Peterson Photo Workshops are instructional photography workshops led by photographer Mark S. Peterson. Workshop headquarters are in Central Iowa, though workshops and events are also offered in other states and regions. I design them to be fun, affordable, hands-on, and in-person educational photography events to maximize your photographic learning.
Peterson Photo Workshops events are targeted at photography enthusiasts ranging from beginner to advanced levels.
Each of my photo workshops feature a carefully developed curriculum to optimize participant learning and the capture of exquisite photographs. I personally teach all of the workshops, sometimes supported by experienced co-instructors or assistants in each workshop topic area.
One-Day Field workshops
One-day field workshops generally start early in the day – often before sunrise – at beautiful locations in the U.S. I carefully select locations for unique photographic subjects and opportunities relevant to the workshop topic. During the day, we will alternate between active photography and outdoor field-classroom discussion of relevant topics. We will cover photographic technique, creativity and composition, and photography equipment topics. The workshops then conclude in the late afternoon.
I design each workshop to be a fast-paced but fulfilling day of field photography and learning. They are extremely popular, with many repeat customers: many participants have completed every single one-day workshop that I’ve offered. Quite a few even return to the same workshop multiple years. Subject matter and locations vary, and they are that much fun!
Instructional Photo Tours
Instructional Photo Tours are travel photography experiences that take place at beautiful locations in the U.S. or Europe. My Instructional Photo Tours do include workshop instruction (some photo tour leaders don’t include actual instruction). I break these events into segments of active location photography, technique/creativity/equipment discussions, and participant image sharing and critique. Each day starts early, with the group traveling to a sunrise location (arriving well before sunrise). The day may extend into the late-evening post-sunset hours, but we’ll take breaks, enjoy free time to explore individually (or nap) and edit photos during the middle of the day. Participants will return home at the end of the tour with increased photographic knowledge and skill, a portfolio of exquisite photos from the event, and most likely some new photographic friends.
Studio Workshops
Studio Workshops are taught in the photography studio or other location carefully selected to suit the event. These are full-day (generally 9am-5pm) hands-on active-photography seminars, and they are generally more expensive than the field workshops due to the costs associated with buying/renting props, hiring models and stylists, and sometimes renting space. Participants will learn new techniques and creative approaches to photography, and create a relevant portfolio under one-on-one guidance.
Classroom Workshops
Classroom Workshops are hands-on, half-day or full-day events focused on a specific topic. Bring your camera, lenses and accessories, laptop (only needed for Lightroom or Photoshop workshops) and learn current techniques in a hands-on interactive classroom venue.
One-on-One Workshop Experiences
One-on-One Workshop Experiences are individual instructional sessions custom-tailored to a participant’s photographic interest or learning. They may also be centered around a specific challenge the participant faces. To date, the most popular One-on-One topics have been deep-dives into topics like:
• manual exposure
• composition
• Lightroom
• off-camera flash techniques
• tabletop product photography
• learning to shoot with a Leica rangefinder
• landscape photography gear selection and technique
• senior portraiture
At all of myphoto workshops, class size is small (no more than 10 participants per instructor), and instructors spend 100% of their time helping participants to develop strong photography technique. You will receive lots of individual attention to ensure that you understand the concepts and are effectively using them to improve your photography.
All Peterson Photo Workshops include handouts. For photo tours, I’ll send relevant hotel and travel info upon registration.
Visit my main photography website for more info about my own photography.