But see, that’s the thing. It’s not that everything is going wrong in the photography industry, and that’s a big part of why I feel so passionate about the photography workshops and education I offer, especially the workshops I’ve taught with Briana Noir over the last few years as a team.
You’re probably thinking, “Oh man, there are so many shitty photography workshops out there and so much crap. Is any of this even worth it anymore?”
I get it. I get where you’re coming from. But let’s not always lead with the negative, right?
Think about it for a second. What happens if someone says, “Hey, I’m not shitty, I promise. Come over here and book with me.”
Uh, ok, right. That sounds a little concerning. That sounds like the guy with the unmarked van trying to give away candy to kids. Something’s def wrong here.
That’s not what we're trying to do.
There are problems out there, sure, but whatever. Our approach to photography education didn’t come from thinking every workshop was terrible and deciding that Nino Batista and Briana Noir had somehow figured out how to save the industry. Nah, we aren't that special, come on now.
Basically since the jump, and definitely over the last few years, our workshops have been built around camaraderie, inclusivity, hands-on learning, and honestly, having a really good time while becoming better photographers.
I don’t care if you’re shy or an extreme Type A personality. I don’t care if you’re quiet and reserved or loud and boisterous. We’ve had all kinds of photographers and everybody in between at our workshops, and it’s always a wonderful time.
There’s no intimidation. There’s no ego. I’m not sitting around bragging. Briana’s not sitting around bragging. We’ve had some accomplishments in our day, sure ok, cool. We feel more than qualified to teach photography, lighting, posing, working with models, retouching, and all the other things we cover. Yep, we do.
But there’s always something to learn.
We love learning from our students, too. People bring new insights, techniques, experiences, and perspectives into every class. That’s why I’ve often referred to what we do as a 'circular co-study.'
It’s not, “Shut up, sit down, let me tell you everything about how great I am, and if you copy everything I tell you, you’ll be good.”
Nope, never, no way in hell would we do that. And honestly, our workshops are just fun.
So many photographers have come into our classes and admitted afterward, “Honestly, I was intimidated coming into this, but after working with you guys, this was so much fun. I can’t wait to come back.”
And they do.
We’ve had people attend another Nino Batista and Briana Noir photography workshop even when it’s essentially the same curriculum in another city, simply because they enjoyed the experience that much. I’m not kidding.
Everyone feels included. Everyone can ask questions without feeling stupid, regardless of experience level. Beginner photographer? Cool. Been shooting professionally for years? Rad. There’s room for everybody to learn something, experiment, contribute, and get inspired.
That’s the entire point.
We wouldn’t run these things if they were stressful. I wouldn’t run workshops just to brag about myself. I can do that on social media if I want to, and I don’t want to.
We’re artists. We’re here to work together and inspire each other, at least ideally.
And yes, this is part of what we do for a living. We keep our workshop fees fair so we can cover our costs, put a little money in our pockets, and continue bringing photography education to different cities around the country and, when we can, around the world.
But what we really want is for you to leave excited.
We want you to leave smiling. We want you thinking about lighting setups, portrait ideas, new techniques, and things you want to try the second you get home.
Not because the experience was contrived, corny, or manufactured. Quite the opposite. It works because it’s authentic, and we roll with the punches.
The curriculum can literally change in the middle of a class if the group decides, “Hey, what about this instead?”
Aight, cool. Let’s try it. Let’s see what we can learn from it.
We weren’t planning to do a hard-light portrait setup against a black background today....? Well, everybody wants to explore it, so guess what? We’re doing it.
It’s not junior high school in 1987. You don’t need permission to speak.
It’s a collaborative photography workshop and a genuine co-study. We make it fun, we keep it inspiring, and hopefully you walk away a better, more confident, more creatively energized portrait photographer. Plain and simple.