Workshops
Hello and Happy Monday!
Today I am going to talk about workshops. Every person who runs workshops will run them differently, but this post is designed to give a broad overview of what workshops can be like and will give you a good idea of what to expect if you’ve never been to a workshop before. My experience mostly comes from the workshops that I run alongside Dave Edkins, but most workshops follow similar rules.
I have put a few images in this post to break up the text: the images I have used are from a photographer called Dave Gibson, who has become a regular at our workshops. The images in this post were taken at a workshop in May this year.
So, what actually is a workshop?
A photography workshop is an event for photographers to further their photography skills. There are many different types of workshops and everyone who runs them will run them a bit differently.
Workshops may be built around a specific theme, aim to teach a certain type/style of lighting, or they may be more fluid and open to suggestions from the photographers in attendance. The main goal of a workshop is to learn something: if you’re not learning something new then it’s not a workshop… it’s a group shoot. On a group shoot, you will turn up and photograph specific sets with specific light set ups for your allowed time, and given no information on how to set the lights up or why you’re using the type of lighting that you are using. Group shoots have their place and can be a lot of fun, but they are often sold as workshops, so make sure you check out what you will be learning before you book onto a workshop.
It’s a good idea to read reviews or references before booking onto a workshop. Some of them might sound really good in theory but may not teach you much. Reading reviews will give you a better picture of what to expect from a particular session.
The events that I run with Dave Edkins fall into three distinct categories:
Introduction to working with models workshops: These are a little longer, with more photographers in attendance. The main goal is information, not photography. The focus is on how to work with a model and some of the etiquette involved in the industry. There are several opportunities to take some photos on these workshops, but it’s not the most important part.
Lighting workshops: These are designed to help further your understanding of studio lighting and will often have a main theme that all of the sets revolve around. Each set is designed to help you get variation in your photography work going forward and give you tools to use in your shoots outside of the workshop. We encourage people to experiment, ask questions and play around within the sets we come up with.
Themed workshops and groups shoots: These events are often intended to be group shoots but they end up being workshops because Dave can’t stop himself from pushing people and challenging them when they’re in the studio. You’ll end up learning something even on a ‘group shoot’ with us. But generally these events are around the holidays (like at Christmas, Halloween etc) where we come up with specific sets/outfits to shoot and offer options in terms of props, or subtle outfit changes/modifications to make sure everyone comes away with slightly different images.
Who are workshops for?
Workshops are for everyone from complete beginners to professionals: everyone can get something out of a workshop as long as you’re booking on to the right workshop for your level of experience. The workshops we run wouldn’t be much use for a professional, but we often welcome complete newbies alongside very skilled hobbyists. Of course our ‘intro to working with models’ workshop is literally designed for beginners as a gateway into model photography.
People book on to workshops for a variety of reasons:
To gain experience working with models, or to get references on sites such as PurplePort.
To learn more about a specific lighting set up or style of photography.
To work with a specific model or at a specific studio/location they might not other wise have the funds or opportunity to shoot.
For the social aspect, to meet other photographers and learn from others.
What should I do when I get there?
Each workshop will have it’s own rules so it’s important to look into any information you’re given before you attend. A good rule of thumb is to arrive no more than 10 minutes before the start of the event. You can wait outside the studio or in your car if you’re early, but you don’t want to be heading into the studio too early. Whoever is running the session may be setting up or getting ready, or finishing up a prior session.
When you arrive, you can familiarise yourself with the studio if it’s somewhere you’ve not been before, introduce yourself to the other photographers attending and make sure your camera is set up and ready to go for when the workshop starts. Then if you’ve done all of that but there’s still time before the workshop starts… there’s no harm in getting teas and coffees started! Especially one for the model.
How many different sets will there be?
There is no specific number of sets for a workshop and it will vary depending on who is running the workshop, how elaborate each set is, the run time of the session, and the number of people in attendance. The majority of workshops have 3 or 4 different sets which usually consist of different lighting set ups, set changes or outfit changes.
You will often have a specific amount of time per set that will be timed. On our workshops, we make sure that you’ve had a few test shots and sorted out the settings before your time starts to make sure that you can get the most out of each set, but everyone will run workshops differently.
Make sure that you’re ready to go when it’s your turn for each set to minimise the amount of time faffing around. This means that the model can have more of a break between sets, and you may end up with enough time to have a few extra minutes on the last set, or even an extra set at the end.
Etiquette and advice for attending workshops:
Finally, here are some extra things to consider if you’re thinking of attending a workshop. As I’ve said, different people will run them differently, and may have different expectations for different events, but these are just a few things to think about that will serve you well for any photography event:
Only one person should ever be shooting at a time. Don’t attempt to shoot over anyone’s shoulder or capture any ‘behind the scenes’ shots unless specifically asked to by the model. Generally the only person shooting should be whoever has the trigger.
Try not to do anything that adapts the set too much on a workshop or group shoot. This causes delays for everyone if it has to be reset after you. This doesn’t mean don't be creative or do something different, it just means be mindful of what you try to achieve in a workshop scenario. Some people will be happy for you to try something extra at the end If agreed in advance with the model and studio, but don’t expect it as a given.
Talk to your model: I promise you’ll get better photos if you spend a bit of your time connecting with them than if you just try to get as many photos as possible in your time.
Don’t hover behind another photographer when it’s their time. It can be very off putting and make people nervous.
Be kind to everyone and where appropriate, help out newer or less experienced group members if you see them struggling.
Ask questions if you’re not sure about something.
That’s all from me for today. I hope that reading this has given you a better idea of what to expect on a workshop. Workshops are usually a great way to meet other photographers and get references if you’re new. But you’re never ‘too experienced’ to learn something from a workshop. They’re not a replacement for one to one shoots, so make sure that you’re booking a session with a model afterwards to try out your new found skills!
Until next Monday!
Misuzu x
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