Workshops for photographers. What is a workshop, master class and other photography courses? Workshop for photographers in February

... if his professional goal is the path of a photographer.

With the onset of cold weather, as is customary, the tours of photographers-teachers begin, more precisely, they become aggravated, because educational courses are a year-round phenomenon, and in no way seasonal, although autumn-winter is the best time to learn how to shoot cool - some think , and the best to make money - others understand.

It's not about money, although it weighs down your pockets too - behind the wedding season or a series of commercial projects, but in the autumn blues, which is convenient to make money:

• selling emotions
• sale of information
• sale of "magic pills"

And most importantly, motivation.

The assortment is so-so, but if you pick up a competent wrapper - "advanced training" and bet on the hanging tongue, then no one will notice anything. Time-tested. In this note, I do not want to get personal or denounce anyone, no, my goal is to help colleagues who give money to the organizers of master classes to understand the problem: how is it that you pay for knowledge, but you get a waste of time?

Format problem

The master class, and its derivatives, is an initially unsuccessful educational format, even in a situation with a decent photographer-teacher:

• The speaker delivers information to a group of people and is seriously limited in time, as a result: the lack of personal decisions, an abundance of theses, the need to figure out the little things on their own, of course - after a seminar or master class.
• The level of training, the ability to assimilate information and knowledge, is different for everyone. And segments, division into groups does not completely solve the problem, as a result: the report swells with encyclopedic knowledge and common truths, the main idea of ​​the seminar is lost.
• The teacher is forced to focus the listeners' attention on the achievements (otherwise they will not listen) and throw out the facts, without attention to which, the audience cannot objectively evaluate the teacher's achievements and experience.

And if the main or only goal of the teacher is money, the solution of their financial problems, then we have what we have:

Infobusiness is not bad, people who come to it for the sake of fame, quick, easy money, as they think, are bad. Most of the reports are based on common truths, beautiful words that caress the ears of the participants and flat examples from personal practice: words, thoughts about models, the elasticity of their asses and the shape of their breasts - everything for the audience to sit with an intelligent look, sometimes nodding their heads, but more often - silently wrote down and did not ask difficult questions.

Closer ... closer ... Banderlog.

Knowledge problem

The disadvantage of MK (and derivatives) is not only the format, but also the knowledge itself:

• Knowledge is heterogeneous... By nature, they are declarative (descriptive) and procedural (algorithmic). The former can and should be obtained independently, from the Internet or books, literally in one or two evenings, and the latter can be bought, or spent years acquiring them. What are the organizers of the selected master class selling? Unknown!
• Knowledge is short-lived... Most of the knowledge is outdated before it was passed on, this applies not only to seminars, but also to any information products. The trouble is that a photographer, like any artisan, needs to know exactly what is applicable at a given moment in time and in his particular situation. Has the expiration date of the speaker's knowledge expired? Xs!

It is generally accepted that by attending a master class (or derivatives) a person pays not only for knowledge, but also for the time that the organizer spent on structuring information. The closet and the order on its shelves is a good analogy for such a system, and it's good to realize that someone has worked for us, but what in practice? "We are buying a wardrobe", when you can buy one book - it is enough to visit the master or become his friend, assistant. Overpaying!

Speaker problem

Another problem is teachers, more precisely, professional suitability:

• Name yourself... There is no single standard that would clarify the question of what a photographer-teacher should be: personal and professional qualities, knowledge, skills, experience necessary for a photographer as a teacher to conduct developmental activities. Certificates from manufacturers of photographic equipment and software, in the portfolio - not certification, but pieces of paper and do not guarantee anything, because they get it according to the well-known formula: "I want - I teach, they don't believe - give me a piece of paper!" Marketing, nothing more.
• Grab onto the tops... Reading books on Sunday evening, and retelling to the audience on Monday morning and calling it a seminar is a normal practice, because many speakers are more arrogant than their clients, and believe that if they have achieved something in one profession, they deserve an indulgence in another. different from light painting, and may not be distracted by the development of pedagogical activity. Learning and teaching are not the same thing.

The teacher is an expert, many are convinced of this, but in practice, most speakers are poorly versed in the subject, focus on a narrow direction, and they cannot provide a system - a logical unity of knowledge - as a basis. To hide this, the majority prefers to “chat up” difficult and unpleasant, for themselves, questions. Alas, the technique works - it lulls vigilance, empties the wallets of gullible citizens.

Student problem

But not a single teacher, the meaning of attending MC is lost, many students will not take anything useful out of a workshop or seminar, but it's all to blame:

• Lack of basic knowledge, minimal experience... Work with light, camera (yes, many do not know how to use it, despite the instructions in the box), model and decorations, customers and team members. You can't understand a lot, even from a good lecture, for one simple reason - you listen early. To college after school, and not vice versa.
• Lack of ability to ask questions... Many students do not know what to ask about, and most importantly - how. An endless monotonous stream of thoughts - please, but competently, with an understanding of our own problem and bad experience - "someone else, but not me!" In a notebook, it will help to improve skills.
• Lack of purpose... Dunno is a wonderful fairy-tale character. He learned to play the trumpet, paint, drive a car. True, the latter ended in a hospital bed. A similar character is a student who has no goal, but only the words: “I want to shoot better! I want more money! " "Want! Want! Want!" - remember "Morozko".🙂
• Laziness problem... Attending a master class by a competent teacher, listening but not hearing a report, because the inner voice repeats: "This is difficult, long, but I want tomorrow" - a consequence of laziness, which will offer to shoot as before - by the fireplace until a new one appears MK and the hope that "magic pills" are being distributed there.
• Search problem... It is very difficult to find a photographer-teacher who is not only close in creative style, but is also in a similar life situation with his students, but one step ahead. Such experience is a springboard that will help you to reach a new professional level.
• The problem of pride... Often, the result of visiting the MK depends on the self-esteem of the guests, of course - overestimated. It turns out that you have to work in photography, read a lot and carefully, practice every day and be aware of oneself as a goof, seek - and not wait, new, form a personality in oneself! Anyone who entertains himself with the words "photography is a business" does not value or perceive knowledge. Alas.

Also, when choosing an educational program, many harm themselves when they evaluate not the results, but the person who achieved them, they believe that an attractive appearance is a consequence of knowledge, intelligence and acquired experience. They harm themselves when they learn from the vain, forgetting that there is no strength in their knowledge, they crumble, it is only necessary to change the circumstances a little, because it is not knowledge, but simple information. They harm themselves when they choose programs based on general solutions, albeit working ones, and not optimal ones, for the specific conditions of the listener.

Sometimes it is very difficult for novice photographers to figure out what is the difference between different forms of teaching photography. Moreover, often professional photographers themselves do not see the difference between a workshop and a master class, and they load it with dry theory at the workshop, and silently carry out practical photography at the workshop, thereby erasing the framework between various training events.

In order for expectations and reality to coincide 100%, you need to understand the system of modern photography education and not get confused in basic concepts. In this article, we will analyze in detail all the most popular forms of education that are now on everyone's lips: workshop, master class, seminar, webinar, training and educational course. What is their difference and what result should be expected from each of them, read the article.

Master Class

Master Class Is a thematic training event where the lead photographer shares his experience with the participants, accompanying the story with examples of his work, and conducts practical photography on the same topic.

As a rule, master classes are aimed at an already prepared audience who is familiar with camera settings, composition rules and the basics of working with light. For a beginner who does not understand the basics of photography, an in-depth thematic master class may be completely useless.

At the moment, our photography school regularly hosts several master classes. Here are the most popular ones:

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Polina Maslenkova

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Irina Dorosh

“The simplest thing is to press the button at the right moment”: a sincere and interesting conversation with the master of children and family photography.

heading: Interview 12/07/2017

Irina Dorosh

In a big interview, our teacher Vitaly Shokhan will tell you how he went from programming to photography.

heading: Interview 09.09.2017

Polina Maslenkova

Why a photographer should know about color compatibility and how to apply it in practice, we will analyze in an article about the color wheel and its use in different areas of art.

heading: Inspiration Education 20.11.2017

Polina Maslenkova

We are often asked: what is BLENDA? Why is our photography school called that? Why not a LENS, not a FRAME, not a FOCUS-POINT, but a BLEND? Asked - we answer!

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Polina Maslenkova

Today we want to tell you about fireworks, because many are going to take to the streets of the city on New Year's Eve and admire the festive fireworks. And if you prepare a little, then the photos will turn out beautiful.

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Vlad Borisevich

There are many pictures of nature on the Internet that hit the very heart. But what is behind their creation? Anyone can do that, or does a good shot have a recipe for success?

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Lily Sawyer

In this tutorial, you will learn how to paint snow on a photo in two ways in Adobe Photoshop: using a brush and layers. If there is not enough snow on the streets and in your photos, create it yourself!

Polina Maslenkova

Interview with photo artist and our teacher Natalia Pryadko

We talked with our art processing instructor and learned how medical photographers are born and how many hours it takes to become a mediocre retoucher.

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Polina Maslenkova

We talked with our teacher of photo posing and part-time crowned supermodel Veronika Korobko about beauty, intelligence and female happiness.

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Polina Maslenkova

In this article, we will analyze how to properly photograph flowers in wildlife, as well as in a bouquet and in the hands of a model, in order to get really beautiful shots.

heading: Advice 06.03.2018

Every person is a photographer to one degree or another. A lot of people shoot for themselves, a little less for magazines or exhibitions. But that doesn't really matter when it comes to learning. You can always study in photography - it is an endless process that opens new horizons for a creative person. The fundamental question is where to go to study? What is missing in our photographic self?

In order to understand what awaits you during the educational process, you need to understand the navigation of the modern photography training system, not to get confused in basic terms. Let's look at what is hidden behind the famous names that everyone has heard: what is a master class, workshop, training course, seminar, training. What is the difference between them and what result should be expected for someone who has decided to undergo this or that type of training.

Master Class

Under the master class, there is essentially a creative meeting of the author, but with a technically prepared audience. People come to find out the point of view (if you want, "the main trick") of the photographer they like in order to improve their own skills. If the master class is attended by a beginner in photography, whose knowledge is still limited by the phrase "a big hole blurs the background", then we can say with almost one hundred percent certainty that the time he spent at the master class will be wasted.

Workshop

An extremely interesting event where any photographer, regardless of the level of training, can take good pictures. The workshop participant seems to be taking pictures from under the hand of an experienced master, in fact duplicating his shots, but with his own camera.

At workshops, participants, as a rule, already work with professional models, well-chosen location and other significant things that relate to the distinctive characteristics of a professional photographer, which should also be learned and, if necessary, be able to reproduce. Participating in a workshop is very useful for enriching the portfolio of an inexperienced hobbyist or aspiring commercial photographer.

Training course

The most useful thing from the point of view of knowledge. This is real training, giving real knowledge, from which you can gain professionalism. Of course, after graduating from the Faculty of Photography, it is impossible to immediately become a master, it will take several more years of work on yourself, but you can already be considered a "real photographer". The most important thing here is not to be mistaken with the choice - which school to go to.

You can study periodically by signing up for thematic courses, starting with the obligatory ones, which will give you basic knowledge, teach you how to use photographic equipment correctly, and introduce you to. Then choose a direction according to the skills to be acquired.

Seminar

In seminars, an experienced photographer or a technician in some kind of photographic equipment shares practical skills in photography. For example, a wedding photographer explains (or shows) basic wedding photography techniques with specific guidelines and a description of the equipment used.

By attending seminars, a photographer can expect to receive ready-made recipes from knowledgeable people. This type of training is useful for both experienced and beginners. Better yet, if you can attend a whole series of workshops, for example on usage. As a result, you will have at your disposal knowledge of how to solve a particular problem, with the help of what tools, etc.

Of course, the seminar cannot replace training courses, but it significantly saves time when mastering a new technique in photography or provides the necessary knowledge for the effective use of existing equipment in specific conditions.

You should know that there are also purely technical seminars on photography equipment, they are useful for a photographer of any level, up to a master of photography, because the technique does not stand still and very often even an experienced professional photographer is too busy with his main business, therefore he cannot constantly keep abreast of the latest technological new products.

Technically lagging behind can result in a loss of competitive advantage in the booming photography market. There is nothing shameful in listening to a specialist (and it does not matter if he is older or younger than you and how many years he has been in photography) in order to quickly fill in your gaps. At technical seminars, photography is not taught - they give only technical knowledge (for example, you will find out what equipment and at what settings will allow you to freeze water droplets when shooting a model in an aqua studio).

Training

During the trainings, practical testing of proven solutions (shooting recipes) is carried out to obtain a guaranteed skill in photographing subjects of interest. A very useful event if you have a specific task ahead of you. Let's say you are going to open a photo shop in a shopping center to take photographs for documents.

It is not necessary to become a photographer for this, but it is imperative to take a certain level of technical photography and purchase all the necessary equipment. Training is just the event where you can get the appropriate skills and answers to all your questions.

We have dealt with the basic terms in training. If you have decided what format of classes suits you, you will have to ask yourself one more question: what, in fact, should you learn, what knowledge is missing? It can be extremely difficult to evaluate your own skills, very often a mistake leads to the loss of both time and money. That is why it is more correct to take a different path - to write a test, try to pass the exam, complete a certain task, and already an experienced photographer-teacher, evaluating the results, will be able to suggest what exactly is missing, what is worth focusing on.

This is a great idea, and it is quite realizable. You can contact a photography school that practices this approach. A personalized self-study program can cover a wide variety of photography training areas. Decide on priorities and questions and you can get a high-quality guaranteed result.

Ilya Lukyanov , studio professional equipment expert

Together with a team of wonderful professionals, we create beautiful stylish projects that will allow you to replenish your portfolio with interesting memorable shots and serve as inspiration for future newlyweds.

What is a photography workshop?

This is an educational creative event for photographers, where, together with a team of high-level specialists - decorators, florists, stylists, designers, confectioners - all those in whose work I am 100% sure, we create a completely thought-out concept of shooting. We invite a beautiful couple, create images, select the style and location.

On set, I'm filming, working with a couple. But during the filming process, the participants can also implement their ideas in the production. In organizing the project, two more photographers are involved with me, we always follow the light and are ready to answer any questions.

Thus, a workshop is not just a way to update a portfolio with interesting personnel, here we communicate, learn, exchange ideas and experiences. Not only established photographers come to us, but also beginners, this is a great way to learn a lot in practice: working with a couple, with light, and sometimes with camera settings.

Now there are a lot of teams organizing wedding workshops, what are the advantages of ours:

• 1

  Light

  We always follow the light on the set, because the photographers themselves and we are not only interested in a beautiful arrangement of details, but also in the light in the frame.

• 2

  Timing

  We prepare timing in advance and control the filming process to get a complete full story

• 3

  Directing the production

  We work with a couple on the set, directing the production so that the shots are lively, emotional without tension and fake

• 4

  Organization

  It is important for us that every photographer leaves us with a full-fledged series, and not a set of scattered frames. We organize the filming process in such a way that everyone has time to take the desired pictures

• 5

  Unique ideas

  We do not use other people's ideas for projects, we always try to think over new interesting stories for the most delicious pictures

) ". Traditionally, the questions themselves can be asked in the comments or sent by mail: [email protected] .

So today's question is:

#10 What is a workshop and how is it different from a master class?

Photo: © Rennie Ellis - Photography Workshop Queensland | 1980

Short version:

These are just different ways of conducting classes and they differ from each other in the method of presenting the material: a master class is communication with a master, as the name implies, and a workshop is learning through joint work.

Expanded answer:

To avoid confusion, I will explain briefly, in the theses, what it is and how they differ from each other:

Seminar: Actually, this is a "discussion", as the audience suggests, but in our established realities this is such an activity in which the teacher shows and talks about practical methods of work. That is, in the case of photography, it explains how and why you need to do something in this or that case. A purely applied lesson on technical issues, as a rule. Filming in this lesson can be done only for educational purposes, so that people can come home to see how and what they did and what they need to work on in the future. And then there may be no shooting at all.

Master Class: this is a lesson to which people come to hear about the ways, techniques and methods of work of the person whom they consider to be a master of their craft. And this person can tell anything, if he thinks that it will be interesting to the audience and has at least some relation to the subject in which he is considered a master. = :) If he thinks that the taste of the cheesecakes eaten in the morning affects the quality of the resulting pictures, then he will talk about the cheesecakes. = :) And the will of the listeners then not to go to this master anymore, if after this master class there are no positive shifts in their work. Filming in this lesson is not expected at all. It's just communication.

Workshop: an event aimed at replenishing the portfolio of participants. This is such an occupation, for which an idea is first thought out and developed, a model, stylist and make-up artist are invited for it, and the complete organization of the shooting process is carried out. And then a small group, led and with the help of a leading photographer, brings this idea to life. Moreover, the presenter helps in all technical issues and makes sure that the implementation of the idea is correct and does not deviate from the set topic. The resulting photo frames can then be used by each of the participants at their own discretion (however, a limitation can be imposed on the commercial use of frames). The keywords here are - small group... That is, as many people as you need, so as not to interfere with each other when filming. Hence the relatively high price of this event.

Alas, in our harsh Russian reality, all three of these types of activities are often lumped together: first the master talks about himself, then shows practical techniques, and then everyone shoots the model together and photographs what he has just prepared and organized. And finally, the participants of this event often expose the resulting frames on photo resources, without saying a word about how and under what circumstances they were made. Or, even worse, they expose shots taken from under the arm or over the shoulder of another shooter, from the wrong angle, without impulse, with an ugly pose of the model, signing that the shot was taken at the master class of such and such a person. = :) Just don't get me wrong, I, in fact, do not mind at all if this happens. I am only for understanding and order.