Fish’s Two Travel-Photo BootCamps That Transform Your Photography!
Web: www.stevenfrischling.com — E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
15/05/2009 – Fish’s Two Travel-Photo BootCamps That Transform Your Photography!
Do you want to expand your skills as a photographer? Not through a workshop, not through a seminar, but by actually applying your knowledge in the streets, learning how to adapt, overcome and create images regardless of what stands in your way on the road!
Every photographer encounters the unexpected. We all have a vision of perfection, but the reality of shooting is that things don’t always go as planned.
On vacation you may only have an afternoon in a historic city; on an editorial shoot weather may place you in a picturesque location during a nasty afternoon haze with harsh noon shadows; a corporate shoot may be require you to create a fantastic image while being positioned in the wrong location; during a wedding you may end up standing in the rain while facing into the sun (true scenario).
Life as a photographer is not a series National Geographic cover photos. Life as a working photographer is about learning how to overcome, rapidly adapting and creating images you love despite all the obstacles in your way. Dedicated photographers work tired, hungry and deal with events, plans and locations that change in an instant with little or no time to create new plans. For those of us who explore the world around us with a camera ‘Failure Is Not Option.’
The Flying With Fish Travel-Photo BootCamp is unlike any educational experience you have encountered as a photographer. The focus of The BootCamp is simple, to force its participants outside of their comfort zone while teaching them how to adapt and succeed!
How does The Travel-Photo BootCamp force a photographer outside their comfort zone? Simple? Through various photo assignment scenarios giving participants every opportunity to succeed in situations designed to make them fail!
This is how it is done:
1) Participants are strictly restricted on the equipment they can bring with them. Prior to the BootCamp each participant will receive individual attention to assist in the process of selecting equipment, choosing a bag and stripping their kit out to only travel with the essentials
2) Participants have no idea where they are headed to plan for the workshop. We meet at the airport and the destination is only revealed when you’re handed your boarding pass
3) Participants will get on a fairly long flight at some time of the day when they should be sleeping, sitting upright in a seat 17” wide, and not presented with any location preparation materials.
4) Upon arrival participants will be briefed on their first assignment and be required to quickly execute this assignment before being handed the next assignment. Deadlines are very real, ground-planning logistics are real…and equipment restrictions are real.
5) Participants will be required to use public transportation and rely on their navigating skills.
6) Participants will be in their undisclosed city for less than 12 hours between flights. This time includes landing, briefing, travel time to city, shooting time, between-assignment-meetings, getting back to the airport, clearing security and getting back on the flight home.
If you read Flying With Fish you know that I have spent much of my career shooting this way. Some of the assignments I base my teaching experience on include: Six hours in Basarah, Iraq; Two hours in Kuwait City; 145 minutes in Paris; Four hours in Incheon, South Korea; Shooting three assignments, in three cities in three different time-zone in the United States in a single day; Shooting four different assignments, in four countries on three continents, circling the globe in only 3.5 days.
Throughout the time leading up to The Travel-Photo BootCamp participants will receive answers to any travel planning questions they may have. Throughout the shooting day participants will be encouraged to explore while always keeping an eye on their watch and receive instruction dealing with working in less than ideal scenarios. Through the post-airport period and flight home there will be Q&A and critique session.
To make the education experience more challenging, some of the assignments will only be passed onto ‘Me’ during the day. By not having access to what is coming next as the person leading The Travel-Photo BootCamp I am required to work ‘in the blind’ just like everyone else!
Who can benefit from The Travel-Photo BootCamp? EVERYONE!
The skills learned leading up to The Travel-Photo BootCamp, and throughout the evolution of the day, will enhance any photographer’s ability while in the field shooting. The exercises participants will be faced with are designed to benefit weekend hobbyist and full-time professionals.
These BootCamps are not a travel photography workshops. We will not be seeking ‘the beautiful sunset, we will be creating captivating images with no time to wait for perfection. Travel is simply a form of education designed to force photographers of all abilities to learn new shooting skills while disoriented, tired, cranky and cut off from their arsenal of equipment.
Still interested?
GREAT!
When and where are The Travel-Photo BootCamps? Well there are two!
East Coast: June 21st departing at the crack of dawn from JFK Airport in New York City…arriving back at JFK at the crack of dawn on June 22nd.
West Coast: June 28th departing SFO around the time you want to start getting to bed…arriving back at SFO in time for your get o bed a few hours later than usual
What does The Travel-Photo BootCamp cost?
East Coast US$750
West Coast US$800
This fee is valid until June 1st and covers all applicable airfare expenses. Why is the fee so affordable including airfare? I want to give every photographer the opportunity to get out, learn, explore and enjoy them self!
Not totally convinced yet? Well them, how about an added incentive? All participants in The Travel-Photo BootCamp will receive a Mountainsmith pack of my choice courtesy of Mountainsmith. I have used Mountaismith bags all over the world for years as a working photographer. I love their products and I am sure you will too!
WORKSHOPS HAVE A MAXIMUM CAPACITY OF FIVE PARTICIPANTS.
Space is available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Want to come along? Signing up is easy! Simply send your registration fee via PayPal t to: bootcamps@flyingwithfish.com
Happy Flying!
PS: Why New York/JFK & San Francisco/SFO? They are two airports that are easy and fairly inexpensive to access by train, plane, bus and automobile. These two airports also offer significant route options that in turn allow me to keep the costs of The Travel-Photo BootCamps affordable for everyone
San Francisco is nearest to where I live. I am not making my living from my photography. I think my niche is street photography, candid portraits. My website is my old film work; I have shot digital since 2006. I was working as a nurse practitioner, but I quit as of this Tuesday. I am burnt out on health care.
Karen,
Everyone is welcome to join the BootCamps.
As a street photographer you’ll stand to gain quite a bit, as the vast majority of the BootCamps’ shooting is on the street. There is a heavy emphasis on not other thinking, keeping a constant eye on everything around you and finding ‘assigned images’ in an area that does not immediately lend its self to creating those images.
Street photography takes many forms and natural curiosity and the ability to find what is not immediately obvious are two important skills to learn, practice, broaden and explore as a street photographer.
…film and digital are welcome. While I have been professionally shooting digital for well over a decade now, I love Ilford HP 5+ and the smell of D-76 on my hands :0)
If you have any questions please feel free to drop me an e-mail. If you’d like to ‘take a leap’ and join the BootCamp I look forward to furthering your street photography vision.
Happy Flying!
-Fish