Photography Workshops: Questions And Answers
Provided by: David Hessell
As photographers, we solve problems. A good photographer is always asking questions and answering them as fast as be can press the shutter. In fact, whenever possible, most of the questions are answered before the camera is even brought up to the eye.
As far as I'm concerned, the best place to answer these questions is at a photography workshop. What is a photography workshop? Good question. A photography workshop is when photographers get together at the right time and the right place with the right instructor. It is a win-win situation. Every photographer has questions and this is the time to ask them Whenever you get a number of people with the same interest together, something good usually comes from it. Answers to questions are a good thing.
As a part-time college photography instructor, I always start my first class by guaranteeing that the students will become better photographers, period. Not that I am that good, but the idea of spending the next sixteen weeks with other photographers, thinking like photographers, and acting like photographers, is sure to rub off on them in some aspect. Ask questions and search for answers; that is learning. That is also how someone becomes better at whatever it is they do.
Think about it. If someone is willing to pay money to show up on a Saturday morning at 9am, or on a Tuesday and Thursday evening to improve their photography, my job as an instructor is half done. Another aspect of a photography class, or workshop, is that no matter how good the instructor is, the students do much of the teaching. I have been lucky enough to have published photographers enrolled in my classes and they play a major role in the success of the class as a whole. They learn, I learn, everyone learns from working together. Many times it is the simple things, such as how someone holds their camera, how they set up their tripod, which filter they choose, or how they "work" at getting an image. If you watch how other photographers solve their problems, you too will become a better photographer. Learning is a shared experience.
What is the difference between a photography workshop and a college photography course? Well, that depends on the classroom. It also depends on the type of photography course you are looking for. If you are hoping to improve your studio or darkroom skills, then getting outside and shooting will not be of much help. A workshop is best suited for photographers of all different skill levels that want to improve their "hands-on" working skills in location photography. From basic camera operations, to the more advanced skills of controlling light and improving composition, workshops give photographers the chance to get out and try all the different techniques they have read, or heard, about with other photographers, at the right time and location, and, hopefully, with the right instructor.
In fact, my Saturday college class is designed to combine the best of both worlds: lectures to cover the basics, combined with field trips to put the photographer in working situations to try all that they covered in the classroom lectures. You need both. Even my black-and-white darkroom class is split between lectures and fieldwork before we even think about getting into the darkroom.
Ask questions. What do you need to improve your photography? How are your flash photography skills? Do you have a "personal vision"? Do you understand the techniques of bracketing, multiple exposures, and compensation? What type of photography are you interested in? Will a nature photography workshop be useful if you shoot with a digital or point-n-shoot camera? Why spend money to go out and photograph something that you could do for free on your own? Ask questions, call or e-mail the instructor, visit the location, talk to other photographers and/or students, and find out if a workshop is the right answer to your questions. Chances are, you will find that a workshop is the right choice.
Wine Photography Workshop
I held my first photography workshop of the "summer" (mid-May) at a small local winery in Valdese, NC. There is a small vineyard and a "barn" that serves as the winery and store: the right location. We started at 7am: the right time. True, it was raining at that early hour but that is not the point. No, in fact, it is the point. Location photography means being somewhere and dealing with whatever you are confronted with. Yes, we were there in hopes of capturing that "golden light" of early morning, but one can not always rely on the weather. It was a slight problem.
Solving problems, answering questions. Too many times beginning photographers put their cameras away when it rains, or it is foggy, snowing, etc... Their loss. True, I probably would have had more people show up if it were a nice sunny morning, but that is not my goal. My goal is to put photographers into different situations, give them different "assignments", and help them work at becoming better photographers - no matter what their present level is, or if it is raining or not. Rain? No problem. The fact is, it rains and photographers have to deal with it. Within the first hour, it cleared up and became a non-factor. Always go to a workshop unless your life is in danger due to the weather. How many shots of a winery in the rain do you have in your files? Good question.
The answer to the rain question was Bocce Ball. Yes, Bocce Ball. The winery had a covered deck that just happened to have a Bocce Ball court. The balls were lined up in the windowsills and made for a great excerise in "seeing". I had the students shoot a minimum of six shots (only six?) of the "still-lives" to help develop their "photographic vision". The notion of making art from a bunch of old red and black Bocce balls stacked up in a windowsill while at a wine workshop made for great conversation and proved to be a valuable teaching exercise. I loved it. How many ways can one photograph Bocce balls? Turned out to be a good question with no certain answer - limitless possibilities.
That is the role of the instructor. I put the pieces together by placing photographers together at the right location, at the right time (which is anytime photographers are together!), and giving them a number of "situations" that presented limitless possibilities. I had scouted the location, talked to the owners, and brought along a few "tools" to help place the students into situations that pushed them both artistically and technically. I asked them to solve different problems and even set-up situations that caused them to ask questions and work together to solve the problem. That is what photographers do. That is also what teachers do.
Is a photography workshop what you need to become a better photographer? Good question. Simple answer: Yes. A good photographic workshop will place you in a situation where you can learn something new, meet other people that share your passion, and gives you the chance to share what you have learned by answering questions for others. What have you got to lose? Good question.
Email questions, comments or inquiries to: David Hessell dhessell@caa.k12.nc.us
Related Articles:
I teach photography at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina. One class, three rules. I start each class with a guarantee. I tell every student that shows up for a Tuesday/Thursday 7pm class that I can make them a better photographer. Guaranteed. Period.
Simple. In fact, I go on to say that after the first night, if they follow my three simple rules, they will already have all it takes to be a better photographer. No shutter speeds, no apertures. No exposure. No technical jargon. No numbers.
What was once called digital voodoo, digital photography has become an accepted art form in the world of photography. David Hessell gives you a closer look into the tools he uses to create his digital photography masterpieces.
One aspect of photography that is often overlooked, even by photographers, is the role that emotion plays in the final product. In fact, what is the final product? Is the final outcome of a photograph the image itself or the emotion it evokes? What drives people to make images? What is the purpose of any given image?
Emotion can not be overlooked. I teach photography at the junior college level and find this one of the most difficult aspects of photography to convey to my students. It is much easier to ask, and answer, questions dealing with the technical aspects of image making: What kind of film do you use? What f-stop did you use? Which camera did you use? Students ask these questions over and over again. Other photographers ask these questions as well, and just as often. Funny thing - editors seldom (I hate to say "never") ask these questions. No, I have never been asked what camera system I use? What aperture? What tripod? Truth is, it does not matter. The "final product" is what they are interested in, not how I got it, or whether or not it was a mistake.
View All >>>
