I'm not sure how many out there have taken, or considered taking, a serious photo workshop. As a satisfied alumnus of Rich Clarkson's Photography at the Summit series, I can't praise the experience more highly.
I just received a brochure for the next one this coming October 1-6 in Jackson Hole and wanted to pass on my thoughts for your consideration.
Several years ago, I felt I had reached a plateau in my creativity. I had been teaching photography and leading photo tours for a number of years up to that point and just sensed it was time to reach for the next level. And reach for it I did - - I went way beyond anything I could imagine!
For those of us that still maintain "day jobs", spending nearly a solid week shooting full time and learning from some of the best in the field, was really a dream come true. It was also the hardest I've worked in a long time! We basically spent from 5 am until 11 pm doing nature photography - for six days in a row.
So, here we were; a group of maybe 50 students, cramming down tips and advice from the likes of Tom Mangelson, Chris Johns (editor, NG Mag), David Schonauer (editor, American Photo Mag.), James Balog (environmental nature photog), Dave Black (sports shooter), William Albert Allard (NG Mag), Jodi Cobb (NG Mag), and Pulitzer Prize-winner James Hill.
The workshop schedule is basically: be on location at first light, shoot for a couple hours, be back to the conference room by 9am to start the editing process, edit down to your best three shots (harder than you might imagine), get them submitted by 10am for the group critique by the faculty staff, morning lessons, lunch, afternoon lessons, more shooting, dinner, evening presentation by faculty, drinks at the "watering hole", then a few hours of sleep - AND REPEAT 5 MORE TIMES!
The first full day, I thought I was doing OK during the shoot - - that is, until I started seeing what others were doing (oohh, my pictures ain't that great, are they?). Then my best three were all critiqued and I felt like slinking away. Actually, EVERYONE'S images were pretty well run down. "There's another great cliche shot", "If I see one more mountain framed with pine trees, I'm gonna' throw up", etc. etc. - you get the picture. The faculty was relentless.
Day 2 - OK, I better start looking beyond the cliche stuff / postcard-style images. Whew! This actually requires thinking! The whole group of us took a big leap from the first critique. Now we were starting to get a few complements and more constructive criticism. I'm sure the first two days were by design...It served to jolt us out of our "comfort zones".
By mid-week, I was feeling as if I was catching on. The toughest part was the editing between 9 and 10 am. You really start to feel the pressure as you go through hundreds of images; painstakingly sifting down to the top 20 - then the top 10, then the top 3. By then, it's 5 minutes until the deadline and you've got to get those shots uploaded to the server. Phew; did it!
By the end of the week, I could tell we were all really stretching beyond our norms. I realized I was significantly beyond where I started. On the last day, the staff had selected the very best images shot that week and had them all printed 24 x 36, matted and framed. They were all hung in a special gallery area in the National Wildlife Museum in Jackson Hole to be shown for the next few months. We had a wine & cheese public opening that evening. I was fortunate enough to have two of 35 selected - one taking top honors.
The Summit ended the last evening with a fancy dinner and slide show of the best of the best. It was one of the hardest, but most uplifting photography experience of my life.
Well, I'm sorry for rambling on. I know there are many very good workshops available, but I really believe the chance to be critiqued by editors and photographers from the National Geographic, and other nationally-known nature shooters, is the chance of a lifetime and just an overall great experience.
For those of you ready to take that next big step, you certainly won't go wrong with the Photography at the Summit. Highly recommended (and no, I'm not on their payroll! - just a very satisfied customer). In fact, they hold a similar-formet Summit here in Colorado Springs called Sports Photography at the Summit - and yes, I just took that one last year!
Wow! Thanks for the amazing description of how those things work. Sounds like an amazing experience that maybe someday I'll be able to do. Did you get any good long-term contacts out the of the program?
Ken,
Sounds as if you needed a vacation after completing this program!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I saw photos from this porgram displayed at the National Wildlife Musem last December and thought it would be a wonderful experience.
Is the photo you posted one of your two that won top honors?
Nope, just one I liked especially well, as it shows all stages of a willow from bud to bloom.
Top honors went to a great blue heron (above). It was especially impressive when enlarged to 30x40! Shown here, it's probably just so-so.
My partner and I were trolling slowly along a beaver pond in the Tetons, when I spotted the heron sitting way up in a snag. Fortunately, my tripod with camera attached was laying in back of the Jeep ready to shoot. I had just five minutes to crank off a few shots. Taken using a D100, 500/4P and 1.4X teleconverter. I think what the curator liked was the plain background. Enlarged, it looked almost unreal - more like an Audubon print.
Here's the other one selected. It was taken at the same beaver pond and in order to eliminate the willows behind, I had to set up the tripod on the tailgate of the Jeep; looking downwards. They were really stressing simplifying the backgrounds and I think I succeeded in that the final image seemingly defies the imagination. I caught Chris Johns standing in front just staring at it for a while. Of course, the original print lacked the text...
They ended up hanging it upside down, but I didn't mention it!
Discussion
6 repliesI just received a brochure for the next one this coming October 1-6 in Jackson Hole and wanted to pass on my thoughts for your consideration.
Several years ago, I felt I had reached a plateau in my creativity. I had been teaching photography and leading photo tours for a number of years up to that point and just sensed it was time to reach for the next level. And reach for it I did - - I went way beyond anything I could imagine!
For those of us that still maintain "day jobs", spending nearly a solid week shooting full time and learning from some of the best in the field, was really a dream come true. It was also the hardest I've worked in a long time! We basically spent from 5 am until 11 pm doing nature photography - for six days in a row.
So, here we were; a group of maybe 50 students, cramming down tips and advice from the likes of Tom Mangelson, Chris Johns (editor, NG Mag), David Schonauer (editor, American Photo Mag.), James Balog (environmental nature photog), Dave Black (sports shooter), William Albert Allard (NG Mag), Jodi Cobb (NG Mag), and Pulitzer Prize-winner James Hill.
The workshop schedule is basically: be on location at first light, shoot for a couple hours, be back to the conference room by 9am to start the editing process, edit down to your best three shots (harder than you might imagine), get them submitted by 10am for the group critique by the faculty staff, morning lessons, lunch, afternoon lessons, more shooting, dinner, evening presentation by faculty, drinks at the "watering hole", then a few hours of sleep - AND REPEAT 5 MORE TIMES!
The first full day, I thought I was doing OK during the shoot - - that is, until I started seeing what others were doing (oohh, my pictures ain't that great, are they?). Then my best three were all critiqued and I felt like slinking away. Actually, EVERYONE'S images were pretty well run down. "There's another great cliche shot", "If I see one more mountain framed with pine trees, I'm gonna' throw up", etc. etc. - you get the picture. The faculty was relentless.
Day 2 - OK, I better start looking beyond the cliche stuff / postcard-style images. Whew! This actually requires thinking! The whole group of us took a big leap from the first critique. Now we were starting to get a few complements and more constructive criticism. I'm sure the first two days were by design...It served to jolt us out of our "comfort zones".
By mid-week, I was feeling as if I was catching on. The toughest part was the editing between 9 and 10 am. You really start to feel the pressure as you go through hundreds of images; painstakingly sifting down to the top 20 - then the top 10, then the top 3. By then, it's 5 minutes until the deadline and you've got to get those shots uploaded to the server. Phew; did it!
By the end of the week, I could tell we were all really stretching beyond our norms. I realized I was significantly beyond where I started. On the last day, the staff had selected the very best images shot that week and had them all printed 24 x 36, matted and framed. They were all hung in a special gallery area in the National Wildlife Museum in Jackson Hole to be shown for the next few months. We had a wine & cheese public opening that evening. I was fortunate enough to have two of 35 selected - one taking top honors.
The Summit ended the last evening with a fancy dinner and slide show of the best of the best. It was one of the hardest, but most uplifting photography experience of my life.
Well, I'm sorry for rambling on. I know there are many very good workshops available, but I really believe the chance to be critiqued by editors and photographers from the National Geographic, and other nationally-known nature shooters, is the chance of a lifetime and just an overall great experience.
For those of you ready to take that next big step, you certainly won't go wrong with the Photography at the Summit. Highly recommended (and no, I'm not on their payroll! - just a very satisfied customer). In fact, they hold a similar-formet Summit here in Colorado Springs called Sports Photography at the Summit - and yes, I just took that one last year!
NANPA members get 10% off the workshop fee...
http://www.photographyatthesummit.com
Ken
Wow! Thanks for the amazing description of how those things work. Sounds like an amazing experience that maybe someday I'll be able to do. Did you get any good long-term contacts out the of the program?
Sounds as if you needed a vacation after completing this program!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I saw photos from this porgram displayed at the National Wildlife Musem last December and thought it would be a wonderful experience.
Is the photo you posted one of your two that won top honors?
Top honors went to a great blue heron (above). It was especially impressive when enlarged to 30x40! Shown here, it's probably just so-so.
My partner and I were trolling slowly along a beaver pond in the Tetons, when I spotted the heron sitting way up in a snag. Fortunately, my tripod with camera attached was laying in back of the Jeep ready to shoot. I had just five minutes to crank off a few shots. Taken using a D100, 500/4P and 1.4X teleconverter. I think what the curator liked was the plain background. Enlarged, it looked almost unreal - more like an Audubon print.
They ended up hanging it upside down, but I didn't mention it!
Ken