Tours/Workshops/Whatever they are called

[Paddy]

Sorry i should have re-worded and explained better.

I will try again

1. ...A vacation for example may cost you say $1000, and you drive yourself around getting lost and basically wasting your time though enjoying yourself but not getting the best/most pics.

2. ...A photographic workshop with a qualified instructor/ photographer with you all the time taking you to all the known photographic sites and hopefully ( being as you have paid for it ) if required giving you instruction--say for example $3000.

3. ...A photographic tour where you are taken to the same photographic sites as above ( maybe more ) by a local guide but no instruction --say for example $2000

Now which would you prefer, i think No1 is a no no even though rather exciting but not good for getting to the photographic sites.

No2 Is it for those who think they still need to learn photographic skills? But as you can see by my example with the instructor you have to pay extra for their instruction.

No3 is basically the same as No2 but with significantly reduced cost and no instruction.

Now gentlemen which would you prefer? for those who havent and have been on these, I think we have all done No1.

[Paddy]

Ed.

On your point, do you have to travel thousands of miles to stay at one place to get Fine Art pics?

I wouldnt dare comment as i am not qualified but to me that seems slightly strange, could you explain?

[Ole Tjugen]

... Now gentlemen which would you prefer? for those who havent and have been on these, I think we have all done No1.

I find the whole concept of "photographic sites" difficult to comprehend. Do you really mean that great pictures can only be made at specific locations?? And that most photographers need guides to find such places?

[Paddy]

No Ole i dont mean that far from it.

All i am basically doing is trying to find out whether you/people who go on these Tours or whatever they are called would really want to pay a lot extra per person to be taken around with a Photographic Expert/Tutor or would rather have a local guide take them around to exactly the same places and maybe more for far less money and maybe have extra's included in the lower cost.

I am sounding you out for one of my ideas thats all, i didnt mean to complecate things.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

"To Tour or Not To Tour - that is the question!" - I think.

If the "tour" was with a photographer whose work I really respected and was structured as a small group of photographers with enough one on one interaction between myself and the leader, then I might consider it.

Also, taking a tour to a far off "exotic" location might not be a bad idea as it may allow you to be productive more quickly, but you might be restricted to only the areas where the tour goes which I would find kind of boring.

However, I would probably lean actually towards number 1 on your list as this is what I will often do ( without the getting lost part - which is fun however). I do prepare for the trip by doing some research on the areas that I am interested in, contact other people who might of been there, see if guides exist, etc.

For me, the best photographs are made in areas not in the guide books but the guides can at least get me in a general area and would be valuable as an information resource.

For the most part, I prefer to go it alone or with another "photo buddy" as I come and go into areas as I please and can take as much time as I want.

I think that answers your question.

Thanks for the post.

[Paddy]

Thankyou Eric, i do actually agree with you on your later points because one of the things i was trying to get across in my clumsy way is that you need a " Local " person to find you those hidden away "sites " ( sorry Ole ) meaning those places where you think it would make a good photograph which you would never find unless you had local knowlage or instructions before hand.

[DavidFisk]

If spending the day with a tutor/mentor/guru, I'd hate to waste it photographing. I'd much rather spend the day drinking coffee early/red wine late, talking and looking at prints...

And my most productive photo tours lately have been through my own backyard...

I think I'm setting a bad example...

Acutally, I think Mark has a really good insight here. If I were to pay a kilodollar or more (the going rate these days), I think I would rather have the instructor to myself to pick his brains thoroughly about how he addresses a subject, how he feels about a scene, and especially in light of the foregoing, what specific techniques he would use to create the image. Having a mentor devoted to you exclusively for a couple of days or so seems a lot more beneficial than dealing with a workshop leader for a week who has to split his/her time among a dozen or so particpants.

Eschew the digital.
Embrace the Dark Slide.

The photo curmudgeon has spoken.

[Paddy]

So your money is better spent on instruction IF you need to learn--Totally agree David.

Would you go on a paid guided tour with a local guide or would ramble along on your own or with a mate??

[DavidFisk]

So your money is better spent on instruction IF you need to learn--Totally agree David.

Would you go on a paid guided tour with a local guide or would ramble along on your own or with a mate??

If I had a choice and the money, then I would cough up for a couple of days with a local pro, spending at least 2 months ahead of time thinking of all the questions I could possibly ask. If he had the misfortune to publish a book that I had obtained, then I would also spend the down time, e.g. mid day, going over his work and querrying him intensely about each image that caught my fancy.

The basic idea here is that you would be paying for his time, so make each minute count. If all I came away with is 10 images over 2 days but a wealth of insight as to that photographer's thinking, that would be a good deal. And you don't always get this from reading what he has published.

Note, this is NOT to say that I would follow or agree with all I heard. But it is beneficial to know where each instructor is coming from, even if you don't always totally agree. You can always learn something this way that you otherwise wouldn't in a workshop setting.

[brian reed]

Hi Paddy,

I have done all 3 of your examples. I would favor example 2 if I have some excess cash. There are many Pros who offer individual instruction, whether for 1 day, or a week. the problem with your 3rd example, and I have been on many photo tours is you are bound by the schedule, trying to get to as many places as they can fit in, and there could be anywhere from 8 people and up, which means not a lot of one on one time, and people wandering out in your compositions, or as soon as you find something to photograph its time to leave. The last few years I've done your 1st example, which is fine if you know a location or have some good guide books or tips on places to go. Which I have found this forum to be very helpfull.
If you go the tour route choose wisely, there are some good photo tour companies and then I've heard horror stories on others.

good luck BR


www.brianreedphotography.com