The teachers of my youth were seemingly embalmed in cheap tweed jackets with leather elbow patches, lightly coated in chalk dust, and masters of the withering stare – often closely followed by a well aimed chalk duster. Intimidation and coercion were their preferred methods for motivating their students. They singularly failed as role models, giving me little grounds to think that I would one day follow in their footsteps. But to my unending surprise I find myself teaching for a living: and, worse than that, enjoying it! To be fair, the circumstances are somewhat different. I’ve swapped the dingy classroom for the great outdoors; and learning from dog-eared textbooks for hands-on experience in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. There’s no security of tenure and the wages aren’t that great but the job satisfaction is immense.
Working in a Different Field
39 Responses
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David Ward
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Hi Simon,
Long time no see!
You make an interesting point about the cost of workshops. They have certainly risen over the last ten years but I would argue that this only reflects a more realistic economic stance on the behalf of the providers, most of whom weren’t making any money a decade ago. They are also facing increased costs, especially on items like car hire and fuel which has gone up by 40% over the last five years.
I think that changes in the travel industry as a whole have made the increased price of specialist photo tours seem disproportionately apparent. Mass market tourism has driven down costs and prices to consumers but it’s a sad fact that the specialist providers will never be able to match on price. As an example, an organisation booking ten or twelve rooms for a tour or workshop will never be able to get discounts comparable to Thomas Cook (who aren’t doing so well!) or any other mass provider. These firms can command an 80% or even 90% lower room rate. Similar price differentials apply on all the costs. Yet people compare the mass market price with the specialist price. Nothing comes for free and there is a cost to pay for having a dedicated leader. But I also appreciate that times are hard and going on a photo workshop is very much a want and not a need. Those who succeed in the long term will be doing so because they offer much more than taking people somewhere and dumping them in front of a pretty view.
As an aside, I would guess that a lot of people think that leaders working for the larger photo workshops organisations are getting a huge daily fee but in my experience this certainly isn’t the case. Nor has the fee gone up for as long as I’ve been in the business – in fact I’d make far more money if I retrained as a plumber. I’m not pointing this out to moan (I love my work!) but just to bust a myth.
To return to the positives… I think that one of the biggest benefits of a photo tour or workshop is the immersion that you write about. The ability to take as long as you want (well, almost!) without worrying about holding other people up combined with an atmosphere that is centred on photography is a winning formula. Participants definitely make faster progress in this environment than on their own and I think that alone makes it worth booking.
David
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Richard Childs
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Having just paid a £900 bill for a days plumbing work I think you’re probably about right… I know which I’d rather do though – pass the blowtorch
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Joe Cornish
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Thank you Joe (though Professor makes me feel even older than I feel!
I’m looking forward to writing more, I just hope I can keep up the standard…David
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SosFM
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Jonb
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Doug Chinnery
