inspiration, or they should.
The collective energy of aworkshop environment can, and
should, spark your creativity.
When you're interacting withdiverse perspectives, the
(11:58):
perspectives of your fellowattendees, and you see their
work, it can give you a freshinside a fresh perspective, and
it can give you inspiration, andthat can cause you to break
away from your regular routineof doing things.
(12:18):
In other words, it'll cause youto step out of that self
restricted comfort zone thatyou've been living in for quite
some time, and this can lead tobreak breakthroughs in your
artistic expression and help youdevelop your unique
photographic style.
So here's the next thing thatyou should get from an immersive
(12:45):
, well structured photographyworkshop you should get
constructive criticism andfeedback.
The best workshops includereview sessions, where attendees
can receive constructivecriticism on their work, not
(13:07):
only from the instructor, butalso from fellow attendees.
Honest feedback frominstructors and your peers will
help you to identify yourstrengths as well as areas that
you need to improve.
Embracing feedback with an openmind can accelerate your growth
(13:31):
and fine tune your artisticvision.
The last workshop I was in, theinstructor, as well as my peers,
criticized constructively thedifficult time I have in giving
direction and asking forexpression.
(13:53):
Now, this is a problem I'veoften had in the past and it
continues to be a problem and itcontinues to be something that
I work at.
And this is personality relatedbecause I'm the type of person
who, instead of asking, I'llalways do myself, and I think
(14:15):
that sort of translates when itcomes to asking people to pose
or asking them to give me acertain expression as they're in
front of my camera.
I'm not someone who is totallycomfortable in asking people to
do things and unfortunately forme, that can transpire into my
(14:39):
photography until I am totally,am totally comfortable with that
person.
So I accepted their criticismand, knowing that it's a problem
that I already have, I wasactually kind of glad to hear
someone else observe that in mebecause I know it in myself.
(15:01):
But the fact that other peoplecan see it just raised my level
of awareness even more.
In addition to the criticism, ofcourse, you also want to point
out the positives and one of thethings that the both the
(15:21):
instructor and other attendeestalked about was the quality of
my work, and that's just a signof validation that you know I am
getting that right.
And it's not a matter ofgetting it right oh, I'm good at
it.
It's a matter of I get thatright.
I need to maintain getting itright and I need to even take it
(15:41):
up another notch, because youcan always improve, even with
the things that you do well.
Superior workshops not onlyprovide feedback from the
instructors to the attendees,but, as I said a little while
ago and it's worth noting hereyou also should get feedback
(16:02):
from your peers.
You should critique eachother's work, offering
observations about their strongpoints and their areas of
weakness, because that's theonly way that, or it's one of
the ways that we grow.
The best workshops don't stopthere.
These workshops want to knowwhat they got right, where and
(16:28):
how they can improve theworkshop for future attendees.
And they also want to know if,knowing what you, the attendee,
knowing what you know at the endof the workshop, would you have
still signed up for it, wouldyou have still attended, would
(16:50):
you attend another workshopoffered by that person or that
or those people, and what wouldyou do differently if you ran
the workshop.
If you ever attend a workshopand you have the opportunity to
give feedback, please do,because that's the only way
things change.
(17:10):
It's only when people know thatsomething needs to be changed
will they change it.
Your perspective, your feedback, is an invaluable asset to the
instructors and to the plannersof the workshop.
Be honest about what you likedand what you did not like.
(17:32):
Let them know where you thinkimprovement can be made and let
them know what's done so well.
Just keep it.
Don't touch it, because thathappens too.
If you attend a workshop or aconference and there's no
opportunity to provide feedback,I'd seriously consider that a
red flag because on some level,it's showing that the people who
(17:55):
give the workshop they don'treally care what you thought
about it and they're just goingto repeat the same thing and
there isn't going to be anyimprovement or any changes.
And that's another thing.
It doesn't always necessarilyhave to be an improvement.
(18:16):
It can be something logistic,like break time, lunch time,
doing something in the morningsession versus doing it in the
afternoon, those types of things.
So any little bit of feedbackthat you can give to the
(18:36):
instructor or to the people whoplan a photography workshop.
Take the opportunity to do soand, as a matter of fact, even
if they don't formally ask foryour feedback, there's nothing
wrong with sending an emailthanking them for the workshop
and just gently making somesuggestions.
If you think there is somethingthat needs to be changed or
(18:59):
improved, okay.
Next, the next thing that aworkshop should do and we've
kind of beat around the bushabout this a little bit that is,
a workshop should providepersonal growth and boost your
confidence as a photographer.
(19:19):
Attending workshops should andwill encourage you to confront
challenges and to push yourboundaries.
Most of those boundaries areself-imposed.
The act of learning in asupportive and nurturing
(19:39):
environment will build yourconfidence and foster your
personal growth.
This newfound assurance thatyou're going to feel, that
you're going to find it's goingto be reflected in your work and
, ultimately, it should elevatethe quality of your photography.
(20:01):
Consider taking workshops andthings that are outside of your
comfort zone, things you'reinterested in but you kind of
don't know exactly where tostart.
So, for example, let's sayyou're a portrait photographer
but you'd like to branch intoBoudoir.
Or let's say you were aportrait photographer and people
(20:25):
have asked you to do weddingphotography and you keep saying
no, I know this well becausethis is me.
Take a workshop in weddingphotography.
It doesn't mean you'renecessarily going to do it, but
you've got nothing to lose ifit's a well-run, well-structured
(20:46):
workshop.
You're going to learn andwhatever you learn it's going to
be applicable to what youalready do and you may find that
once you've done a lot of work,you may find that once you've
done a workshop, you may havethe courage to then become a
(21:06):
second shooter for a weddingphotographer, and once you
really get your feet wet, youmay just want to try this out on
your own, anything that's ofinterest to you, given how many
workshops are made available tophotographers.
But just make sure it iswell-structured, it's got good
(21:27):
reviews, or even if you canspeak to someone who attended
classes given by that particularinstructor, that particular
photographer, and find out ifthey enjoyed it, if they learned
, if they thought it was worthboth their time and their money.
And this is how you canconstructively branch out and
(21:50):
gain confidence and personalgrowth in a new genre or a new
aspect of your photography, anew area of your photography.
Next, workshops are a greatplace to keep pace with industry
(22:10):
trends.
As I said in the beginning.
We all know how quickly theworld of photography changes.
Right.
There are evolving trends,advancements in technology.
Workshops often cover a lot ofthese latest developments and a
(22:32):
lot of emerging techniques in agiven genre.
This helps you to either staywith or stay ahead in what is
arguably a competitive field.
Adapting new trends ensuresthat your work remains relevant
and that it resonates with acontemporary audience.
(22:55):
So, having said that, youshould always make any trend
your own and not just followwhat that trend is during a
given time, because trends arejust that trends, and some of
them fall out of favor after acertain amount of time.
So when something is trending,don't just do it because it's
(23:21):
what everybody else is doing.
Learn to put your unique spinon it and make it your own.
So, while at the workshop, youmay learn the nuts and bolts,
you want to take what you'velearned and apply it to your
particular photography style.
(23:41):
So here's an example.
When I started photographingportraits, I kept to the
guidelines of the person who Iwas following online.
The pose is extremely beautiful, very professional and, I would
(24:02):
say, very traditional.
When I started looking closelyat other photographers whether
it was on Facebook or Instagram,or you start following someone
and then you go to their website, it kind of became obvious that
many of us were following thesame person because the poses
(24:23):
they all looked alike.
And a workshop is a great placeto explore the non-traditional.
Again, it's an expansion, it'sa growth in a way.
So, while there are elements oftraditional posing that will
(24:47):
always be pleasing to the eye,you see this with younger
photographers that they exploremore.
They stay away from that oldportrait type of look.
Their portraits are indeed moremodern.
So one of the things about aworkshop, again, is that it is a
(25:11):
great place to keep up withtrends and break out of the
traditional, if you can, allright.
So some of the things I'm goingto talk about next have to do
with the types of workshops youshould avoid, or elements of a
(25:32):
workshop that I would thinkwould just make you question
whether or not you want toinvest your time and your money.
As I've said numerous times,like many of you, I've attended
workshops and questioned boththe expense and the time that
I've invested, or time and moneythat I've lost.
(25:53):
You consider it a loss if youdon't perceive you've gained a
true value from this, fromattending a workshop.
So over time I've come up withwhat I now consider red flags
when it comes to workshops.
These are not absolutes,they're just based on my
(26:14):
personal experience.
If you're attending conferencesto be in that setting, you know
the big conference, hundreds ofpeople, sort of like an expo,
with a lot of businesses, a lotof vendors making stuff
(26:34):
available to you for purchase.
That is one experience.
Workshops are anotherexperience.
Workshops are for what I calldeep learning.
So you want to avoid or I tryto avoid workshops that are
(26:55):
parts of conferences, becauseusually you have hundreds of
people and okay, so hundreds maybe an exaggeration, but the
workshops tend to have a lot ofpeople.
So there's that lack ofintimacy, there's that lack of
one-on-one, one-to-oneinteraction with your instructor
(27:16):
.
You lose all of that once aworkshop is passed a certain
number of students.
So if you're going to aconference, go to a conference.
Please, don't go to aconference for the sake of
attending a workshop, becauseit's really rare that that's
going to work.
There are too many distractionsfor you to really get the value
(27:41):
that you're looking for.
The amount of education you canreceive from a conference or I
don't know, a mega conferencetends to be associated with the
number of people attending, andthe truth of the matter is that
it's an indirect relationship.
Again, the bigger, the largerthe number of participants, the
(28:03):
actual less learning occurs.
There's little one-on-oneattention to you or your
specific needs or your specificquestions.
And even if you happen to grabsomeone's attention, they're
usually in a hurry to get totheir next speaking engagement
or to answer the question of theperson waiting behind you, or
(28:27):
they simply cannot give you theattention that you are looking
for to properly answer thequestions that you have.
And that's not to.
That Doesn't matter what thevenue is.
Once you have a lot of peoplein a room, the noise itself is a
major distraction.
(28:47):
One-on-one conversations workbetter in quiet places Two
people speaking with dozens,hundreds of people walking by.
There's a loss in connection.
And at this point, when youattend a conference, what is
(29:09):
your true comprehension whenyou've listened to three, four,
five speakers in one day?
Really, I'm going to talk aboutthis a little bit more in just a
few moments.
First, I want to avoid whenattending workshops or workshops
(29:35):
that are part of conferences.
I want to avoid a situation andI mean this now and I'm going
to give you the reason why in alittle bit.
I want to avoid a situationwhere, as I've said before, you
have one person speaking for avery long time and then everyone
(29:59):
gets up with their camera totake the same photo of the same
model wearing the same outfit.
We all essentially walk awaywith the same photo.
Avoid workshops in which theperson leading the workshop
demonstrates something, takessome photos of the subject, the
(30:22):
model, and then everyoneattending the workshop now gets
up and essentially takes thesame photo.
Avoid workshops or avoidconferences that offer quote
unquote portfolio building, inwhich you walk up to an area
where you have a model, thesettings for your camera are
(30:46):
posted.
Yes, you can give that modeldirections, but the person
behind you is going to do thesame thing that you did.
They're gonna walk up there,they're gonna get those settings
for their camera, they're gonnahave the model pose and you do
this over like three minutes ortwo minutes or five minutes,
(31:08):
whatever the amount of time andthe person behind her.
You get my point and you didthe same thing as the person who
was in front of you.
That's not portfolio building.
When you build your portfolio,you design your concept, your
(31:29):
use of colors, your use of mood,your use of lighting, the
position of your lights hardlights, soft light, angled light
, lights from overhead, sidelight, hair light, rim light
that's portfolio building.
Portfolio building reflectsyour style, your unique style as
(31:51):
a photographer.
If I walk up to a particularstation and I take a photo of a
model and the person before medid the same thing and the
person after me, how are we, asartists, building a portfolio
when potential clients will seethe same types of photos on
various websites From bothconferences and workshops that
(32:14):
offer this type of portfoliobuilding?
These are point and shootexperiences.
Use them for what they are, butyou're not building a portfolio
when you do this.
Consider the cost Bigconferences with so-called
workshops they cost a lot.
(32:36):
Your tickets tend to beanywhere from $1,000, $1,500 and
up, and that's before you getto travel expenses, hotels,
renting a car or publictransportation.
For the amount of money thatyou spend, you can attend
(32:58):
workshops, probably for asignificant amount of money less
, for significantly less andinstead explore and have an
intimate learning experiencethat's well-planned,
well-structured, allows for alot of discussion and receive a
(33:19):
lot of personal attention andcritique of your work.
Consider your time when youattend large conferences,
supposedly with workshops, orwhen you attend workshops and
there are a lot of people you'dspend some amount of your time
roaming through aisles reviewingwhat vendors have to offer,
(33:42):
probably making some purchasesthat you would not have made had
you not been there.
And if you're attendingworkshops and conferences for
the sake of learning, why areyou in a situation where, one,
you're spending money more moneythan what you spent to get
(34:02):
there and, two, you're kind ofroaming up and down the aisles?
Yes, it's nice to see what'snew.
But if you're going to aconference for that, that's one
thing.
Yes, go for that, there'snothing wrong with it.
But again, if you're purpose inattending these educational
modules, these educationalevents, is to learn to be a
(34:27):
better photographer, having timeto roam up and down the aisles,
and all of this isstrategically planned to get you
to spend money.
By the way, this is not merecoincidence, believe me.
When people put these eventstogether, this has to do with
psychological spending theory,whether it's before lunch, after
(34:52):
lunch, giving people a certainamount of time in which they can
freely roam through a venue tosee what's available.
All of this is planned outbased on what we know about
people spending habits.
There's a better chance you'regoing to spend money in the
(35:15):
afternoon, after lunch, thanwhen you first get up in the
morning.
That's why, when vendors set up, they tend to set up around
lunchtime, because after lunchthere's going to be enough time
for you to explore beforereturning to class, before
returning to your workshops.
(35:36):
All of this is structured andplanned and, much like to say it
, we tend to fall into the game,even though we know better.
We tend to fall into the game.
So, again, my point is if you'reattending conferences for the
sake of attending workshops andto really learn to be a better
(35:56):
photographer, just be aware.
None of this is wrong.
It just influences your mindand it takes away from your
purpose of being there and,potentially, it takes away from
you putting yourself in aposition where learning is your
primary focus.
The time spent walking throughthe venue and looking at all the
(36:20):
vendors have to offer should betime dedicated to learning, but
the plan is, while you're there, spend some money.
So just please be aware.
So, again, I'm not saying it'swrong to attend big conferences
or workshops with a lot ofattendees.
(36:41):
I'm just saying it's worthconsidering why you're going and
if the reason is truly toimprove your photography,
smaller, intimate workshops maybe a much better, a
significantly better investment.
All right, so as we start towind down, I'm just going to
(37:04):
give you a brief summary of whatI consider the three best
workshops I've ever attended.
The first was the EvolutionWorkshop in Venice in 2019.
This workshop was sponsored byGraphi Studio, and Graphi is the
producer of all of my printproducts.
(37:25):
Just as an aside and I knowI've said this before any
interaction with anyone fromGraphi it is a one-on-one, a
personal interaction much theway attending a workshop should
be.
But you don't get put on theside and you don't get called
(37:48):
back two days later.
You get an immediate response.
Even when you say you don'thave to call me.
You could just email thatinformation.
I always get a call and Ialways speak to the same rep or
I speak to other people in thecompany that I know, and it's
very personal and I've said thisbefore as well.
(38:11):
Graphi does business with meand with other photographers,
the way we should always dobusiness with our clients.
It's a wonderful model, but justgoing on, this workshop really
changed the way I sawphotography, both as a
(38:33):
photographer and as a businessperson, because I think it was
the first time I actually sawthe huge potential, not just in
business, but in the effect thata photographer can have on the
lives of their clients, howphotography can change the way
(38:56):
people feel about themselves.
How photography it's so weirdto say, but it makes you value
your family even more.
I Think the best way to put itis it makes you value the time
with your family Even more,because your children are not
(39:17):
who they were yesterday, youknow, and they're not gonna be
the same 10 years or 10 monthsor 10 days from now, and
Photography just captures thatmoment.
And with graphy, their productsare so remarkable it's it's Not
(39:39):
turning this into an ad, butthe quality of their work is
such that it is one of the bestways to capture those precious
moments with family or aparticular event in your life or
a celebration of yourself.
But this workshop in particularreally strengthened my
(40:05):
understanding of the power ofphotography.
My second, or my other, one ofmy other favorite workshops was
the fine art portraitureworkshop in Milan, and that was
in October of 2022, and this wasrun by Sarah Edmonds and Dario
Reghetto, and If you don't knowSarah Edmonds, please go find
(40:32):
her.
She is an incredible artist.
I can't even say she's aphotographer.
She's just an incredible artist.
She makes artistry Out ofphotography, which I know it's
its own art, but I I just seeher as an artist.
Her love of photography, it'scertainly obvious and it's
(40:54):
infectious.
And this group there were fourother attendees other than me.
I believe we were supposed tobe 10, but even 10 is not a lot
of people.
It was a very intimate setting.
It was held at cross studio,milan, and it was just Intimate
(41:18):
and I know I keep using thatword, but it was as though you
were the only person there.
It was not a large group ofpeople, people speaking over
each other, you, you.
I actually felt like I wascared for, which is such a weird
thing to say, right, but therewas that sense that these people
(41:40):
Recognized that you were thereto learn and they provided you
with every opportunity to dothat.
So of course, there was Sarah,there was Dario Also in
attendance, other than theattendees, were Jeff Gabriel, a
gentleman from Canada, who wasthe videographer, and then we
(42:03):
had models and the makeupartists, and it was a very
relaxed, comfortable environmentto be in.
It was well worth crossing theAtlantic and I I can't speak
highly enough of that experience, both in terms of the detail in
the details provided by Sarahas she guided us through
(42:27):
Discussing her concepts, alighting setup and a lot of time
about post-production and justElevating what an already
outstanding photograph lookedlike and elevating that to fine
art.
So that was definitely one ofmy favorite workshops.
(42:47):
And then no discredit to theother two, but my my now
favorite workshop of all time Iattended in April of this year,
2023, and and that was by SimoneDiaz, and this workshop was
held and I'm not kidding youseven minutes walking distance
(43:10):
from my home.
So the story behind that, Ithink it was in March our
friends of mine a photographerfriend of mine called miss Orlet
Pearson McCall of an excellentphotographer in her own right.
She called me about attendingthis workshop and my response to
(43:32):
her was well, I'll think aboutit.
And that was because, you know,early in 2023, most of us still
trying to recover economicallyfrom the damage from COVID, the
damage to our businesses fromCOVID and I had done the the
trip to Milan in 2022, october,so this was like less than six
(43:56):
months from that.
I Really was not looking for orlooking to attend anything this
year.
So I originally told or or let.
I would think about.
Once.
I went to Simone Diaz's websiteand I saw his work.
I was all in.
Even if had been further awayand it cost more, I would have
(44:19):
found my way there.
His work is absolutely amazing.
There were four of us in thisworkshop.
It was very casual, but Ilearned so much.
I Don't want to give awaySimone's teaching plan, but I
will say that was undoubtedlythe most Educational based
(44:42):
workshop I.
You know.
We had a short period on camerabasics and we talked about
color theory and developing aconcept and strategy and so many
other things, and this is whatI mean by an immersive
experience.
So we actually we, the fourattendees we had to choose what
(45:05):
our models would wear.
We had to choose which modelswould wear what outfit.
We had to choose theAppropriate backdrops for what
the models would be wearing.
We chose our own props or webrought our own props.
We decided on the best type oflighting depending on the mood
(45:29):
that we were trying to convey.
This is how you learn.
You learn by doing.
This was a complete immersioninto portraiture, into studio
portraiture.
Again, each of us, eachattendee, we ended up having our
(45:50):
own selection of photos.
No two attendees had the samephotos.
How could they?
Because we all chose differentoutfits for our models and we
chose different lighting and wechose different backdrops.
This is portfolio building.
(46:11):
This is portfolio building.
So I walked away from thisexperience completely changed in
terms of the level of detail inputting together a portrait
shoot.
No other workshop had made mework as hard, but the level of
(46:36):
satisfaction was beyond anythingI had experienced before.
This was a matter of learninghow to produce professional
portraits beyond what I hadalready been doing, and, dare I
say I'm quite sure the otherattendees would agree with that
statement.
Because of this course, as Istated before, I started
(47:00):
incorporating certain elementsthat I had not been using.
I became more detailed in myplanning and my conceptual
conceptualization of photoshoots.
I started applying color theory, both in terms of moods and in
(47:21):
terms of, you know, introducingcertain colors and complementary
colors and analogous colorsinto doing a photo shoot.
I mean, I used to think aboutit before, but definitely not as
deeply and not with as muchdetail as I now do, all because
(47:42):
of that workshop.
So, whether it's this lastworkshop I attended, or Sarah
Edmonds workshop, or workshopsat Graphi particularly when
there are not.
You know a lot of people and youcan maintain a more personal
(48:05):
relationship both with yourfellow attendees and with your
instructors and the and planners.
That's valuable and I think thereturn on investment on those
types of workshops are immense.
So if you're consideringattending a workshop, look for
(48:29):
workshops that have thosecharacteristics fully immersive,
small in number of attendees,well structured like upfront,
you can see what the plan is.
If you know other people whohave taken the workshop that
you're considering, get theirtheir take on things, find out
(48:52):
if you received feedback on yourwork.
You know if the instructorsprovide you with feedback, if
you're allowed to give feedbackand structured criticism of the
event, get your money's worth.
You know, I mean, I hate to sayit that way, but yeah, get your
(49:14):
money's worth.
If you're going to put out thedollars, you should not walk
away from a workshop and youshould not work walk away from a
conference questioning why didI spend so much money on this?
Because what it really means isthat you don't think you got
the value for what you put outthere.
(49:35):
Okay, so just to sum up,attending workshops it's not a
luxury, but it's a necessity foryou as a photographer as you
seek to continue improving yourcraft and improving the quality
of your work.
Your attendance at a workshopshould increase your knowledge.
(49:58):
It should widen your network.
It should provide you withcreative inspiration.
It should be transformative and, because it's transformative,
it should propel you towards newheights of success as a
photographer and as a businessperson.
(50:20):
Try to embrace theopportunities that workshops
offer in terms of your selfdiscovery as an artist.
Workshops, again, they shouldbe well structured, immersive
and they should reshape yourperspective on photography
(50:41):
forever.
The three workshops that Imentioned I'll be mentioning
them five years, 10 years,whatever amount of time from now
, because they stand out.
Now.
I've been to a lot of workshops.
Okay, those are just three thatI attended.
I've been to quite a lot, but Ican honestly tell you that
(51:03):
those three stand alone.
There's no comparison withanything else I've ever been to,
ever.
So, whether you're a novice ora seasoned pro, investing in
photography, workshops caninfluence and change you as a
business person, but inparticular and especially that
(51:25):
they should change you as anartist.
Thank you for listening to thisweek's episode.
Thank you.
Hi everyone.
Welcome to this week's episodeof Clued Up, the Behind the
Scenes Photography Podcast.
I'm your host, maria B.
Before we get started with thisweek's episode, I just want to
make you aware of something.
If you subscribe or if youattempted to download last
week's episode, when you didthere was probably an annoying
(00:24):
ticking sound in the backgroundwhich just made listening
impossible.
I apologize for that.
I inadvertently uploaded thewrong version of last week's
episode.
That version had been deletedand re-recorded with that sound
removed, but I uploaded theincorrect version.
(00:45):
Anyway, that episode has beentaken down and the re-recorded
episode that is much lessdisturbing is now up.
If you want to catch lastweek's episode, please go into
where we subscribe to get yourpodcast and you'll see it there.
(01:06):
Okay, let's move on to thisweek's episode.
Today we're going to be talkingabout workshops, in particular,
the transformative power ofworkshops.
Now, if you've been listeningfor a while, you know I am heavy
into continuing education forphotographers.
(01:29):
You never stop learning.
You simply can't.
In this week's episode we'regoing to talk about the value
and the power of transformativeworkshops that influence and
actually change and they shouldchange the way you work.
You also know that in mydiscussions about education for
(01:54):
photographers.
I've talked about the problemsthat many of us have, that we
dedicate our time, effort andour money to attending
conferences and workshops andthen you know, when it's all
over, we actually question wasthis a smart move?
So in today's episode, we'regoing to talk about that, and
(02:18):
we're going to talk about therapidly evolving world of
photography and how workshopsshould keep you relevant and
should help you hone in yourskills as a photographer while
keeping you current.
Let's get started.
Welcome to Clued Up with MariaB, the behind the scenes
(02:38):
photography podcast.
Clued Up is your insider's viewto building successful magazine
style photo shoots.
We talk design and concept,fashion and style, tech, social
media and, of course, business,plus so much more, including how
to avoid common photographypitfalls.
You'll also meet some specialguests who work behind the
(03:00):
camera and in front of the lens.
Whether you're an aspiringphotographer, a portrait
photographer, thinking aboutstarting your own business, or
you just have an interest inwhat it takes to plan and
execute professional shoots,you've come to the right place.
I'm your host, maria B.
Now let's get you Clued Up,okay, so let's start with the
(03:23):
fact that, in this rapidlyevolving world of photography,
staying relevant and honing inon your skills is paramount to
your success and to yourbusiness.
In today's world, anyone with acouple of dollars in the bank,
anyone with a major credit card,can walk into the store,
(03:45):
purchase a high priced camera,purchase a really good lens or a
couple of lenses and poof.
They're calling themselves aprofessional photographer, but
we know that what separates atrue pro from someone who can
(04:10):
simply afford expensive gear isthe education and the
understanding, both in the artand in the science of
photography.
Among the self study programsand the online tutorials that we
all do and most of which wetend not to complete, attending
(04:32):
workshops is an invaluableexperience that can easily
easily elevate and inspire yourcraft as well as your career,
raising the quality of your workas a photographer.
Workshops, in particular,should be immersive learning
(04:56):
experiences that offerphotographers a unique
opportunity to gain insights,exchange ideas, as well as
foster sense of community.
In this episode, we're going totalk more about that experience
.
We're going to explore theimportance of attending
(05:17):
workshops for photographers andsee how these transformational
experiences can shape yourartistic journey and improve
your business.
So there are a few things thatI kind of consider these the
foundations of a good workshopin terms of their structure or
(05:40):
what they should accomplish.
So the first thing is knowledgeexpansion.
Workshops provide aconcentrated, structured
learning environment, or theyshould.
Workshops allow you, thephotographer, to delve deep into
various aspects of your crafts,especially when these workshops
(06:05):
are led by seasonedprofessionals and industry
experts who share their wealthof knowledge, their tips, their
tricks and, probably the mostimportant thing, their
experiences.
Through workshops, you, as aphotographer, should gain hands
(06:27):
on and yeah, hands on experiencein new techniques, in cutting
edge equipment, and you shouldexplore, or attending a workshop
can potentially provide you theexperience of exploring
different genres of photography.
(06:47):
Notice before I said hands onexperience.
You should not attend aworkshop if that means that you
are sitting around watching andthen you get up to take a photo
of the subject that's beingphotographed, so that you and
every other attendee end uphaving the same photo.
(07:09):
A workshop should be animmersive experience and it
should be hands on, and you'regoing to hear me say that a lot
in this episode.
If you're attending aconference and part of that
conference happens to beworkshops, I'd be a little bit
leery, because a workshop and aconference, they should be
(07:31):
structured differently, and whenworkshops are part of a
conference, I sort of questionif you are getting the true
value out of that workshop, butI'm going to talk more about
that later as well.
Getting back to the point aboutknowledge expansion, workshops
should open your mind and itshould.
Workshop should expand yourcreativity and your techniques.
(07:57):
The best workshops change yourapproach to photography.
The second thing that aworkshop should do it should
widen your network and it shouldprovide you with the
opportunity for collaboration.
Workshops bring togetherlike-minded individuals.
(08:18):
Attendees tend to share thatsame passion for photography.
You develop camaraderie and youdevelop connections during
these workshops and this canlead to fruitful collaborations
after the workshop is over, andin some cases it can lead to
(08:41):
friendships or photographyfriendships, basically because
you're meeting people who arethe same point in their
photography career as you are.
Workshops allow you to interactwith your fellow photographers,
with your instructor,instructors and even potential
(09:02):
clients, because once you knowphotographers, when you need a
photo taken of yourself, yourbusiness, who are you going to
go to?
Obviously someone who you know,and you get to experience the
quality of their work.
So workshops again provideinteraction with your fellow
(09:22):
photographers, with yourinstructors, and provide
potential for clients.
Workshops expand yourprofessional network and it can
open the door to new projectsand ventures, collaborations and
even getting your new portraitor your new head shot taken by a
(09:44):
fellow photographer.
When workshops are small, wellorganized and well structured,
you also have the opportunity tospeak with instructors one on
one.
Listen, not everyone likes toget up in front of the room and
ask a question or make a comment.
Workshops tend to be moreconducive to those who are
(10:08):
intimidated by crowds or who mayjust be shy.
Often you can just speak to aninstructor on the side.
You can ask them a questiondirectly.
But what I found is that peoplewho don't like to speak up
generally have some great ideasor ask some really interesting
(10:32):
questions.
So when you get your instructoroff to the side and in your low
tone, almost shy voice, you askthis brilliant question,
usually whoever's running theclass says you know that's a
great question, and then theytalk to the class about what you
(10:52):
asked and you get some re, someaffirmation that your ideas are
good ideas or that yourquestions or are good questions.
And probably what happensfrequently is that that question
is something that almosteverybody else wanted to ask,
(11:13):
but you're the one who went tothe instructor, the person
leading the class and asked it.
So small, intimate workshopstend to provide an atmosphere
more conducive to exchange ofideas, either between
instructors and attendees orbetween photographers.
(11:35):
The other thing about workshopsis that they provide creative
inspiration, or they should.
The collective energy of aworkshop environment can, and
should, spark your creativity.
When you're interacting withdiverse perspectives, the
(11:58):
perspectives of your fellowattendees, and you see their
work, it can give you a freshinside a fresh perspective, and
it can give you inspiration, andthat can cause you to break
away from your regular routineof doing things.
(12:18):
In other words, it'll cause youto step out of that self
restricted comfort zone thatyou've been living in for quite
some time, and this can lead tobreak breakthroughs in your
artistic expression and help youdevelop your unique
photographic style.
So here's the next thing thatyou should get from an immersive
(12:45):
, well structured photographyworkshop you should get
constructive criticism andfeedback.
The best workshops includereview sessions, where attendees
can receive constructivecriticism on their work, not
(13:07):
only from the instructor, butalso from fellow attendees.
Honest feedback frominstructors and your peers will
help you to identify yourstrengths as well as areas that
you need to improve.
Embracing feedback with an openmind can accelerate your growth
(13:31):
and fine tune your artisticvision.
The last workshop I was in, theinstructor, as well as my peers,
criticized constructively thedifficult time I have in giving
direction and asking forexpression.
(13:53):
Now, this is a problem I'veoften had in the past and it
continues to be a problem and itcontinues to be something that
I work at.
And this is personality relatedbecause I'm the type of person
who, instead of asking, I'llalways do myself, and I think
(14:15):
that sort of translates when itcomes to asking people to pose
or asking them to give me acertain expression as they're in
front of my camera.
I'm not someone who is totallycomfortable in asking people to
do things and unfortunately forme, that can transpire into my
(14:39):
photography until I am totally,am totally comfortable with that
person.
So I accepted their criticismand, knowing that it's a problem
that I already have, I wasactually kind of glad to hear
someone else observe that in mebecause I know it in myself.
(15:01):
But the fact that other peoplecan see it just raised my level
of awareness even more.
In addition to the criticism, ofcourse, you also want to point
out the positives and one of thethings that the both the
(15:21):
instructor and other attendeestalked about was the quality of
my work, and that's just a signof validation that you know I am
getting that right.
And it's not a matter ofgetting it right oh, I'm good at
it.
It's a matter of I get thatright.
I need to maintain getting itright and I need to even take it
(15:41):
up another notch, because youcan always improve, even with
the things that you do well.
Superior workshops not onlyprovide feedback from the
instructors to the attendees,but, as I said a little while
ago and it's worth noting hereyou also should get feedback
(16:02):
from your peers.
You should critique eachother's work, offering
observations about their strongpoints and their areas of
weakness, because that's theonly way that, or it's one of
the ways that we grow.
The best workshops don't stopthere.
These workshops want to knowwhat they got right, where and
(16:28):
how they can improve theworkshop for future attendees.
And they also want to know if,knowing what you, the attendee,
knowing what you know at the endof the workshop, would you have
still signed up for it, wouldyou have still attended, would
(16:50):
you attend another workshopoffered by that person or that
or those people, and what wouldyou do differently if you ran
the workshop.
If you ever attend a workshopand you have the opportunity to
give feedback, please do,because that's the only way
things change.
(17:10):
It's only when people know thatsomething needs to be changed
will they change it.
Your perspective, your feedback, is an invaluable asset to the
instructors and to the plannersof the workshop.
Be honest about what you likedand what you did not like.
(17:32):
Let them know where you thinkimprovement can be made and let
them know what's done so well.
Just keep it.
Don't touch it, because thathappens too.
If you attend a workshop or aconference and there's no
opportunity to provide feedback,I'd seriously consider that a
red flag because on some level,it's showing that the people who
(17:55):
give the workshop they don'treally care what you thought
about it and they're just goingto repeat the same thing and
there isn't going to be anyimprovement or any changes.
And that's another thing.
It doesn't always necessarilyhave to be an improvement.
(18:16):
It can be something logistic,like break time, lunch time,
doing something in the morningsession versus doing it in the
afternoon, those types of things.
So any little bit of feedbackthat you can give to the
(18:36):
instructor or to the people whoplan a photography workshop.
Take the opportunity to do soand, as a matter of fact, even
if they don't formally ask foryour feedback, there's nothing
wrong with sending an emailthanking them for the workshop
and just gently making somesuggestions.
If you think there is somethingthat needs to be changed or
(18:59):
improved, okay.
Next, the next thing that aworkshop should do and we've
kind of beat around the bushabout this a little bit that is,
a workshop should providepersonal growth and boost your
confidence as a photographer.
(19:19):
Attending workshops should andwill encourage you to confront
challenges and to push yourboundaries.
Most of those boundaries areself-imposed.
The act of learning in asupportive and nurturing
(19:39):
environment will build yourconfidence and foster your
personal growth.
This newfound assurance thatyou're going to feel, that
you're going to find it's goingto be reflected in your work and
, ultimately, it should elevatethe quality of your photography.
(20:01):
Consider taking workshops andthings that are outside of your
comfort zone, things you'reinterested in but you kind of
don't know exactly where tostart.
So, for example, let's sayyou're a portrait photographer
but you'd like to branch intoBoudoir.
Or let's say you were aportrait photographer and people
(20:25):
have asked you to do weddingphotography and you keep saying
no, I know this well becausethis is me.
Take a workshop in weddingphotography.
It doesn't mean you'renecessarily going to do it, but
you've got nothing to lose ifit's a well-run, well-structured
(20:46):
workshop.
You're going to learn andwhatever you learn it's going to
be applicable to what youalready do and you may find that
once you've done a lot of work,you may find that once you've
done a workshop, you may havethe courage to then become a
(21:06):
second shooter for a weddingphotographer, and once you
really get your feet wet, youmay just want to try this out on
your own, anything that's ofinterest to you, given how many
workshops are made available tophotographers.
But just make sure it iswell-structured, it's got good
(21:27):
reviews, or even if you canspeak to someone who attended
classes given by that particularinstructor, that particular
photographer, and find out ifthey enjoyed it, if they learned
, if they thought it was worthboth their time and their money.
And this is how you canconstructively branch out and
(21:50):
gain confidence and personalgrowth in a new genre or a new
aspect of your photography, anew area of your photography.
Next, workshops are a greatplace to keep pace with industry
(22:10):
trends.
As I said in the beginning.
We all know how quickly theworld of photography changes.
Right.
There are evolving trends,advancements in technology.
Workshops often cover a lot ofthese latest developments and a
(22:32):
lot of emerging techniques in agiven genre.
This helps you to either staywith or stay ahead in what is
arguably a competitive field.
Adapting new trends ensuresthat your work remains relevant
and that it resonates with acontemporary audience.
(22:55):
So, having said that, youshould always make any trend
your own and not just followwhat that trend is during a
given time, because trends arejust that trends, and some of
them fall out of favor after acertain amount of time.
So when something is trending,don't just do it because it's
(23:21):
what everybody else is doing.
Learn to put your unique spinon it and make it your own.
So, while at the workshop, youmay learn the nuts and bolts,
you want to take what you'velearned and apply it to your
particular photography style.
(23:41):
So here's an example.
When I started photographingportraits, I kept to the
guidelines of the person who Iwas following online.
The pose is extremely beautiful, very professional and, I would
(24:02):
say, very traditional.
When I started looking closelyat other photographers whether
it was on Facebook or Instagram,or you start following someone
and then you go to their website, it kind of became obvious that
many of us were following thesame person because the poses
(24:23):
they all looked alike.
And a workshop is a great placeto explore the non-traditional.
Again, it's an expansion, it'sa growth in a way.
So, while there are elements oftraditional posing that will
(24:47):
always be pleasing to the eye,you see this with younger
photographers that they exploremore.
They stay away from that oldportrait type of look.
Their portraits are indeed moremodern.
So one of the things about aworkshop, again, is that it is a
(25:11):
great place to keep up withtrends and break out of the
traditional, if you can, allright.
So some of the things I'm goingto talk about next have to do
with the types of workshops youshould avoid, or elements of a
(25:32):
workshop that I would thinkwould just make you question
whether or not you want toinvest your time and your money.
As I've said numerous times,like many of you, I've attended
workshops and questioned boththe expense and the time that
I've invested, or time and moneythat I've lost.
(25:53):
You consider it a loss if youdon't perceive you've gained a
true value from this, fromattending a workshop.
So over time I've come up withwhat I now consider red flags
when it comes to workshops.
These are not absolutes,they're just based on my
(26:14):
personal experience.
If you're attending conferencesto be in that setting, you know
the big conference, hundreds ofpeople, sort of like an expo,
with a lot of businesses, a lotof vendors making stuff
(26:34):
available to you for purchase.
That is one experience.
Workshops are anotherexperience.
Workshops are for what I calldeep learning.
So you want to avoid or I tryto avoid workshops that are
(26:55):
parts of conferences, becauseusually you have hundreds of
people and okay, so hundreds maybe an exaggeration, but the
workshops tend to have a lot ofpeople.
So there's that lack ofintimacy, there's that lack of
one-on-one, one-to-oneinteraction with your instructor
(27:16):
.
You lose all of that once aworkshop is passed a certain
number of students.
So if you're going to aconference, go to a conference.
Please, don't go to aconference for the sake of
attending a workshop, becauseit's really rare that that's
going to work.
There are too many distractionsfor you to really get the value
(27:41):
that you're looking for.
The amount of education you canreceive from a conference or I
don't know, a mega conferencetends to be associated with the
number of people attending, andthe truth of the matter is that
it's an indirect relationship.
Again, the bigger, the largerthe number of participants, the
(28:03):
actual less learning occurs.
There's little one-on-oneattention to you or your
specific needs or your specificquestions.
And even if you happen to grabsomeone's attention, they're
usually in a hurry to get totheir next speaking engagement
or to answer the question of theperson waiting behind you, or
(28:27):
they simply cannot give you theattention that you are looking
for to properly answer thequestions that you have.
And that's not to.
That Doesn't matter what thevenue is.
Once you have a lot of peoplein a room, the noise itself is a
major distraction.
(28:47):
One-on-one conversations workbetter in quiet places Two
people speaking with dozens,hundreds of people walking by.
There's a loss in connection.
And at this point, when youattend a conference, what is
(29:09):
your true comprehension whenyou've listened to three, four,
five speakers in one day?
Really, I'm going to talk aboutthis a little bit more in just a
few moments.
First, I want to avoid whenattending workshops or workshops
(29:35):
that are part of conferences.
I want to avoid a situation andI mean this now and I'm going
to give you the reason why in alittle bit.
I want to avoid a situationwhere, as I've said before, you
have one person speaking for avery long time and then everyone
(29:59):
gets up with their camera totake the same photo of the same
model wearing the same outfit.
We all essentially walk awaywith the same photo.
Avoid workshops in which theperson leading the workshop
demonstrates something, takessome photos of the subject, the
(30:22):
model, and then everyoneattending the workshop now gets
up and essentially takes thesame photo.
Avoid workshops or avoidconferences that offer quote
unquote portfolio building, inwhich you walk up to an area
where you have a model, thesettings for your camera are
(30:46):
posted.
Yes, you can give that modeldirections, but the person
behind you is going to do thesame thing that you did.
They're gonna walk up there,they're gonna get those settings
for their camera, they're gonnahave the model pose and you do
this over like three minutes ortwo minutes or five minutes,
(31:08):
whatever the amount of time andthe person behind her.
You get my point and you didthe same thing as the person who
was in front of you.
That's not portfolio building.
When you build your portfolio,you design your concept, your
(31:29):
use of colors, your use of mood,your use of lighting, the
position of your lights hardlights, soft light, angled light
, lights from overhead, sidelight, hair light, rim light
that's portfolio building.
Portfolio building reflectsyour style, your unique style as
(31:51):
a photographer.
If I walk up to a particularstation and I take a photo of a
model and the person before medid the same thing and the
person after me, how are we, asartists, building a portfolio
when potential clients will seethe same types of photos on
various websites From bothconferences and workshops that
(32:14):
offer this type of portfoliobuilding?
These are point and shootexperiences.
Use them for what they are, butyou're not building a portfolio
when you do this.
Consider the cost Bigconferences with so-called
workshops they cost a lot.
(32:36):
Your tickets tend to beanywhere from $1,000, $1,500 and
up, and that's before you getto travel expenses, hotels,
renting a car or publictransportation.
For the amount of money thatyou spend, you can attend
(32:58):
workshops, probably for asignificant amount of money less
, for significantly less andinstead explore and have an
intimate learning experiencethat's well-planned,
well-structured, allows for alot of discussion and receive a
(33:19):
lot of personal attention andcritique of your work.
Consider your time when youattend large conferences,
supposedly with workshops, orwhen you attend workshops and
there are a lot of people you'dspend some amount of your time
roaming through aisles reviewingwhat vendors have to offer,
(33:42):
probably making some purchasesthat you would not have made had
you not been there.
And if you're attendingworkshops and conferences for
the sake of learning, why areyou in a situation where, one,
you're spending money more moneythan what you spent to get
(34:02):
there and, two, you're kind ofroaming up and down the aisles?
Yes, it's nice to see what'snew.
But if you're going to aconference for that, that's one
thing.
Yes, go for that, there'snothing wrong with it.
But again, if you're purpose inattending these educational
modules, these educationalevents, is to learn to be a
(34:27):
better photographer, having timeto roam up and down the aisles,
and all of this isstrategically planned to get you
to spend money.
By the way, this is not merecoincidence, believe me.
When people put these eventstogether, this has to do with
psychological spending theory,whether it's before lunch, after
(34:52):
lunch, giving people a certainamount of time in which they can
freely roam through a venue tosee what's available.
All of this is planned outbased on what we know about
people spending habits.
There's a better chance you'regoing to spend money in the
(35:15):
afternoon, after lunch, thanwhen you first get up in the
morning.
That's why, when vendors set up, they tend to set up around
lunchtime, because after lunchthere's going to be enough time
for you to explore beforereturning to class, before
returning to your workshops.
(35:36):
All of this is structured andplanned and, much like to say it
, we tend to fall into the game,even though we know better.
We tend to fall into the game.
So, again, my point is if you'reattending conferences for the
sake of attending workshops andto really learn to be a better
(35:56):
photographer, just be aware.
None of this is wrong.
It just influences your mindand it takes away from your
purpose of being there and,potentially, it takes away from
you putting yourself in aposition where learning is your
primary focus.
The time spent walking throughthe venue and looking at all the
(36:20):
vendors have to offer should betime dedicated to learning, but
the plan is, while you're there, spend some money.
So just please be aware.
So, again, I'm not saying it'swrong to attend big conferences
or workshops with a lot ofattendees.
(36:41):
I'm just saying it's worthconsidering why you're going and
if the reason is truly toimprove your photography,
smaller, intimate workshops maybe a much better, a
significantly better investment.
All right, so as we start towind down, I'm just going to
(37:04):
give you a brief summary of whatI consider the three best
workshops I've ever attended.
The first was the EvolutionWorkshop in Venice in 2019.
This workshop was sponsored byGraphi Studio, and Graphi is the
producer of all of my printproducts.
(37:25):
Just as an aside and I knowI've said this before any
interaction with anyone fromGraphi it is a one-on-one, a
personal interaction much theway attending a workshop should
be.
But you don't get put on theside and you don't get called
(37:48):
back two days later.
You get an immediate response.
Even when you say you don'thave to call me.
You could just email thatinformation.
I always get a call and Ialways speak to the same rep or
I speak to other people in thecompany that I know, and it's
very personal and I've said thisbefore as well.
(38:11):
Graphi does business with meand with other photographers,
the way we should always dobusiness with our clients.
It's a wonderful model, but justgoing on, this workshop really
changed the way I sawphotography, both as a
(38:33):
photographer and as a businessperson, because I think it was
the first time I actually sawthe huge potential, not just in
business, but in the effect thata photographer can have on the
lives of their clients, howphotography can change the way
(38:56):
people feel about themselves.
How photography it's so weirdto say, but it makes you value
your family even more.
I Think the best way to put itis it makes you value the time
with your family Even more,because your children are not
(39:17):
who they were yesterday, youknow, and they're not gonna be
the same 10 years or 10 monthsor 10 days from now, and
Photography just captures thatmoment.
And with graphy, their productsare so remarkable it's it's Not
(39:39):
turning this into an ad, butthe quality of their work is
such that it is one of the bestways to capture those precious
moments with family or aparticular event in your life or
a celebration of yourself.
But this workshop in particularreally strengthened my
(40:05):
understanding of the power ofphotography.
My second, or my other, one ofmy other favorite workshops was
the fine art portraitureworkshop in Milan, and that was
in October of 2022, and this wasrun by Sarah Edmonds and Dario
Reghetto, and If you don't knowSarah Edmonds, please go find
(40:32):
her.
She is an incredible artist.
I can't even say she's aphotographer.
She's just an incredible artist.
She makes artistry Out ofphotography, which I know it's
its own art, but I I just seeher as an artist.
Her love of photography, it'scertainly obvious and it's
(40:54):
infectious.
And this group there were fourother attendees other than me.
I believe we were supposed tobe 10, but even 10 is not a lot
of people.
It was a very intimate setting.
It was held at cross studio,milan, and it was just Intimate
(41:18):
and I know I keep using thatword, but it was as though you
were the only person there.
It was not a large group ofpeople, people speaking over
each other, you, you.
I actually felt like I wascared for, which is such a weird
thing to say, right, but therewas that sense that these people
(41:40):
Recognized that you were thereto learn and they provided you
with every opportunity to dothat.
So of course, there was Sarah,there was Dario Also in
attendance, other than theattendees, were Jeff Gabriel, a
gentleman from Canada, who wasthe videographer, and then we
(42:03):
had models and the makeupartists, and it was a very
relaxed, comfortable environmentto be in.
It was well worth crossing theAtlantic and I I can't speak
highly enough of that experience, both in terms of the detail in
the details provided by Sarahas she guided us through
(42:27):
Discussing her concepts, alighting setup and a lot of time
about post-production and justElevating what an already
outstanding photograph lookedlike and elevating that to fine
art.
So that was definitely one ofmy favorite workshops.
(42:47):
And then no discredit to theother two, but my my now
favorite workshop of all time Iattended in April of this year,
2023, and and that was by SimoneDiaz, and this workshop was
held and I'm not kidding youseven minutes walking distance
(43:10):
from my home.
So the story behind that, Ithink it was in March our
friends of mine a photographerfriend of mine called miss Orlet
Pearson McCall of an excellentphotographer in her own right.
She called me about attendingthis workshop and my response to
(43:32):
her was well, I'll think aboutit.
And that was because, you know,early in 2023, most of us still
trying to recover economicallyfrom the damage from COVID, the
damage to our businesses fromCOVID and I had done the the
trip to Milan in 2022, october,so this was like less than six
(43:56):
months from that.
I Really was not looking for orlooking to attend anything this
year.
So I originally told or or let.
I would think about.
Once.
I went to Simone Diaz's websiteand I saw his work.
I was all in.
Even if had been further awayand it cost more, I would have
(44:19):
found my way there.
His work is absolutely amazing.
There were four of us in thisworkshop.
It was very casual, but Ilearned so much.
I Don't want to give awaySimone's teaching plan, but I
will say that was undoubtedlythe most Educational based
(44:42):
workshop I.
You know.
We had a short period on camerabasics and we talked about
color theory and developing aconcept and strategy and so many
other things, and this is whatI mean by an immersive
experience.
So we actually we, the fourattendees we had to choose what
(45:05):
our models would wear.
We had to choose which modelswould wear what outfit.
We had to choose theAppropriate backdrops for what
the models would be wearing.
We chose our own props or webrought our own props.
We decided on the best type oflighting depending on the mood
(45:29):
that we were trying to convey.
This is how you learn.
You learn by doing.
This was a complete immersioninto portraiture, into studio
portraiture.
Again, each of us, eachattendee, we ended up having our
(45:50):
own selection of photos.
No two attendees had the samephotos.
How could they?
Because we all chose differentoutfits for our models and we
chose different lighting and wechose different backdrops.
This is portfolio building.
(46:11):
This is portfolio building.
So I walked away from thisexperience completely changed in
terms of the level of detail inputting together a portrait
shoot.
No other workshop had made mework as hard, but the level of
(46:36):
satisfaction was beyond anythingI had experienced before.
This was a matter of learninghow to produce professional
portraits beyond what I hadalready been doing, and, dare I
say I'm quite sure the otherattendees would agree with that
statement.
Because of this course, as Istated before, I started
(47:00):
incorporating certain elementsthat I had not been using.
I became more detailed in myplanning and my conceptual
conceptualization of photoshoots.
I started applying color theory, both in terms of moods and in
(47:21):
terms of, you know, introducingcertain colors and complementary
colors and analogous colorsinto doing a photo shoot.
I mean, I used to think aboutit before, but definitely not as
deeply and not with as muchdetail as I now do, all because
(47:42):
of that workshop.
So, whether it's this lastworkshop I attended, or Sarah
Edmonds workshop, or workshopsat Graphi particularly when
there are not.
You know a lot of people and youcan maintain a more personal
(48:05):
relationship both with yourfellow attendees and with your
instructors and the and planners.
That's valuable and I think thereturn on investment on those
types of workshops are immense.
So if you're consideringattending a workshop, look for
(48:29):
workshops that have thosecharacteristics fully immersive,
small in number of attendees,well structured like upfront,
you can see what the plan is.
If you know other people whohave taken the workshop that
you're considering, get theirtheir take on things, find out
(48:52):
if you received feedback on yourwork.
You know if the instructorsprovide you with feedback, if
you're allowed to give feedbackand structured criticism of the
event, get your money's worth.
You know, I mean, I hate to sayit that way, but yeah, get your
(49:14):
money's worth.
If you're going to put out thedollars, you should not walk
away from a workshop and youshould not work walk away from a
conference questioning why didI spend so much money on this?
Because what it really means isthat you don't think you got
the value for what you put outthere.
(49:35):
Okay, so just to sum up,attending workshops it's not a
luxury, but it's a necessity foryou as a photographer as you
seek to continue improving yourcraft and improving the quality
of your work.
Your attendance at a workshopshould increase your knowledge.
(49:58):
It should widen your network.
It should provide you withcreative inspiration.
It should be transformative and, because it's transformative,
it should propel you towards newheights of success as a
photographer and as a businessperson.
(50:20):
Try to embrace theopportunities that workshops
offer in terms of your selfdiscovery as an artist.
Workshops, again, they shouldbe well structured, immersive
and they should reshape yourperspective on photography
(50:41):
forever.
The three workshops that Imentioned I'll be mentioning
them five years, 10 years,whatever amount of time from now
, because they stand out.
Now.
I've been to a lot of workshops.
Okay, those are just three thatI attended.
I've been to quite a lot, but Ican honestly tell you that
(51:03):
those three stand alone.
There's no comparison withanything else I've ever been to,
ever.
So, whether you're a novice ora seasoned pro, investing in
photography, workshops caninfluence and change you as a
business person, but inparticular and especially that
(51:25):
they should change you as anartist.
Thank you for listening to thisweek's episode.
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.