How Not To Run A Photography Workshop or Tour?
When I started Photography Tours At Night in 2011, we were the first company online in Europe that focused on “night photography tours”. We compared to no company. We had little competition and we set a new tone in photography workshops by offering information on and hands-on help in using manual mode while on location.
When we started, I had stumbled on to something that was new online. But today, on the other hand, most of the photography industry offer workshops as a way to top up their incomes and with manufacturers, photographers and photography stores/shops all trying to attract new bookings for their seasonal workshops making the competition high.
But problems are starting to show as we now have master classes not being lead by masters. We have photography tutors putting lifes in danger while on location and we even have basic problems like tutors not having the ability communicate effectively.
So I thought it best to offer my top tips for “How not to run a photography workshop or tour” in order to help new tutors be successful in their trade.
TIP 1, Don’t claim to have a MasterClass if your tutor is not a master.
To date, I have toured with 1000s of participants, I have a 5 star rating on most review sites, receive around 500+ bookings a year, I have personally trained other tutors and I also have led workshops both nationally and internationally; leading tours of 4 to 16 people biweekly, 48 weeks each year for over 10 years.
But, I am not a master or anywhere close. Yes, I have covered the 10k hours in teaching but a master in photography is not about the hours of experience you have. Masters have earned the title of master by their peers, they have their work published in the best photography magazines, displayed in the best galleries and have spent a lifetime mastering their craft.
Just picking up a camera and being a good photographer or teacher doesn’t cut it when you claim to be a master. But today’s photography tutors or workshops providers all want to sell more tickets so they use words that place them above the rest without understand it’s ruining the trade and really is a scam becuase the photographers are unknown in photography.
I’m sorry but winning one competition, becoming the ambassador of a brand or having been published in a few magazines does not make you a master so just don’t pretend to be one. You don’t have to be the best photographer in the world to teach but you do have to have amazing googleable credentials to become a master so if you are going to use the word “master” just please make sure that Search engines also confirm that you are one.
Tip 2. Don't Copy other workshops
I get that you might join a photography tour/workshop and leave the workshop thinking that you can run your own. Facts are, you might be good at teaching.
But, before you consider copying the tutors class notes or using the photography taken during another workshop to show how great your class will be. Before you consider copying their website information/terms and conditions or consider using all of the locations on their route. Consider copyright laws. It’s not cool to pass off another company as your own; at worst, you might find yourself being sued for all of the money you made and more.
Try to find something that you can offer that is different. I’m not saying to not run a landscape photography class because other photographer uses that area. But, I am saying its best to not copy the person who you know uses the area.
Be original and create your own route from places you have found or if you have to use the same location, be creative and try to add your twist on a location that marks the photo as your own style.
Remember photographers come to learn from you and if you’re copying someone else, it’s not worth your participants time because it’s highly likely that your participants have already visited all of the tutors in the area and they are coming to you for a new experience.
Believe it or not but copying others is actually killing the experience that each teacher offers as it becomes “ten a penny”, which in turn, kills the trade as people become bored with taking repetitive photography workshops.
Tip 4. Health and Safety
I became a self proclaimed teacher like so many today. But unlike many today, I did not become a jack of all trades and I hired a team of other travel experts to help me deliver the experiences; tour guides, mountain leaders, drivers and other photography tutors. Each person has their skill set and are insured to assist me. I limit my overall duty leading the group by hiring who all have their own professional skills.
I cannot guide a group up a mountain and it’s nothing to do with bravery. I cannot lead a group up the mountain because as I am not a mountain leader; which comes with a professional qualification.
But, I have also seen some things in my time that I simply couldn’t believe; like the time I watched a group of photographers running away from the wave while at a beach, But one of the members of the group had an open camera bag that was on the ground and it was dragged into the sea with the same wave that they were running from.
It wouldn’t have been so bad but for the fact that we were on the black beach in Iceland and this is a non-swimming beach because the strong current, but on this location you cannot even get close to the shoreline because the combination of the powerful sea and the black pebbles on the beach can create a non-way out a situation and can carry a human to their death if they stand too close. Losing a members kit was better than losing a soul, but I couldn't believe the tutor took the risk of setting up in the place they had selected.
The group in Iceland should not have been so close to the shoreline, the bag should have been on the group member’s back at all times amd the group clearly had not been informed of the risks because they looked shocked at what had happened; but the risks should have be stated before they even got on to the beach, and it’s also best to talk about what lenses to use while you are in the minibus because changing lenses with sand and wind on a beach can be technical.
Sorry if I sound like I am being hard on the tutor but leading tours carry risks, there are rules and you don’t want to be the group who needs rescuing from a mountain range because you decided to be a mountain leader when you was not qualified to be one and if you are planning a tour that goes 30mins away from the nearest road, you will need to hire a professional flatland or hill & moorland guides to assist you.
While if your not going off the beaten path but taking tour via minibus to explore. You will need insurance to have participants in your vehicle.
While an important part of touring is also knowing when to stop and cancel. If it’s raining bad or wind turns hazardous. You have to consider using your cancellation policy if the tour hasn’t started and it’s a short workshop, or if you have started, considered having a plan B or cancel that hour and return to base during the tour.
Tip 5. Check the Weather
You can be the photographer tutor who states “we tour in any weather”. But don’t be that photographer tutor.
Always check the weather and keep checking it to make adjustments if necessary because weather can be unpredictable and the photography taken during your workshop will show yours level of skill as a tutor. Light flare from rain looks horrible. Wind moved tripods and mist can lead to low visibility.
While other risks also might present themselves on the day too because a simple nice sunny day can lead to sun burn or sun stoke. So consider health and safety side to the weather before the workshop and ensure you have emailed the group on the days leading up to the workshop to inform everyone of the conditions and offer solutions ie; to bring sun creams, umbrellas for shade, drinking water. While you as the tutor should also think about ways to keep the group in the shade as much as possible.
Rain also offer massive challenges. Sure, a little bit of rain is fine. But level 2 rain predicted to cover the whole frame time of your workshop means not only will the participants photography have a lot of light flare but also the participants won’t hear your presentation due to the noise level rain creates and while you might be putting cameras away in-between shooting, but you cannot ensure the participant’s camera or bag are waterproof or that the locations safe to use due to massive puddles or overflowing streams.
Work with the mountain leaders and guides to try and get the best photographer within the safety of the If you cannot stick to the plan and you know the overall photography and experience you stated you would deliver will be a failer, use your cancellation policy to cancel and delivery a great workshop next time. Travel photography in general is weather dependent and that is what makes it more special.
Tip 6. Don’t over-complicate the lesson
Communication is key in delivering a successful workshop and you will be expected of a presentation of some sort at the start of your workshop. But the one thing you should know before you plan your presentation is the lesson itself is not about what you know. Don’t be the tutor who participants can’t understand because you know so much about photography that you’re overloaded with jargon.
If you show a photo or tell a story, show it or tell it for a reason, and make sure it has a story behind it that relates to your lesson. Yes, saying that you have been published on a famous website is great as an intro, and telling them that you have a degree in photography does impress. But, using all of the keywords that you learnt during your degree is not very helpful to a person who is not familiar with any photography keywords.
Communication is the key to teaching. You have to be able to hold the listener’s attention and explain the key elements in a simple, yet effective way. I personally take photography out of photography because photography is overcomplicated; so I just started again with my own approach and made it easier to for my participants to digest.
Equally important to communication is trust. Yes, Trust. See the human mind needs to trust you in order to allow for you to teach. If you do not have trust with a participant and you make the participant feel “less than” or out of their depth. You lose them.
One of the things I do at the start of our workshop is I announce I am dyslexic and I state that I might get my words in my presentation wrong. I state I might say aperture when I mean shutter speed and I might say open when I mean closed. But, I tell them I will always correct myself.
But, let me break down why stating I am dyslexic helps with building trust. See, when we are on location and a participant forgets where the ISO button is, they feel like they have failed in remembering what I have said. But, I have dyslexia and I forget my own right hand; which has been attached to my body all of my life. Just stating this joke makes people feel better about forgetting the ISO and in turn, they feel open to ask me for help. Participants need to learn in a relaxed environment and that is why the first lesson of the evening is “the tutor makes mistakes”.
Tip 7. Don’t let your group crowd a location
A disorganised group means the photography will be messy as participants might have tripods or other participants in their frames.
London at times offers very little space on the pavements and the streets can become crowded. Battling for the best locations is not what members of your group pay for and also important is that you don’t battle for locations with other photography workshops or solo photographers/tourists.
Try not to rush when you do take a group to an iconic location and make sure you allow every member of your group to have their turn to stand in the correct place. This means if you are leading a group of 5 or 16 you never expect your group to battle with each other over who stands in the best spot at the prime location and who stands to the side and has unsymmetrical photo. Break the group down into two and allow everyone to get their turn.
Photographers like you to keep control. In the photo above, First I walked to the back of the group and told each all photographers pick a lane. I told them not to go forward. I walked up and down the line to check EVERY photographer’s screen before I said to go forward and I would tell them how far they can go. I might be controlling, but the participants like me that way as they get the photography they need.
Tip 8. Learn all makes and models of camera
This might sound extreme but if you want to teach photography in manual mode, you are going to need to know not only how to use your own camera but you will need to know how to use all of the camera on the market today because a photography groups range in experience level.
I have toured with participants who can change their ISO without looking at their cameras and I have toured with participants who tell me they just opened the box for the gifted camera that week and haven’t a clue how to use it. So you cannot expect your participants to know where their aperture, ShutterSpeed, iso or focal points are so it’s best for your class to know how to handle all makes and models.
Now, don’t let this put you off manual mode when teaching workshops. If you are new to teaching, just spend 20mins a day/week learning the spec and watch box openings on social media to understand each camera better. Many brands follow the same pattern so Nikons will normally always have the Iso option via two places while Canon normally have the iso button at the top.
Some cameras are difficult and I have recieved a awful review for googling a problem once; but who would have guessed that putting a camera on silent mode would stop the ShutterSpeed from going under 1”. But, it’s all part and parcel of teaching and I teach night photography so I have to have participants using manual mode.
But there is nothing like being in the Sahara desert with a question like “Can put my light on to change my ISO?” from a participant when everyone has just turned their lights off. The answer would be “No, I will come to assist” from me; because I know how to work their camera in the dark by feel and this in turn helps so that everyone can continue with the lesson without being disturbed by unwanted light.
I also have read other tutors say things like it’s not fair on the class for participants to not know their settings as it slows down the class but I think this is a cop out by the tutors becuase they have to offer something more than a location. Locations are free to visit, you have to ask yourself are you a tour guide, or tutor. If you’re a tutor. You have to know the equipment.
Tip 9. Don’t offer Package Holiday
There are some rules when creating a class that you might not know about but come with heavy fines and selling package holidays is one of them.
See, a package holiday has the element of a hotel, minibus and tour. If you are selling these three things together you need to have a licence and trust account to put the funds into in keeping with travel industry regulations in your country. Thereas a photography workshop or tour is simply the tour and minibus; which is fine and doesn’t need a licence; but as mentioned previously, you will need to get insurance if you drive and you may need a mountain, hills or moorlands guiding licence if you plan on visiting these locations without a qualified guide.
If you are asking people to join you for a workshop that includes hotel with the price, you are a package holiday and need to join a association. We offer participants the address of the hotel we are staying at while on tour and state our workshops start and end from this location but participants have the option to stay where they like and know the cost of stay /return to meeting points is not including in the cost of our workshop.
Tip 10. Ask & Answer Questions
After I have booked everyone in for the workshop. One of the first questions I ask is for a show of hands for who have never used manual mode, I also ask who has tried night photography in the cities and who has tried astrophotography and been successful. This allows me to instantly know the levels of photographers on tour that evening and know who will need the most help or who will have the most complexed questions.
Each person will expect some one to one time during the workshop and you might find it easier and more success to adjust during your one on one time in accordance to their needs. Not one shoe fits all so to speak and teaching takes a lot of patience. I have found the people who ask the most questions are the people who return to my workshops the most if I answer all of the questions so try not to dismiss the people who struggle as you are really there to help them.
Tip 11. Don’t destroy other peoples workshops.
From time to time I get people on my tour and I just can’t understand why they are so disruptive. Ei; cutting my presentation to tell me they do it in a different way or worst still, undermining me at every opportunity. However, this action is normally followed by them offering my participants a card to their business and my guests have been known to tell me that the person disrupting my tour is a teacher and everything starts to makes sense.
Yes, unfortunately other tutors might come to your workshop, they might leave you bad reviews and they might try to undermine you in front of your class. Stay calm, smile and show them why your tours are so amazing!
But If you are the tutor that is only visiting in order to try out the competition, please note that it’s rude, lacks decorum and is really stressful when leading a workshop and teachers start recording presentation after you tell them no recording because my words do have a creative copyright attached; but please know. it’s really annoying. Please, I beg, don’t be that person.
Tip 12. Be streetwise
This should be under health amd safely but this has to be written as a whole tip. See, I lead night time workshops in the city and this doesn’t come without risks.
During my 10 years of leading workshops I have been on tour and one bridge away during a terror attack, while on the other hand, one of our guides has been spit on and I have been assaulted; one time by person with mental health having a crisis and who didn’t mean to assault me but he just happened to poke me in my breast while saying that “that’s what a samurai person would do!”.
The ex police officer who happened to be on my workshop praised me with how I diffused the situation so that we could continue with our tour in safety.
But, believe it or not. How people behave in the street is also part of reason photographers don’t like to shoot alone as cameras attract attention and I have to manage the numerous people who attach themselves to the group.
I have also had the pleasure with numerous drunk people wanting to know why we are shooting did you change the River Thames and I have also had to watch out for pickpocket or unhappy store traders who will shout at your group for taking photos of their products because some creatives take photos of products to steal ideas.
This is where you as a tutor and leader of the group has to have a bit of adaptability towards being streetwise. Be streetwise, turn up early to walk the market to get permission before taking your group on location and also be prepared to tip people for photos too! But, If you are touring within cities, you do have to be cautious. Or, If your touring the country side, you do have to know if there is a risk with wild or farm animals.
And finally
Photography workshops are a great source of income to any photographer and they are thrilling way to work. If you do select to become a photography tutor, enjoy it and stay safe. It’s a great lifestyle if you do it well.
Please note; this post was edited in regards to an error on the page.
I am Katrina Frazer. I am a travel photography tutor, mother of two young adults and I have a passion for sharing information.
