Photography Workshops
In one way or another, many workshops and training sessions tend to take on a personality.
We believe that the hosts or the instructors drive that for the most part and managed properly, it allows the participants to relax and be themselves. Even with a group of strangers.
How do we drive that? It’s a simple one word answer. PASSION. We are very passionate about sharing the art and technique of picture making. We look for the artist in each individual and nurture it through out the workshop, building confidence and know how. We know every one learns differently and we’ll work with you at your own speed to help drive the points home and establish good continual habits as you grow and learn.
Tony and Keith firmly believe that the learning environment is critical to the improvement of skills and growth. That learning is always easier when it’s fun. So while the topic may be a technical one and a requirement for moving on, they will present it in a stress free package and through an enjoyable style that keeps the fun in the session. Regardless of your pace, and your past experience, the design of the workshops are to ensure you have growth in your photographic ability, memory cards filled with images, and lasting friendships forged in fun and positive shared experiences.
Colorado in the Fall 2024
Sept 29th - October 4th
Click on the photo above for more info...
Be one of the lucky 10 to enjoy the fantastic golden yellow Aspens in Western Colorado with Tony and Keith. 5 amazing days in the splendor of the mountains and the beautiful colors. Price includes all things in photographic instruction, scouting, and single occupancy lodging in a top-tier downtown Durango hotel.
Most people would tell you that there is no place like Colorado in the fall. Mountains, valleys, lakes, and stream beds combined with the bluest skies can make for amazing images. Believe it or not, many good photographers decide to desaturate their images of aspen trees because they are far too brilliant. From our home base of Durango Colorado we will move up and down the "million dollar" highway to locations that will bolster your image portfolio.
Spend 5 days with us and see a wonderful cross-section of what the Ouray area has to offer. Ouray Colorado is nestled in a valley in the western 3rd of the state. If you head north out of Durango and head through Silverton, you’ll eventually arrive in Ouray. Tall peaks, mining ruins, and ski resorts are only a few of the attractions in this part of the state. When you add the burning golden yellows of the Aspen trees, the color contrast with the blue sky, and the beauty of the countryside, you have the making for many fantastic photographic opportunities.
Here are some of the highlights of where we will plan on visiting:
- Owl Creek area – open meadows leading to high palisades surrounded by Aspens
- Mt Sneffels – 14,000 foot mountain where we can shoot from both the north and west faces. Includes the Dallas Divide
- Silverton Railroad – a narrow gauge steam train that runs from Durango
- Crystal Lake – when it is placid, this becomes a quarter mile mirror that reflects the surrounding mountain color
- Visit and walk through abandoned houses and mine structures
- Take in the beautiful downtown Durango "old west" town.
We offer a boutique style workshop for any photographer looking to enhance their ability and their portfolio. The workshop is all about learning, with two instructor hosts and a cap on the group at 10 participants. You will be sure to find this event extremely enjoyable as well as educational. The goal of this workshop is not only to get you into a more comfortable level of photography but to make sure you are in the right place, at the right time, to capture whatever variable nature presents you with that day. This photography workshop is about quality more so than quantity. This workshop is also about composition. You will learn to sharpen your ability to define the subject, isolate it, and best communicate it to your viewer. About 40% of host time is spent in one-on-one instruction.
What's Included?
The fee covers the workshop itself :
Scouting, instruction, shot selections, composition enlightening, teaching, sharing, and an enjoyable learning environment. It also covers single-occupancy lodging. The location will be shared in your welcome package.
It does not cover meals, air or ground transportation to the workshop, or ground transportation during the workshop. We have been successful in teaming up participants who ask about sharing a rental car from the airport(s) to the workshop and for the duration of ground transportation in the area.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Anyone who is comfortable outdoors and doesn’t mind getting a little dirty or a touch of mist, or mind occasional short walks. If you love the community of photography and can talk or engage in photography for 5 + days. This is for you! The physical ability necessary is moderate due to altitude. The majority of our time is spent around 7500 feet with visits up to 11,000 feet. Most of our locations allow us to drive up to a place that is only a 5 minute walk from where we’ll shoot.
This workshop is designed to accommodate all levels of photographic experience. Looking back, total novices to full-time professionals have taken and enjoyed our workshops. It is important, however, that participants are familiar with their equipment and its operation. Bring your manual anyway. One of your hosts used to own a camera store and is very familiar with many cameras however recent changes in technology have added a new layer of unfamiliarity with certain brands. This workshop will emphasize practical applications and techniques for all cameras. We’ll spend a great deal of time on composition and layout. We will also discuss HDR, Panos, and hints for post-production. After registration, e-mails will be sent out providing many details, and information about equipment recommendations.
However, for more information ahead of time please feel free to contact us.
Event Information
| Event Date | Sep-29-2024 |
| Event End Date | Oct-04-2024 |
| Capacity | 10 |
| Individual Price | $3,850.00 |
| Location | Western Colorado |
Refund & Deposit Policy
The "hold my spot" deposit allows us to publish a workshop before all our final preparations have been determined. Usually, the cost of lodging is the biggest variable. We feel it is important for the lodging to be included because we know we can guarantee a better rate and because keeping the whole crew at the same hotel builds continuity and comrade. ~ Until we have the exact pricing we'll do this deposit to allow folks to register a lot sooner and get this in their planner. When we do have the exact pricing, we switch to a half-pay or full-pay option and apply the deposit toward that payment.
A full refund is allowed for up to 120 days before the workshop begins. Inside that time if you find a person to fill your spot, or if there is a waiting list and the spot is filled you will also qualify for a full refund regardless of when the spot is filled. Up to 90 Days you will receive a 75% refund, Up to 60 days you will receive a 50%, and up to 30 days you will receive a 25% refund. There is no refund within 30 days, except as mentioned above.
Workshop Reviews
One plus One Equals Three
One plus One Equals Three
Tony and Keith have taught groups as large as 50-100 people for organizations as large as Out of Chicago, or The Florida Camera Club Counsel but their real love is in smaller boutique groups of 10-12. Jointly, they have an overall combined photography experience of over 60 years and together over 20 years of teaching experience in such places as the East Coast and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the farmlands of eastern Iowa and Wisconsin, numerous venues in Illinois, around the Great Lakes, the ruins of North Dakota, Cowboy and Badlands photography in South Dakota, the coasts of Oregon and California, Southwest Colorado, and the area around Moab.
Keith’s style leans more on the practical and technical side since he owned a camera store and is a full-time commercial photographer. Tony’s forte is in acting as the field dog, once on site. He loves pointing out compositions, big or small, that the average person misses.
Each in their own way are fabulous and gifted instructors. Together, they bring different strengths, many years of teaching experience, and a true love of photography to anyone who signs up for the workshops.
Meet Instructor Tony Reynes
Meet Instructor Tony Reynes
As a kid, Tony built model ships and planes, was into ham radio and erector sets. He has always loved creating stuff with lots of parts. Therefore, it is easy to see how the digital darkroom was a natural for him. A second love was the outdoors, whether it was sailing, hiking or skiing. Tony’s affinity for landscape comes as no surprise. Lastly, he has spent the major part of his business career either consulting in business or counseling people on their careers. He has probably spent over 40 years helping and teaching others. When you add these three avocations together, you find a very good teaching photographer.
He has been really serious about photography for over 20 years. In 2006 he started a small side venture to sell his images and teach Photoshop. Shortly after the Great Recession, he sold his national search company and became a full-time photographer. Currently he wears two hats. The first is for the commercial side where he works with a global real estate investment organization, covering their conferences as well as producing landscape and architectural imaging. The second is teaching photographic composition and post production through presentations, workshops and one-on-one tutoring. In 2019, he moved from Chicago to the Northern California area. His new neighborhood images may reflect fewer corn fields and more vineyards. His teaching philosophy continues to be: “if we are not having fun as you learn, we are wasting time”.
Meet Instructor Keith French
Meet Instructor Keith French
Keith is currently a Commercial Photographer in the Greater Chicago Area specializing in visual communication for marking and advertising.
Many novices and amateur photographers begin their love affair with photography in nature. Keith was no different. After completing military flight school he realized he will be going to some interesting places and should probably learn to use a good camera. A few years after learning how to operate his camera Keith took a tour of the Smokey Mountains in the early spring, the camera opportunities were abundant in all directions. He was hooked. Not yet a full time photographer, Keith carried his cameras everywhere while on active military duty, Asia, Europe, Australia, both US Coasts, the desert southwest, and Canada. At the same time, Keith was getting requests to photograph people, products, and events, and saw each new opportunity to branch out into other aspects of photography. After 18 years of self-teaching, and mentoring under professional photographers, Keith became the owner of an existing retail camera store and photo studio in 2002 and used that opportunity to accelerate his now professional career in studio photography. It wasn't long before camera classes were being held at the store to share the passion on a regular basis. Comfortable in front of a class from his military days Keith has had hundreds of customers take his beginning photography class. An experienced outdoors-men and land navigator trained by the Marine Corps, and an experienced teaching photographer make the transition to this type of outdoor, moving classroom a natural progression.
©
2024
Keith French Photography