I'm often thinking of what I can offer workshop attendees which would make their learning experience more rewarding. For a while, now, it has occurred to me that during whole and, particularly, half-day workshops where a specific technique is being learnt (long exposure, for example), with such limited time, it can be hard for some to truly understand when and how to implement it. As a tutor, you are forever mindful that for every minute you take in explaining something this will ultimately eat into their photography time. It is always a balance and one which I am forever conscious of.
Also, for some, certain locations can be quite overwhelming and there is always the understandable pressure that we, as photographers, put upon ourselves to produce something worthy. It's only natural. After all, you've parted with your hard-earned and you want to return home with some images you are proud of. And so, to address this, when I recently added a new half-day workshop - Denge Sound Mirrors - which lend themselves wonderfully to the long exposure and black and white treatment, I decided to add a "Pre-workshop 'ideas' and editing tutorial". Prior to the day, attendees will receive a recording where I give my thoughts and suggestions on photographing the Sound Mirrors and, through using Lightroom, illustrate a number of post-processing techniques that, I hope, will help them in their own interpretations. My aim, is that come the day their head will already be full of ideas, and although I will briefly reiterate what has previously been suggested in the recording, for the main, it's already there and understood. Of course, I'll be flitting from one person to the next checking to see how they're getting on and going over compositional ideas and techniques but I sincerely hope that the recording would have already gone some way into expanding their imagination and giving them a firm head start to the day.
