GD Photo Workshops

You don't have to be a Pro. These Photo workshops are for all levels of photographers who like to gain insight into how to make better photographs for editorial, stock sales or just for personal satisfaction and having fun in the progress. A digital SLR camera capable of capturing RAW images is required. Students are encouraged to bring their own laptop if possible.

Participants will work in digital formats and expected to have basic digital photography skills including image capture, downloading, editing, etc. For those with experience on Mac Computers Gunther will guide you through the understanding of Aperture. He will also teach basic editing skills in Photoshop. Gunther is a certified Apple Pro trainer for Aperture and has years of hands on knowledge using Photoshop and other software as a photography tool.

The program offers a combination of presentation, exploration and discovery. On most days, we will be learning exposure and capture techniques with our digital cameras in the morning, and using Adobe Photoshop and Aperture for exploring the digital imaging workflow at lunchtimes and in the evenings

During the workshop we will provide direction to photographers looking to improve their photography as they travel on personal trips, or photograph on assignment. Our primary focus in this work shop is on the technology of shooting digitally and learning to tell the stories of other people's lives. The entire world of the photographer is reviewed as we discuss gaining access, researching places and story ideas, as well as understanding the complete digital workflow.

We cover and using our digital cameras, and all of the gear needed to be fully prepared to go out and tell stories while traveling. Daily lectures and discussions will also include how to use strobes and a portable digital darkroom. Throughout the week you will photograph various editorial assignments: picture stories and captions writing, and if requested we also venture into multimedia presentations

You will photograph for example places in India, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and other exotic destinations.while learning from one of the best travel photographers around. Gunther covers all aspects of the shoot: how to solve technical problems, how to work with people, gain access, digital workflow on the road, and how to use a small strobe but also how to make a proper back up of your images. You will learn how to research a story, select a destination, prepare a shooting list, edit your pictures and ways to share your work with a larger community.

Gunther will work with students in critique sessions and in the field, sharing his working knowledge and techniques.

A successful workshop begins with advance knowledge and good preparation. Take the time to do a little research on the area(s) you will visit. This document is intended to inform you of what lies ahead and assist you in fully preparing yourself to take maximum advantage of the learning environment that Gunther offers.

Participants will be encouraged to photograph not only scenes and environments, but also the people and life, for example in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Cambodia. People that are naturally timid about approaching people will learn techniques and be exposed to ideas and a spirit that will help them go forward with their photographic communication including photographing people.

Participants will spend much time exploring and photographing the rich daily life, for example; the Angkor Wat Ruins or the colors of Bali.

Gunther will discuss technique, intent, composition, and the creative use of the camera and lens. He will review and critique your portfolio, and works-in-process, discuss careers, getting published and give you an idea of where you are, and what to do next to become better and you will learn how to see things in a different light.

This is a field-workshop, with support in finding stories and gaining access, followed by honest critique of your images and process. There are almost daily critiques, field trips and informal gatherings, all providing an opportunity to share your work and having real fun doing so, stress is not part of the agenda.

If you are feeling a little apprehensive, a little excited about your upcoming workshop, that's fine—it's to be expected and actually beneficial. It will be a week you will remember the rest of your life.

The most important thing about a workshop is your attitude. Most people who come to a workshop are excited and eager to learn new ways to do what they love doing the most—that is creating images. But, if you come to be entertained, looking for applause for your work, or just want to dabble a few hours each day, you will be disappointed and will leave with far less than others will who have totally invested themselves in the experience.

Before you leave home, spend some time thinking about why you feel taking a workshop and will it be valuable to your life. Write down a list of six things that you wish to achieve during your workshop. That list might include: an honest critique of your work, new techniques to free your creative spirit, new ways to work, a better understanding of the medium and your place in it—all these are good reasons.

Things happen fast during a workshop, and you will want to relive the experience later, at a slower pace, when you get home. Do not edit or select those things you feel at the moment are important. While not everything you experience will have equal value, only time —a few months —will give you the objectivity to sort out what the experience here really meant. So, write it all down - especially your feelings about what's happening inside you.

Being a photographer gets you up out of bed in the early morning to experience the quality of light at dawn. Being up so early also lets you see a land and its people in their innocence, before the glare of the full sun sends them into hiding. Traveling through the world as a photographer is to experience the lives of others and other cultures to a greater depth than do most other travelers. Photographers and journalists have "permission" to stop strangers, interrupt farmers, and ask people to pose for a photograph but do so with respect and except their privacy if requested.