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Have Camera, Will Travel: 40 Exciting Photography Workshops Happening in 2019 & 2020
After taking a little hiatus, we’re back with our comprehensive list of some of the best workshops available to photographers of all skill levels...
After taking a little hiatus, we’re back with our comprehensive list of some of the best workshops available to photographers of all skill levels. We’ve got everything from bucket-list worthy international trips to online courses you can take from the comfort of your couch.
No matter your specialty, background or budget, there’s an enthusiastic photography community out there ready to teach and help you reach your professional goals. Check out our list of 40 workshops and educational organizations below, organized by geographic location, with some workshops specifically highlighted that piqued our interest.
Are you running your own workshop? Have another suggestion to add? Leave information in the comments below!
Cover image by Allen Murabayashi from the Summit Hawaii Workshop
United States
- Our pick: Mountains & Glaciers of Southcentral Alaska Photo Tour July – August 2019.
- Why we love it: Leave No Trace ethics and smaller class sizes.
- Our pick: Winter in the Grand Canyon Workshop in January 2020.
- Why we love it: Who wouldn’t want to learn photo tips from an award-winning former Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park?
- Options range from 1-2 days up to 5-day travel expeditions.
- Why we love them: They’ve got a great mix of amazing instructors, itineraries and destinations. Bonus points for having activity level very visible for each workshop.
The Business of Photography Workshop
- Taught by Todd Bigelow and celebrating its 15th year at UCLA in June 2019.
- Why we love it: Topics include copyright basics, image licensing standards/rates, tax issues and choices facing freelancers, plus Todd makes sure to keep class sizes small to ensure deeper discussions.
Consistent Trust: A Wedding Photography Workshop
- 2 locations/times: San Francisco in April 2020 and Orlando in November 2020.
- Why we love it: Twig & Olive have honed in on how to make their images stand out with a fine art editorial approach to wedding photography.
- Our pick: Antarctica Circle Crossing in February 2020.
- Why we love it: Led by John Paul Caponigro & Seth Resnick, these workshops take you to bucket-list destinations and include not just seminars but one-on-one reviews, too.
- Our pick: Photographing Autumn at White Sands National Monument in October 2019.
- Why we love it: EL offers small class sizes, 30 years of workshop experience and a convenient student gallery showing off former participants’ work.
- Our pick: Orcas Island in April 2020.
- Why we love it: They’ve got a pay as you go option and great origin story.
Houston Center for Photography
- Our pick: Creative Exposure – Intentional Mistake in October 2019.
- Why we love it: Free and community-driven, the classes also repeat often, so you’re bound to find a date/time that works for you.
- Our picks: Camera Basics in June/August 2019 and Large Format Workshop in June 2019.
- Why we love them: Workshops are affordable and have options for kids and teens interested in photography.
Maine Media Workshops + College
- Our picks: Divining the Personal: How to Bring Your Life to Your Projects with Jennifer McClure in June 2019 and Visual Storytelling: Putting it all Together with Karen Marshall in August 2019.
- Why we love them: They’ve got range! Everything from beginner to master level, classes range from one day up to an entire summer.
- Our pick: Silo City Photography Workshop in August 2019.
- Why we love it: Mark has a really interesting background and splits his time between fine art photography and imaging consultant/educator in the field of ophthalmology.
- Our pick: Editing Workflow Workshop and Methodology Master Class in June/December 2019.
- Why we love it: These workshops are Brooklyn-based and feature approachable pricing.
- Our picks: Get Funded Workshop in May 2019 and Nonprofit Photography & Multimedia Workshops in September 2019 or February 2020.
- Why we love them: We are a big fan of their goal — “find like-minded photographers around the world and encourage social change with powerful documentary images.” They’ve won awards for their workshops, too.
- Have Passport Series, Adventure Series workshops, and Skill Development workshops.
- Why we love them: They’re only shooting in each park once so these trips are always going to be unique.
- Happening right now (May 2019), 2020 dates TBD.
- Why we love them: We commend them on their emerging photographer workshop and great networking opportunities.
Photography Intensive at Columbia University School of the Arts
- Summer 2019 in NYC.
- Why we love them: The experience includes 24-hour access to facilities alongside hands-on assignments, plus it ends with a group exhibition at the LeRoy Neiman Gallery.
- May 2019 in Chicago.
- Why we love them: The workshops are super affordable and include great speakers.
- Our picks: NPPA’s Multimedia Immersion Workshop (Syracuse, NY in May 2019) and Women in Visual Journalism Conference (Dallas in October 2019).
- Why we love them: We find their focus on ethics incredibly admirable.
Rocky Mountain School of Photography
- Our pick: Introduction to Professional Studio Lighting in August 2019 in Missoula, Montana.
- Why we love them: The quality of their education has only gotten better over the last 30 years.
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
- Our picks: Visions of the American West in July/August 2019 and Photographing the Human Condition: Creating Images That Make a Difference in October 2019.
- Why we love them: Nikon has been a long-standing educational partner, and they’ve got a diverse list of instructors.
- Our picks: Narrative Photography with Ashley Gilbertson & Ed Kashi in September 2019 and Finding Your Visual Voice in October 2019.
- Why we love them: Grants and scholarships are available and as of last year, VII created and implemented an ethical code for their workshop teachers and mentors.
The Yosemite Photography Workshops
- Our pick: Yosemite Fall Colors Workshop in November 2019.
- Why we love them: Led by Award-winning landscape photographer Paul Hawkins, and the views definitely won’t disappoint.
International
Amazon Rainforest Workshop with Ami Vitale, Joe McNally and Tamara Lackey
- March – April 2020.
- Why we love it: Who wouldn’t want world-class photographers leading you through shoots, lectures and daily post-processing lab time during an all-inclusive trip?
- Our pick: Namibia Photo Journey in August 2020.
- Why we love them: While not cheap, these workshops are hosted in stellar locations and promise to be packed with lessons from one of the masters.
- Our pick: Winter Landscape 12 Day in July/August 2019.
- Why we love it: All photo workshops led by Phillip Bartlett include jam-packed schedules that can involve adventures like doors-off helicopter rides and encounters with kangaroos, koalas, and wombats.
- Our pick: Chasing Sakura Blooms in Japan with Ken Kaminesky in May 2020.
- Why we love them: We love their gear recommendations and they even offer to help with rentals. They’ve also got a really helpful FAQ page that answers everything from how to prepare for an upcoming tour to food accommodations for vegetarian attendees.
- Our pick: Visual Storytelling for Impact and Meaning with Ed Kashi in July 2019.
- Why we love it: We love their mentoring options and enthusiasm for taking photographic risks.
- Our pick: Introduction to On & Off Camera Flash (dates TBD).
- Why we love it: GPP offers workshops for all experience levels covering a wide range of topics from basic photography skills to food styling for photographers. They get bonus points for a wide range of class times (weekdays, weekends, evenings, etc.), all take place at Dubai’s Center for Photography.
- Our pick: Storytelling in Portugal in May 2019 and Adventures in Romania in August/September 2019.
- Why we love them: Each workshop covers a wide range of topics, including storytelling, story development, editing your work, metering, exposure and reading light, so you’re bound to learn something. Also, Joe’s the best!
- 2019 application is already available.
- Why we love it: This workshop’s primary focus is on the power of photography in storytelling, and their site also provides great information about food and transportation so you know what to expect during your time in Nepal.
- Our pick: Drone Photography Workshop in Dorset tutored by Andy Farrer in September 2019.
- Why we love it: They have over 25 years of experience and host workshops focused on everything from the basics of Lightroom to guided tours throughout Europe.
National Geographic Expeditions
- Our pick: Baja California and the Sea of Cortez: Among the Great Whales in Winter/Spring 2020.
- Why we love them: With the help of Nat Geo, participants get insane access to some of the world’s most beautiful places with award-winning photographers.
- Our pick: British Columbia Bald Eagle Migration Workshop in November 2019.
- Why we love them: Based in Canada, North of 49 has a fun Instagram account and provides workshop videos for reference, so you get a great idea of how workshops work before signing up.
- Our pick: Napes and the Amalfi Coast in May 2020.
- Why we love them: Groups are on the smaller side, and they mention they are always seeking an 8:1 ratio between students and workshop leaders. Plus, you’ve got location options in the US and abroad.
- Our pick: PWB School India in October 2019.
- Why we love it: Classes feature a mix of educational and life experiences, often promoting important topics like women’s empowerment, sustainable ecotourism and entrepreneurship.
- Our pick: Cuba with Deanne Fitzmaurice in November 2019.
- Why we love them: We think everyone should take advantage of Summit’s partnership with Nikon Professional Services and get in-personal technical support, plus consignment bodies and rental lenses to use throughout the workshop time. These workshops also feature expert instructors and locations. (You might even bump into our Co-Founder Allen Murabayashi!)
- Our pick: Tibet with Mike Yamashita and Justin Black in October 2019.
- Why we love them: They’ve got great sponsors (Fujifilm, Nikon, Marmot, MindShift gear, etc) and their testimonials page also shows a lot of repeat attendees, which we find encouraging.
Online
- Our pick: Documentary Photography: Creating a Life in Storytelling with Amanda Lucidon.
- Why we love them: Affordable and convenient, the topics they offer are endless.
- Why we love it: This masterclass offers amazing business tips for how to hone your specialty in an oversaturated market and create loyal customers.
- He’s also offering 75% off, for a very limited time (enter the coupon code PS75 for your discount).
- Our picks: Ultimate Storytelling Workshop & Capturing Change (Time-lapse photography).
- Why we love them: We are a big fan of open enrollment and all classes are led by wanderluster Alex Strohl (who has over 2m Instagram followers). They get bonus points for having an app.
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Are you running a workshop this year or did you attend one recently that you loved? Leave a link in the comments below with information!
Previous Post: Are You an Ethical Photographer?
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