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| © Cig Harvey |
| A self-portrait by Maine Media Workshops mentor Cig Harvey. |
Over the past five years, photography has seen a bewildering number of technological advancements (see State of the Art, page 33) and an astonishing rise in the number of workshops offering guidance to devoted enthusiasts. These two developments are not unrelated. The sophistication (and often complexity) of modern photography has created an unquenched thirst for knowledge of the digital arts, from shooting to postproduction and printing. (Conversely, there are also plenty of workshops dedicated to those photographers who are enthralled by "antiquated" processes and technologies, including film.) But the demand for technical training doesn't fully explain why workshops have become so popular and plentiful. Many also offer the chance for travel (if not adventure). Others can be a source for valuable career mentoring. The very best ones offer both students and teachers the chance to dwell, for a few days at least, in a place where inspiration flows in all directions. On these pages you'll find a dozen workshops that fulfill all those goals. Our choices reflect a range of prices and locations, as well as photographic specialties from commercial and fine-art photography to photojournalism. You'll also find exclusive master classes with three different and remarkable workshop mentors. So get ready to learn.
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
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| © Keith Carter |
| The Eiffel Tower, by Santa Fe Workshops instructor Keith Carter. |
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops is more than just a place to learn; it is a full-fledged community. Instructors from all walks of photography, students from around the globe, and some of the best full-time staff in the business come here to learn from each other, exchange industry news, and indulge a mutual love of the medium, all with the stunning and dramatic beauty of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop.
As the meeting place of the photographic world, Santa Fe has a workshop for every approach, interest, and skill level. A small sampling: Students can find out what it means to create visual poetry with Keith Carter (June 22-28); refine the use of figure-ground relationships in their photographs with Jay Maisel (July 20-26); get an introduction to creating volume using studio lighting with Bobbi Lane (July 27-August 2); or comb the nitty-gritty of advanced Photoshop for photographers with Joshua Withers (June 29-July 5).
Participants can also experience the quality and flavor of a Santa Fe workshop offsite. Just one of the many destination-oriented offerings available through the workshops, for example, is Raul Touzon's Dance of the Gods: Oaxaca, Mexico (July 19-26), which gives students access to traditional dancers at the Guelaguetza celebration in the village of San Antonio. -- Mary Goodwin
At A Glance: Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
• Instructors: So many the website includes an index search by last name
• Where: Santa Fe, New Mexico; destination tours
• Why: Like Rick's Café, everyone comes to Santa Fe
• How Much: Most Santa Fe workshops around $900; tours vary widely depending on destination
• Contact: santafeworkshops.com
Mentor Closeup: David Alan Harvey
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| © David Alan Harvey |
| The Loft Workshop instructor David Alan Harvey shot this Ibiza club scene in 1995. |
David Alan Harvey, longtime member of the Magnum Photo Agency and frequent contributor to National Geographic magazine, has recently added another job listing to his résumé. "Magnum named me its Minister of Education," he says, chuckling. "As they say, no good deed goes unpunished."
Though it's not a formal title, the new moniker recognizes the enthusiastic following that Harvey has developed as a mentor for young photographers. Harvey has been teaching at workshops around the country for many years, and in 2006 he launched his own, which he held in his loft apartment in a magnificently run-down building in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The building, home to a number of photographers (including Paolo Pellegrin, Stanley Greene, and Robert Clark), came to be known within the photo world as "the kibbutz." It proved to be an intriguing backdrop for Harvey's particular talents as a teacher.
"The idea for the workshop came out of the blog I was starting to do about that time," he says. Harvey's blog, called Road Trips (go to davidalanharvey.com), has become one of the most enthusiastically read photo forums on the Web. More than a diary, the blog is an ongoing conversation that Harvey conducts with a wide audience of young photographers around the world.
Harvey discusses specific techniques and broad philosophical issues on the blog, sometimes simply waxing poetic about his own images. ("i hear a sad song . . . i do not understand the words, but i can 'feel' it is sad . . . i wander São Paulo, with not a clue where i am, but i am told i am now in the heart of Samba.") He also challenges his audience with photo assignments, while moderating and directing the comments and responses he receives to his posts. "If you want to know what my workshops are like, just read the blog," he says.
Harvey limits his workshop, which will be held for the third time this October, to ten students, whom he selects after reviewing their portfolios. He sends them on assignments throughout the city, and, at the end of the week, holds a high-pressure slide show in which they present their final projects to the likes of James Nachtwey and Eugene Richards. Throughout the week Harvey also brings people from the New York journalism, art, and publishing worlds to his loft to meet his students.
"About 75 percent of the students are interested in photojournalism, but we also have people who consider themselves fine-art photographers," he says. "We get mid-career people and people just starting out."
When Magnum saw how popular Harvey was becoming, the agency enlisted him to launch a series of Magnum workshops.
The first, held last January in Oslo, Norway, attracted more than 100 students. Another one is planned for this fall in New York. (Visit magnumphotos.com for information.)
Through his blog, Harvey has also launched what he calls the Emerging Photographers Fund, a grant of $20,000 that will go to help one photographer each year fund an ongoing project. (Visit davidalan harvey.com.) Earlier this year, Harvey and the other residents of the kibbutz were evicted due to building-code problems. He hopes to be back in his loft by October but has made alternative arrangements for the workshop, just in case. -- David Schonauer
At A Glance: David Alan Harvey
• Workshop: The Loft Workshop
• Where: Brooklyn, New York
• Why: This renowned photographer has become one of the country's most sought-after teachers and Magnum's "Minister of Education"
• How Much: $2,000 for seven days
• Contact: davidalanharvey.com
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