Workshop bird and wildlife workshops are they any good

gaddypaid

gaddypaid

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gary
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Anybody been on a bird workshop photography course are they any good. They are mostly over £100 pounds for a day and dont know it i will benefit from it any but the experience would be good if i picked something up. I have been taking pictures for about 2 years now and get some decent pics and alot thrown away like everybody else, but cannot understand why its so expensive for these courses.
So which one would you recommend and why.
cheers guys
 
It depends what you wish to get out of the day. Do you want to learn how to take a photograph of a bird in flight for example, the techniques etc or do you wish to learn more about the animal you wish to photograph and its environment?
In my opinion if you choose to go on a group workshop at a falconry day or similar 'set up' type of workshop you are paying for the shots being setup for you so you go home with a great set of close up images of birds flying from post to trainer etc very close to the photographers. You will never get that close to in real life and you will be a bunch of other photographers who will have the same shots as you. However this will probably not help you take wildlife photos for yourself in the wild. However if that is what you want then this is a great way to get 'the shot'. Just don't kid yourself (or others) it is wildlife.
Better in my opinion to go with somebody who will show you how to photograph 'real' wildlife in a small group of no more then 2 or preferably one to one, witness some real wildlife in nature and 'hopefully' get some good shots. Remember real wildlife is just that 'wild' so there are no gaurantees.

Regarding value for money well it depends what you expect for £100, if there are 5 on the course and the workshop leader has to pay for a falconer, access to a falconry centre, thier own transport etc then I would say that is a very fair price.

On a one to one basis then £300 is a very good and fair price.

There are many to choose from, but I have used Craig Jones, who has his own unique style and is very ethical about his work. You will get a very long day and some real wildlife photography opportunities and learn plenty from him while you are at it. You could do worse than try his Norfolk Spring Tides workshop or one to one.
http://www.craigjoneswildlifephotography.co.uk/workshops/spring-tides-and-barn-owls.php
 
Like Steve-T has said it depends what you want from it. I've been on a few 'photography workshops', at welney for the swans and hares, a water vole photography day and one at a local falconry centre (no 'pro' there, just the birds and handlers). There was about 6-8 of us on most of these days. (Just myself and a friend on the water vole day). I didn't really learn much from the pro at welney, it was more for the opportunity to photograph swans at dawn as it doesn't usually open early enough to do that. The water vole day was great, very good photo opportunities but also learnt more about them from the pro. The following spring we were able to get within 2m of the water voles at a wild site, partly because of what we had learnt previously.

If learning is the main aim one-to-one would be better, if it photo opportunities then group days are usually good. The problem with groups can be people sit in one spot all the time.

I'm on a group 'workshop' for hedgehogs in a few months, partly to get images but also to learn about hedgehogs. I have thought about a Craig jones day in the peaks for mountain hares and red grouse. The fieldcraft that could be learnt from him could be very valuable.
 
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Regarding cost, the pro needs to be making a decent day rate, then there is any additional costs (handlers, venue etc) so it soon mounts up.

If learning is key then a one-to-one day with the likes of Craig Jones or similar would be better then 3 group photography workshops. Have a think what you really want to learn, something like fieldcraft is probably better done one to one with a pro.
 
On another note, at the photography show this year I did an image review slot with Ross Hoddinott on the nikon stand. I probably learnt more from that than I did on any of the group photography days I've been on. Even though it was supposed to be 10 landscape images we soon got onto wildlife and had a great chat about red squirrels and my photos of them. It may be worth looking out for such events. As a nikon owner the image review was a free event so even better.
 
Don't know where you are based but Nikon Training do a day at Gigrin Farm in Wales where you will be challenged to get some images of the Red Kites ... it's with Chris Gomershall and the Kites will give you the opportunity of getting some 'friendly' circling shots as well as some manic diving and grabbing activity ... even perhaps two Red Kites squabbling over food in flight. :)

https://www.nikon.co.uk/training/booking/Default.aspx?id=386
 
I know this is a little old, but have you considered the Jessops Academy courses? I attended a track day course at Brands Hatch, staff were excellent and I learnt a lot. I know they do other courses, including wildlife.
 
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london is a fair way away but still looking thanks for the updates i may try the jessops one.
 
Hi Gary, I have been on a couple of excellent bird photography workshops. The first one was so good ( puffins on Skomer) I have been back with the same guy twice more (different times of the year) and return again this May. He covered basic camera settings, how to use and read the light to create the image, composition, creativity and loads more. he knew virtually all there is to know about these birds and the island having worked there before. One advantage we had was being able to spend all day on the island as opposed to the normal few hours. This was my first experience of having been on a photography workshop. I had been into photography for about six months at that time and learnt more that day compared to the previous six months all together. I also surprised myself by coming away with a few decent shots including birds in flight.
 
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