Have you ever asked yourself if you should participate in a photography workshop? Isn't it simpler to go with someone who knows and take care of everything during the workshop? Will I really learn something new?
There are so many questions everyone asks himself before spending any money in a photography workshop. And it's fair.
Landscape Photography workshops have been booming in the past couple of years. Social Medias such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc. as well as the rush to get the best photographs, the most followers and so on might be some of the reasons.
In order to help you make up your mind and take the right decision, I listed below why participating in a landscape photography workshop is positive (or any photography workshop).
Let's first start with what is a landscape photography workshop?
Let's be clear here, a landscape photography workshop is no more than a specialized packaged tour. Think about it, in general, you get pretty much everything organized for you from accommodation, food, locations, car rental, any activities that can make any tour attractive and in some cases (but rarely) flights back and forth from where you live.
But the real difference comes down to the Guide, as opposed to a regular guide who might know about the history of a place and so on, you get a landscape photography guide. This photographer will be able to provide all necessary tips and tricks to make your photographs better, from compositions to editing. He'll bring you to the right place at the right time for the best experience. If the guide knows very well the place, he'll also likely bring you to some secret spot. This is his value added: knowledge of the place, composition, editing and photography techniques.
In the end, anyone going for a travel photography workshop will likely come back with better skills as a photograph and a serious set of amazing pictures to share with the world, why not put some incredible prints on their home walls and in some cases, amazing friendship.
Here are 6 reasons why participating in a photography workshop is worth every penny.
1- Quick learning
Back when I started photography, I learned a lot by myself, watched tutorials on YouTube, read articles, but to be honest my progress was on the slower end, and I wasn't getting the result I was hoping for.
So I started looking for a workshop, and finally found something that looked attractive to me. And there I was, in the Italian Dolomites, shooting these incredible mountains with a group of photographers and a guide in an all-inclusive landscape photography workshop.
From the first day I started learning about fundamentals I was missing. Various topics were tackled like focusing, composing, shutter speed and so on. And back then, I thought I knew a lot about photography. Obviously not. I had to put my pride away and accept that landscape photography is a lifetime learning experience. And in this field, you will be learning as your photography style evolves.
To this day, I am so grateful for how much this photography workshop helped me improve my skills, the people I met, and the stress relieve to go on a fully organized photography tour.
2- Stress-free travel
Most probably if you ended looking at why would a landscape photography workshop be beneficial is because you've been struggling at times with all the photography process from scouting, organizing to taking great pictures.
Well, organizing a traditional trip by yourself takes a lot of time, but organizing a photography trip by yourself takes a hell lot of time.
And that's where a photography workshop comes into play. Since it's an organized trip, everything will be organized for you. From visited locations, accommodations, rental car and so on, making your life before your trip much more relax and clearly stress-free. Additionally, since it is specialized for photographers, you can be almost assured that you will be visiting some of the best at the location you elected.
Your only work here will be to choose among the itinerary offered, the photographer's style you like and price range.
As I am also offering landscape photography workshops, feel free to take a look at my current workshops.
3- Going at the right place at the right time
Along with the fact that one is traveling nearly stress-free by booking landscape photography workshop, going at the right place at the right time is another great advantage.
A photography guide bringing you along on a journey of a lifetime have the knowledge of the place. They've visited it most probably alone or with a small group of photographers, explored it for a more or less extensive period of time with very little sleep and intense programs to make the most out of their time on site.
This time and money spent travelling to such places is investment. Investment that will translate into a guide's experience, knowledge and expertise of each visited spots. This is a precious commodity that every participant to a photography workshop will benefit from. Thanks to this, your time will be optimized, and you'll be able to enjoy every bit of a location.
4- Get to do what you like without constraints
Have you ever done a trip with friends or family, where you were planning on doing some photography? Remember, how was it?
Most probably not that fun. Non photographers do not really have the patience to wait for the perfect light in the evening, skip dinner, wake up super early for sunrise, stop 15 minutes on the roadside for a good shot. And that's totally understandable, I would probably not enjoy it either if I weren't a photographer.
That's the cool thing about a landscape photography workshop. You're with a group of people who share the same passion, you will be at the right spot and almost stay as long as you need to take your best shot and feel completely pressureless. That way, your friends or loved ones won't hate you during your next vacations. Isn't that cool?
5- Landscape Photography Workshop Provides Personalized Experience
I sometimes see people running photography workshops with about 10 people and one instructor only. I truly doubt that there is a real personalized experience in such conditions. A photography instructor needs to be available for the individuals he brings along. I am convinced that workshops should have a maximum of 8 people for one photography guide, and that's obviously the highest limit. Obviously, having more people allows getting lower prices (not always, actually), but if it is to lose on quality, then I would recommend going for a smaller group.
I personally feel that running a landscape photography workshop with up to 6 people is a perfect size to make sure that everyone gets the same amount of individual attention from the guide. Obviously, some people need a little more attention than others because of experience, and with a smaller group it all becomes more manageable.
6- Networking and friendship
As mentioned above, taking part in a landscape photography workshop is likely to involve other fellow photographers. On top of doing what you like, you can even speak about this passion, and share great moments with people who might even become great friends. It might sometimes happen, sometimes not, but what is sure is that you'll spend a great time with people having similar interests as you do. How cool is that?
In my opinion, these are the main reasons why someone who wants to develop his/her photography skills would want to participate in a landscape photography workshop,
About the Author
I am Rémi Bergougnoux, a French travel and landscape photographer currently based in Zurich, Switzerland. My most influential destinations include Latin America, where I spent about a year, Namibia, Iceland, Lofoten and certainly many others.
Aside from photography, hiking, cooking, enjoying good wines and socializing are my main hobbies.