Strobist Destination Workshops

Learning on the web is convenient and efficient. But there is no substitute for hands-on, immersion education in the company of a tight group of like-minded people.

Even better, throw in an exotic city you've probably never visited before, chosen for its visual and cultural appeal. Add a curriculum designed to progressively expand your boundaries both as a photographer and a traveler. Mix in new food and friends. And finally, a daily schedule where you are learning while the light is crappy and shooting while it is great.


X-Pedition Workshops

X-Peditions are built around a core of learning how to travel more like a photojournalist. Over the course of a week, you'll grow both more observant and more technically proficient as a photographer. But—and just as important—we also reserve the time to simply soak up a city, existing more as a traveler than as a tourist.

The latter is important to help feed the former. Plus, that balance makes you a much better traveling companion for when you are away with family or friends.

We'll concentrate our photographic efforts around the time of day when the light is great, because that's when the best pictures are most likely to happen. You'll learn how to tweak and exploit the beautiful light at the edges of the day. You'll learn to approach your composition more three-dimensionally. You'll discover the value of patience, waiting for that third or fourth layer to coalesce in your frame. You'll become more comfortable interacting with your subjects—even if language is a barrier.

We'll work through those subjects, and more, in the middle of the day when the light is more ordinary. Then you'll apply them when the light is right.

Nighttime is for dinner, drinks, sharing photos from the day, stories from the field and the like. Our approach is that of a group of photojournalists, working for different publications, all on assignment in the same city.

As we progress through the week, we'll also talk about different ways to approach your photography within the context of your other strengths. I.e., photography that is not as an end to itself but is a catalyst for other things.


Travel/Light Workshops

Travel/Light trips are similar to X-Peditions, but include a different focus. As above, we spend the first part of our week exploring that intersection of photography and travel because it will be important to your experience for the week.

But then we shift into a lighting bootcamp, to build your level of control and confidence when working with small flashes. Learning lighting hands-on, in a small-group environment, is far-and-away the best way to build your skills. Depending on the destination (with the variable being potential day trips) we devote either one or two full days to lighting instruction.

In terms of shooting time vs. discussion time, our daily rhythm stays as described above.

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Every possession is a burden, and nowhere is that more true than when you're on the road. Over the course of the week, you'll learn to travel both with less photo gear and less baggage.

Would you be comfortable heading to a remote city for a month with only a carry-on for both your gear and clothing? Give yourself a week with us and see how you feel about it then.

This is a small-scale and very personal project that I have been saving for after my children are off to college. For that reason, over the next two years, we'll progress from one city to four. We travel in the winter, to warmer climes. We are in Havana (already filled) for winter '17/'18. To that we plan to add Hanoi in winter '18/'19, and Marrakech and Dubai for winter '19/'20.

Because these workshops are put on privately, without embedded marketing expenses, we can offer strong value for dollar and the flexibility of flying with us or meeting us onsite.

The workshops will not necessarily be announced on Strobist. We have very limited space (12 people per trip) and we'll likely fill them with those who have previously expressed an interest in being notified when the trips will be happening. If you'd like to be included on this notification list (we announce trips 6-8 months in advance) add your name and email via the form below.

The list is only used for this purpose, and your info won't be shared. You won't be obligated to anything. You'll simply receive a heads-up when a workshop is being planned and/or open for registration.


Join Us

I've traveled for all of my adult life as a photographer. First, on assignment as a photojournalist. Then, as an instructor for Strobist. Finally, as the host of Lynda.com's series, The Traveling Photographer.

Over the years I have journeyed with my photo enthusiast friends and watched them develop into photographer/travelers who would now be comfortable being dropped most anywhere on the planet.

That's an experience I want to be able to share with more people, and exactly the idea behind Strobist's X-Peditions and Travel/Light trips. If you are interested in learning when trips become available, leave your info below.