One of the benefits of attending a workshop is that you don’t have to be a slave to grades and prerequisite classes as in a college setting. “You can actually learn what you want to learn,” says David Lyman, director and founder of the Maine Photographic Workshops. “We have classes for the extreme beginner who’s looking to change career paths or become a serious hobbyist to working photographic professionals who need to reinvigorate their careers with a slap in the face and a kick in the butt.”

In addition to beginner and master classes, intermediate courses draw a great number of people interested in digital capture and the digital darkroom. George Lepp, nature photographer and founder of the Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging in Los Osos, Calif., combines shooting techniques in the field followed by computer work, for example.

Digital photography has changed the way a lot of photo workshop classes have developed. Along with serious amateurs and professionals eager for more information, a new set of shooters has emerged due to the ease and immediacy of learning that digital offers.

Of workshop attendees today, Fatima NeJame of the Palm Beach Photographic Centre says, “They want a class that teaches digital information but, while learning the technical part, they also realize the creative aspects of photography.”

Amy Kawadler, a photographer and rep at Canon, teaches a class that introduces the digital Canon camera system to new owners at the Julia Dean Photo Workshops in Venice, Calif. “My hands-on classes allow students to overcome the fear of technology,” says Kawadler. Armed with a better understanding of their cameras, students can focus on cultivating their artistic expression.

“Our philosophy regarding digital is that it’s a tool,” says Liz Dybdal of the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Mont. “We feel first and foremost you’re a photographer and digital is a tool in which to enhance your work.”

Increasingly, schools have adopted this attitude, as digital workflow, Photoshop techniques, exposure and noise control are offered as lessons to enhance your images from capture to print.

“We’re finding that there’s a big learning curve in digital shooting that people want to surmount,” says Reid Callanan, founder and director of the Santa Fe Workshops. “Newer classes that are filling up are definitely centered around the technical aspect of digital. Beyond capture, people are looking to hone their skills with extra knowledge of digital workflow, system backup, setting color profiles and calibrating their monitors.”

While scheduling a workshop can be difficult for those of us with day jobs, there are classes available that fit into busy lives or can be attended during vacation. You might be surprised by who’s teaching workshops, too. Perhaps there’s a photographer whose work you find inspiring. He or she just may be teaching a class. Well-known celebrity photographer Michael Grecco is out there sharing his knowledge as well as Mary Ellen Mark. Photoshop guru Jeff Schewe will be teaching at Santa Fe this September, as will National Geographic photographer Bob Sacha. PCPhoto and OP’s very own Rob Sheppard often teaches at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and the Great American Photography Workshops, which holds classes countrywide.

“These classes give the student a chance to meet the person who has influenced them,” says Lyman of Maine Photographic Workshops. “You not only learn some techniques from your favorite shooter, but there’s a social aspect to it. When there’s a break for lunch or dinner, students sit with the instructor and get to talk with him or her on a personal level, sometimes about things other than photography. Eating and socializing become an important and exciting part of workshops.”

Local Workshops
If you’re interested in a local class or workshop, there are choices to fit any schedule.

Day And Weekend. Weekend classes offer a quick way for you to tackle technical hurdles and give those who work nine to five a chance to enrich their photography. Well-known pros sometimes teach these quickies.

At Rocky Mountain’s digital weekend workshop, attendees can sign up for three to four different classes a day so they aren’t pinned down to one lesson plan. “Students get to learn a lot of information in just two days,” says Dybdal. Think digital boot camp.

Weeklong. Five- to seven-day workshops involve intense training. “Meeting every day for 12 hours a day completely immerses the student in the process, and by the end of the week, they’re able to access and utilize what they’ve learned with ease,” says Santa Fe Workshops’ Callanan.

Extended. These classes usually are attended by people living in or near the workshop location. Meeting times often are held in the evenings and are geared for the busy person who can’t take a week or two off from work, but is still compelled to learn. Many project-based classes that allow you to choose a work theme or style are structured in a six- to 12-week course.

Location Shooting. Most classes couple a lecture with hands-on demonstrations. This can be beneficial to those students who learn by doing. By taking equipment to a different locale, you learn what to bring and gain tips on how to deal with weather and lighting situations.

Travel Workshops
Shooting digitally has been adopted for travel workshops, and it can be an advantage, as it eliminates lab fees and offers editing convenience. “Travel workshops allow people more time to shoot and be creative in a foreign locale,” says Callanan. “It also gives some the courage to go somewhere they wouldn’t normally go alone.”

While many workshops offer routine courses at an established foreign facility, some schools, like the Julia Dean Photo Workshops, always travel to different locations, making it an adventure for everyone from start to finish.

“I always have an interpreter on my trips abroad, someone who lives in that country or city,” says Julia Dean. “It’s a unique advantage to have someone who knows the area like the back of their hand. The interpreters spend time with students, show them their culture and lead them to places a tourist may not know about.”

Exotic locations like Peru, Cambodia, India and New Guinea are on the Palm Beach Photographic Centre schedule. Along with overseas excursions, Dean has an ongoing “On the Road” workshop, a series of trips in America for those photographers looking to experience the diversity of this country. In addition, a wide breadth of travel workshops explore the U.S.

Traveling workshops generally last a week, with students picking up meals and plane ticket expenses. The first night involves an informative meeting or dinner to acclimate students to the area, and introduce fellow travelers and the lesson plan ahead. Classmates often learn from each other and form lasting friendships.

Courses range from specific technical lessons like Lepp’s Molokai Madness, which centers around digital shooting and image optimization, to thematic shooting styles decided by teacher and student prior to the trip. Dean wants students to focus on something specific. “It could be shooting with a pinhole camera, the color red, digital techniques or an architectural or cultural aspect of the area,” she says.

And after the workshop? Dean’s travel workshops include an opening-night exhibit at her gallery, where the edited images of students’ work are on display. Dean also has had students’ work published in newspapers and magazines. Lepp has a follow-up class where students create a coffee-table book from the images composed on their trip. These are just a few of the benefits of attending a workshop—in addition to the new skills acquired and the enriching experiences gained.

At-Home Study
Unable to take time away from home to attend a class? Consider a study program that you can do from home to fit your own schedule. For example, the New York Institute of Photography has videotaped lessons and texts, and audiotaped critiques from professional photographers that offer the ability for you to improve your photography even if you can’t get away for a workshop. Long-distance photo programs are great for people wanting to change careers, start a business on the side or up their skill levels to achieve more professional-looking photographs. For more information on the New York Institute of Photography, visit www.nyip.com.