What Are the Best Travel Photography Workshops?
A photo is only worth 1,000 words if you know how to capture the right one. These six programs can help.
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Have camera. Will travel. And take top-notch shots, too, if these six travel photography workshops have anything to say about it.
All workshop outfitters listed here are led by professional photographers and include on-site coaching in real-world environments (versus the studio) and image review. They’re suited for amateurs, advanced hobbyists, and aspiring professionals.
Summit Workshops
Taught by a team of more than 10 photographers and creatives with impressive bona fides, Summit Workshops offers on-location classes, including ones on sport, nature, and adventure photography. In the adventure workshop headquartered at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, participants hone their skills at Grand Teton National Park where they’re the center of the action in kayaks, hanging from rock walls, or doing other action sports. The instruction team includes not only photographers, but also photo editors who provide a unique perspective during daily critiques. Of course, networking over a beer each evening with professionals from the likes of National Geographic and Surfer magazine doesn’t hurt either.
Master Image Workshops
Pro photographers Kerrick James, who’s published images in Smithsonian, and Jerry Ginsberg, whose images have been in Outdoor Photographer, lead this workshop series. Destination-based classes for 2015 are set for Patagonia (February 21–March 6), Argentina (February 7–19), and Chile (March 7–14).
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
New Mexico’s legendary light, which inspired Ansel Adams, is at the center of many of this company’s field studies. However, its instructors also lead trips to destinations such as Iceland (August 10–15, 2014) and Aspen’s Snowmass (September 9–14, 2014), the latter which is headed by Ansel Adams Award–winning photographer Ian Shive.
American Nature Photography Workshops
Experts Tom Bol, named a visionary by National Geographic Adventure, and George Theodore, founder of ANPW, help participants turn their lenses on destinations such as Utah’s Canyonlands, Yosemite National Park, Glacier National Park, and other natural landscapes across the U.S.
Momenta
Exotic locales are on the agenda at Momenta, which specializes in travel and documentary workshops that create global dialogues about social issues. In upcoming sessions in Freetown, Sierra Leone (November 2–14, 2014), and New Orleans (April 8–12, 2015), photographers will be paired with a local nonprofit to create a photo story about that group’s mission.
Within the Frame Photographic Adventures
Founded by and for photographers, this company specializes in small group–sessions that focus on both technical prowess and creativity. Both fine-art and journalistic photographers lead workshops to destinations such as Istanbul, Turkey (September 6–13, 2014); Kathmandu, Nepal (October 3–12); and Maasai Mara, Kenya (January 10–18, 2015). Jeffrey Chapman and Winslow Lockhart lead all three sessions.