Photography workshops

[sandrad600]

I am trying to find a photography workshop for spring break. Preferablly about weddings. Does anyone know of any good workshops? Hopefully within driving distance of Kentucky? I have found a few that are pretty general, and very expensive!

[jerryph]

I'll voice my opinions about workshops... they do a lot of talking, a lot of showing, with some, you may get some chance to practice, but at the end of the day, very little real good info is transmitted. Wedding workshops in general are now the venue of the higher end photographers to make MORE money off of the industry.

If you think I am wrong, let's look at something simple... a Becker workshop (if you don't know who Becker is, you don't know anything about wedding photographers... lol)... the man charges four digits for you to sit there the whole day and then *refuses* to talk about how he post processes his pictures. The man doesn't use speedlights or strobes, so he has no "lighting secrets" to offer. He uses top of the like Canon cameras and lenses, so thats no secret. He doesn't discuss how he markets or brands... so what does he have to offer me, other than sitting there and listening to him talk for 6 hours and look at his pics?

Want to learn about wedding photography, I mean **really** learn about it?

Acknowledge and understand that wedding photography is THE MOST challenging aspect of all photography and that here there are NO second chances. Your skills MUST be top notch, and your equipment MUST be pro-level top notch. Having said that:

- master your equipment
- master the basics of photography
- master on camera flash
- master off camera flash
- mentor with a GOOD experienced wedding photographer for a year

Thats just to handle the photography end... unfortunately, the wedding photography business is just that... a BUSINESS, so your business and customer service and sales skills had better be good, else you can be the BEST photographer in the world, you are not going to make it. Having said that:

- a good course in business definitely helps. I've seen crappy photographers make 6 digit salaries, and I have seen INCREDIBLE photographers starving.

- a good course in customer service is important. If you do not understand your customers, how can you sell to them?

- business plan. Without one you are inviting failure. You cannot get to a location unless you know what directions you will be taking to get there. A well written business plan also insures that if you need a loan, you can get it. For example, before I opened up my consulting business, I needed some starting capital. I went to a bank for a $10,000 loan and was refused. A month later I went to the same bank with a well written business plan and received approval for $50,000 within 30 minutes, but took only what I needed, which was the $10,000. It was paid back *very* fast and I not only received the money, but also got a 30 point increase on my credit rating thanks to the business plan and it's success.

The *business* of wedding photography is a lot more than just pressing a shutter button.