Last week we talked about selecting the right workshop to meet your needs. Today we are discussing how to make the best of a workshop. Just like last week, we need to backtrack. Many people seek tips to make the best of a workshop while attending, but if you really want to get the most out of attending a workshop you need to prepare long before you get there. Here is what needs to take place prior to the workshop:

1. Insure that you have the right gear for the workshop you have selected. If you are going on a bird photography workshop it might be helpful to have a long telephoto lens. If you are going to Antarctica you may want to consider more than your photographic gear; what are you going to wear to be comfortable? This is the time to make sure that you have enough camera batteries and memory cards, etc.

2. Study your camera's manual and know how to work your camera. Every camera is different (even within the same manufacturer models differ significantly) and there are hundreds of different models out there, so it is not likely that your instructor knows the in and outs of every camera model out there. Knowing how to change your camera's setting will help you to focus on what is being taught rather than figuring out your camera. You are paying to attend a workshop; now is the time to learn photography not the layout of your camera.

3. Clean and test all your equipment. Know where everything is packed in your photo bag.

4. Research the location. Find out what the weather is like that time of the year. Get ideas of what kind of images are available in that area. Go to a photo stock agency and just search for the location of the workshop and see what images come up.

5. Come rested if possible. Good workshops (landscape workshops anyway) will have you out on location way before sunrise and you may be shooting past sunset. You also need to drive to the location and return. You are going to have very long days with little sleep.

          So now you are at your workshop. Ask questions. This is how you learn. Never mind that others may think you are a total novice; ask, ask, ask away. Watch what everyone is doing. We can get so focused on what we are doing that we never see what others may see. Look at what they are shooting. Look how they shoot. Look at others' workflow. Many participants of workshops are very good (remember, they only use us as photographic tour guides) so learn from them too. Ask them questions too. Most of these photographers want to share. Many of them are part of photographic communities and are used to being in groups and sharing their knowledge.

          If there is a photo critique session or two please participate. I know you may be embarrassed and you may be tempted to think that your work is not good enough. Why are you there? Did you come all this way to impress people or to learn? In fact, don't even show your best images, show the images that your really struggled with and then ask the instructor how to make it better. Ask him or her what he or she would have done. Also pay attention when the instructor is critiquing other photographers' work as you learn just as much as you would have had the image been yours.

          Take notes. You will not remember everything when you get home. If appropriate share contact information so that friendships can develop and you can continue to ask and learn (be careful not to overstay your welcome or to encroach on civil and decent boundaries). Continue to practice after the workshop is over. It is by repetition that we improve.

          Your attitude is the most important of all. Be humble and ready to learn. Go with the flow, things do not always work out as planned. We have had the national park shut down due to the government shut down; we just found different locations in the area, but participants certainly did not get the same shot they might have come wishing to get (they did get other great shots that few others have of that area). We have been snowed on, rained on, hailed on, you name it. People, please understand that the photographer cannot control the weather. He or she did his or her best in scouting the area, the weather, the best time of year for that location, etc. there is nothing more he or she could have done. Be flexible and just trust your instructor. If you selected the right instructor he or she knows what he or she is doing and will do his or her best for you. Be patient. We have gotten some great shots even though things look bleak (due to weather, clouds, etc.) to start off with. At other times, the weather did not get better and we lucked out. Be patient for tomorrow may yield better results and if it does not you may spend more time in the classroom learning. Your attitude is a large contributor to the success and enjoyment of the workshop, for you and for others.

          The experience is worth it, why not attend a workshop?

P.S. I attend some of Don Smith's workshops and I am a co-instructor of some of his workshops. See you at the Bryce and Zion workshop from Oct 30 to Nov 3, 2015. http://www.donsmithphotography.com/Workshops