It’s been my experience lately to hear feedback (a lot of negative feedback) about some photo tours and workshops offered by Australian photographers (and others but we’ll concentrate on Australia here). I thought I’d share a bit of that feedback and offer some suggestions for you to consider when choosing a photo tour or a workshop, and explain the difference between the two. I invite you to Like and/or Comment below if you find this of value after reading!
Let’s start with comparing photo TOURS vs photography WORKSHOPS. When you see ‘tour’ in the title, this would indicate like any other tour, there is a guide, there is someone in charge, there is someone who does the organising and the troubleshooting and the research, so you pay your fee and prepare to be taken to places to photograph, places to eat and places to sleep, without the added stress or problem-solving that comes with organising a trip on your own. It might be an unfamiliar place, it might be that you’d like to be part of a group of like-minded people, it might be that you look up to the guide/leader and follow their photography, or you want to access the best locations in a limited time. On a tour, unless otherwise stated, you should probably not expect any actual tuition. (NOTE: I will say here that although my TOURS do not offer formal instruction per se, I am on hand always to offer suggestions, tips and assistance, and it is to my benefit to ensure my clients come home with amazing photos (isn’t this every guide’s goal?). Some tours are JUST that….tours.
Which leads me to expectations vs reality. If you are expecting to get tips and tuition and LEARN things, make sure this is included in the tour description as most tours will not offer this - on most tours, you can expect that your guide/leader will be taking their own photos as well as accompanying you. They are there to facilitate a photography experience for you.
If it’s tuition and learning you are wanting, perhaps choose a WORKSHOP over a tour - the lines can be muddled sometimes but a good host/leader should be able to answer these questions for you before you book, to make sure that what you are expecting is what is going to be delivered. Make sure you read the description carefully, and ask specific questions.
A huge red flag to me is photographers/ tour operators who are not transparent about what happens on their tours, and do not invite questions or are willing to answer them! I highly recommend you speak to past participants of the tour/workshop you are interested in. I know that some who spoke to me in confidence were not willing to ‘go public’ with their dissatisfaction about their experiences or go public naming and shaming, however would probably be okay to private message and discuss. So ASK questions in your photography groups and amongst your friends. I find my best form of advertising is word-of-mouth and my past clients are always happy to chat with people about their tour.
Please note too that it has been reported to me that some photographers offering ‘workshops’ actually take their own photos DURING the workshop (!!!!) - as I said above, ensure that you ask questions and be sure about the service you are paying for, before signing up for anything. To me, a attending a workshop is 100% for learning, it’s not there for the leader to take their own photos.
Now this may come as a shock to you however it is not uncommon (and this was the same when I worked in the scuba diving industry many years ago) how much of a ‘boys’ club’ some groups can be, where the mysoginistic male guide favours his male clients/mates, and women feel intimidated and pushed to the side. This makes my blood boil and I can assure you that my tours and workshops are definitely not like that - my client base happens to be majority female, however I always welcome men on my tours and workshops but can honestly say that this IS a thing and many, many women in the past have reported these incidents to me. Everyone should feel listened to, and valued on a tour or a workshop. In a group situation, it’s usually the loudest and most assertive attendees who get the attention, leaving everyone else in the background (this is also the sign of a good instructor, that they are aware of this and deal with it accordingly).
Making sure YOU match the vibe of the tour or workshop is on you - ask who the majority of the participants are, are they party animals? are they drone pilots rather than stills camera photographers? What kind of meals (if included) are they? Are you expected to eat with the group or can you go off on your own? What does a typical day look like? Are you expected to join each and every session? What happens on a rainy day? Are editing sessions offered and are they private or group? I have noticed on my tours, I offer individual critique and editing tips to clients and I would say that they definitely appreciate the confidential nature of sharing their images and discussing them with me. Again……a lot of people are intimidated by groups, especially if they involve outspoken people who tend to command all the attention.
One more thing to consider……if you are going to national parks and reserves….is your tour leader licensed to operate there? are they paying your park fees? do they even have insurance? To me, another red flag is businesses who don’t even have their own domain, for example if they are Boba Jonis Photography but their email is bobajonis123@gmail.com ……and their website does not have a domain either….what kind of business are they? Do you trust to place your money into the hands of unprofessional operators? Something to think about.
I hope this clarifies a few things for you when it comes to choosing an experience. And keep messaging me with your thoughts and comments about other tours so I can ensure I never go down that path of choosing money and ego vs client satisfaction. I’m passionate about sharing travel and photography, and having return clients and friends. x
OH WAIT! one more thing…..it’s not always possible but if you CAN meet the leader/photographer ahead of time, it will give you an idea if you will click…….for instance, do a shorter experience with them - with me, I have more than a few clients who start with a 90-minute workshop, that turns into a weekend workshop, that turns into an Australian photo tour….then international. What I strive for is people who come back, again and again. It drives me to work harder and come up with exciting and fun photo tours to run.