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Waiting for the Light: Beginnings, Ends & Observations on Photography Workshops
By Craig Varjabedian | Mar 1, 2008
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“We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.”
— Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
I came to understand photography through a journey of many miles. I took many detours, negotiated a few rough roads and swerved to miss a collision or two along the way. In the beginning, I learned what I needed to know from books, from the man at the local camera store and from other people who were on a similar path. Finally after exhausting my resources, I had to look elsewhere to find those ingredients missing from my understanding of the medium.
I attended my first photography workshop in 1975.
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Making Photographs in a Workshop © Craig Varjabedian |
It started innocently enough with an advertisement in the back of a magazine. Who knew it would change my life. The twelve of us who attended that workshop were up before first light and didn’t stop “living” photography until well after the sun went down. During those days we saw light that sometimes defied explanation – a kind that many photographers miss. Such passion! Such commitment! Such inspiration! We made lots of photographs and had impassioned conversations on many ideas . . . what developer to use to achieve a particular effect . . . what lenses gave the best definition and presence to an image . . . how to capture that intangible element that takes a photograph beyond the ordinary to (hopefully) the extraordinary. Perhaps more importantly we shared something of our personal photographic journeys. We discovered at times similar detours and rough roads and some of us told of ways to make the trip a little less arduous. We learned by sharing our experiences that we were not alone. And then there was the instructor — a photographer of great acclaim who shared with us not only the nuts and bolts of what he had learned from a half-century of following the light, but the kind of love and commitment good photography requires. This profound experience informs the photography workshops I teach today.
WHAT’S IN A WORKSHOP?
A photography workshop should be about you and how photography fits into your life. A workshop is where you work, you share, and you rise to new challenges. A teacher is there as a guide, a coach. I think the ideal photography workshop is hands-on, where you are learning by doing. A workshop turns the technical into the practical. You can read and learn only so much from a book; a workshop gives you the experience and practice to become familiar with the technical tools and improve your visual skills. Yes, there should be lectures, discussions, and theories, but more importantly, photography should be experiential. You should photograph and photograph and photograph – wherever you are, be it in a studio or in the field.
For example, since I work mainly in New Mexico, my classrooms are the southwest’s canyons, mesas, riversides, and villages. Participants are up and out every day and in all conditions to capture the light, color, and texture that are a part of our enchanted land; they are learning and experiencing the history, character and beauty of New Mexico while they photograph. It’s not only hands-on photography, it’s hands-on New Mexico. My workshops are typically field workshops, not studio workshops. That should be one criteria to keep in mind when choosing a workshop, are you interested in rambling around the countryside or working inside a studio or classroom?
There are a lot of workshops out there. There isn’t always a quick and easy way to figure out which one is best for you – experience is the best teacher and research the best advisor. Study the information available, be it a brochure or webpage (and remember both contain main points more than details). Read the FAQ’s and students’ comments. And telephone or email in with questions. I’m surprised more people don’t call us and ask questions. That’s when you make the first personal contact and test the waters, with your questions and requests for additional information.
WHERE & WHAT
The main things I want people to consider are where they want to be and what they want to learn. Do you want to be indoors or outdoors or both? Are you interested in a particular region, such as the West or East? desert or city? If you’re interested in studio lighting or portraiture, you’ll probably be working in a studio and frankly, you can do that almost anywhere. But if you want to be in a specific geographical location and photograph particular subjects (the ocean, cactus, redwood trees, cowboys, etc.), you need to find a workshop in a location where that subject can be found. And the instructor must be familiar with that area. The instructor must know the best light, the best locations, how to get to places (and get out of places!) and should teach you what photographing in that area really means. I’ve been photographing New Mexico for over 20 years now – it’s my home, where my best work is done. I am fine photographing somewhere else, the East Coast or up north – but I’m in my element here. And a workshop instructor should be in their element for committed teaching.
You should be pretty clear about your own skills and about what you want to learn. I remember one workshop I led that people loved but a gentleman wrote in his review afterwards: “I really wanted to photograph bugs. There were no insects or time to focus on this specific type of macro photography.” The workshop was advertised as an opportunity to photograph western nature and landscape, but this comment was pretty specific. So be clear in your own mind on what you, as a participant, WILL learn or do in a workshop versus what you WANT to learn or do. The two may not be the same. A workshop advertising nature photography may be too general. Wildlife photography is a specialty, as is portraiture. When you read about a workshop, you should be given enough specifics to know where you’ll be, the subject matter available, and the times you’ll be photographing (some people do only evening work).
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Chimney Rock & Red Hills, Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM 2001 © Craig Varjabedian |
My workshops have themes more than subjects, because it allows for a specific mood while allowing for more photographic opportunities. For example, our Ghost Ranch workshop finds those sites and subjects that the painter Georgia O’Keeffe painted – shadowed cliffs, twisted juniper branches and seductive red hills – yet we may spend some time photographing the passing cowboy or an approaching storm. While our photographs become enriched by walking and photographing the landscape the great painter made her own, we leave open the chance of photographing serendipitous moments that no one can plan for.
BE OPEN & PREPARED
Remember to be open. As one of my workshop participants has said, “I’m one of those shoppers that doesn’t always know what I want but I know it when I see it.” Let go of some of your expectations in order to open up to new possibilities and experiences.
And be prepared. Ask what you need to know before you join the workshop. Be very clear what equipment you must bring and what is expected of you: hiking? driving? listening to lectures? learning how to share your work? learning from the work of others?
What about the number of participants? How many will there be? What will be the ratio of students to the instructor? What will the various skill levels be? If you think you only want to be with other beginners, you might want to focus on that type of workshop. And if you’ve been photographing for years, you may want to be with similar folks.
Be clear about your comfort level, not only with other participants but with the workshop location and housing. Some questions to ask yourself: do you want to find your own housing and meals, do you want the workshop to provide these; do you want to stay by yourself or with the group? Will you be traveling during the workshop, will you need a car, what weather changes might you expect?
If you want a vacation and photography workshop together, you need to be clear what that decision might entail. Take into consideration what workshops are open to children, if you are looking for a family event. We do get couples or friends, and other combinations (father & teenage daughter, mother & college son, etc.) who all participate together. Some workshops are open to non-participating companions or spouses, but some are not. Be sure to see if the workshop has a specific policy.
I find participants do better when they stay together and commit as a group to the workshop. They help and support each other, encourage and challenge each other. Staying together focuses the group on why they are there – to become better photographers. Participants in my workshops need to stay for the duration of the workshop too; arriving a day late or leaving a day early means they are missing out.
THE INSTRUCTOR
A final and important factor in a workshop is the instructor or instructors. You should know how much time the instructor will spend with you and what the instructor’s background is. Do you want to work with a fine art instructor, a commercial photographer, or a landscape photographer? Is the instructor familiar with the area in which you’re going to be photographing?
A lot of workshops have but one instructor who will work with you the entire time. Other workshops have several guest instructors who may be there for only a brief time or may be there during the entire event. These instructors may be well known photographers who have just finished a big project or are in the middle of one and may have time for only a brief session with the workshop participants. Make sure you understand how much time is available with the instructor.
Some instructors may have a large portfolio of work, and teach rarely. Others may commit more of their time and energy to teaching, and as a result, have a smaller portfolio. You can’t necessarily tell good teachers by their own work (though I’d avoid any photography teacher who takes poor photographs); some brilliant photographers may not be very good teachers; and on the other hand, some wonderful and insightful teachers may rarely have time for making their own photographs.
A teacher should be actively involved his or her own field, in making photographs, writing about photography, doing something to stay current in the profession. And a teacher should be immersed in the teaching process and experience when the workshop is in session, focusing on the participants and their needs. Good teachers are passing on information from their own photography life experiences, not only teaching technique or how to use equipment. They must be committed to photography, the workshop, to the individual, and to teaching.
I remember an important learning experience I had was when I was in physical therapy after a leg injury some years back. I had a trainer, a coach really, who worked with me every day. He explained simply and clearly what the process would be like. He buoyed me up when I wasn’t in the mood to be there and he helped me measure my progress. My coach encouraged me to reach just beyond my ability to keep me challenged (yet safe). This is an ideal teacher to me, and these characteristics are what I would expect in a workshop leader.
COMMITMENT, INSPIRATION & PASSION
The workshop leader is an important factor, but not the only factor in making a successful workshop. You need a blend of leadership, participants, lessons learned, time, patience, and some luck.
Participants in my workshops range from novice to experienced. Because my staff and I work one on one, we’re flexible in assisting a variety of needs – novices don’t feel overwhelmed and experienced photographers don’t feel slowed down. We’re prepared for our participants because we know about them; we send out a detailed profile for participants to fill out so instructors will have a greater sense of who you are and what your skills and needs might be.
I expect students to work and discuss their photographic lives together. If two heads are better than one, imagine what several heads can come up with in sharing techniques and experiences. Participants in my workshops stay in the same residence or hotel. I want students to fully engage with photography, from loading film (or downloading memory cards) to cleaning lenses after a long day in the field. There is a lot to learn through sharing.
I can explain and teach the technical aspects, but what I enjoy the most is helping people to experience and enjoy different ways of making photographs. One workshop participant favored “shooting from the hip” – making a photograph spontaneously without looking through the finder the moment the image or vision appeared. This technique calls for a certain skill that must be developed, and we work on many important skills in our workshops. I favor a slower process myself and many participants learn the wonderful slower New Mexican pace as a result. We range around and explore a site seeking images; we wait for the light that illuminates or creates perfect shadows; we shoo away dogs, gophers, cats (and more) out of the image; and then, sometimes, just as we’re ready, we’re rewarded: a hawk flies over, a cloud formation appears, a streak of light breaks through the clouds, a miraculous sunset completes the day. As we form a photograph in the camera viewfinder, we form a relationship with our environment too.
After 20+ years of teaching photography workshops, I have found what truly works (and doesn’t work). Commitment, inspiration, and passion – combining in the opportunity to experience and share the extraordinary with other photographers – make for incredible workshop experiences. To me, a workshop participant is there to learn new skills in order to achieve better photographs and more insightful expression. The point of a workshop is to help people focus on their own unique visions, while teaching them skills and knowledge that will further their photography, not just for the week they are with me, but for an entire lifetime.
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Wandering Horse, Sunrise, The Bell Ranch, NM 2006 © Craig Varjabedian |
ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS
Being a photographer and a teacher, like many things in life, requires striking a balance between passions. I have a powerfully compelling and sometimes overwhelming need to make photographs as a way to understand the world and I love sharing what I have learned behind the camera through the process of teaching.
In December of 2007 I stepped down as executive director of the New Mexico Photography Field School. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make and I did a lot of soul searching before I made up my mind. My own photographic work was calling to me loudly and running the Field School well was more than a full-time job. A choice was made by the remaining partners to close the school.
I believe it is important to live a life of giving and of gratitude. I am grateful to all the participants at the Field School who became our friends over the last 20 plus years. I thank you for putting your faith and trust in us, for sharing your best and for your support. We could not have enjoyed the success we had without you.
I am pleased to announce that I will continue to teach workshops on a limited basis at the newly formed Eloquent Light Photography Workshops (www.EloquentLight.com) in Santa Fe. The flame that began one dawn morning in a photography workshop in Yosemite Valley many years ago, continues to illuminate and inform my teaching and the workshops I will be offering at Eloquent Light. I believe in photography and the possibility it has to share something of the human spirit. I invite you to join us for a photography workshop that just might change your life.
Fine-art photographer Craig Varjabedian is widely acclaimed for his images that embrace the people and places of the American West. While Craig’s photographic career has spanned over thirty-five years and encompasses a deep grasp of the technical aspects of the photographic process, his gift is his intuitive ability to make authentic and compelling images full of light and life. An author and photographer of six books, Varjabedian received his Master’s degree in Photography from the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology and was formerly the director of the well-known New Mexico Photography Field School. Craig now offers hands-on photography workshops at the Eloquent Light Photography Workshops in Santa Fe. His most recent book is the award-winning Four & Twenty Photographs: Stories from Behind the Lens, a collection of his best-known photographs and the stories behind them.
See Craig’s photographs at www.CraigVarjabedian.com
Explore exceptional workshops at www.EloquentLight.com
View selections from Craig’s new book at www.FourAndTwentyBook.com
Let us know if you found this article useful, and tell us what kinds of articles you'd like to see in upcoming issues. Send your comments and ideas to Lynne Eodice.
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© Copyright 2008 by PHOTOWORKSHOP.COM
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Last Updated: Jul 1st, 2008 - 15:48:44
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Waiting for the Light: Additional Articles
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