No, not me … this guy:
Long story short: I’m offering a workshop in NYC on February 6, 2010. Click here for a PDF with more info. If you want to sign up, e-mail me here.
I have always thought that, if commercial photographers were like scientists in a lab, wedding photographers were a bit like MacGyver. (If you don’t know your ’80s television shows, let Wikipedia wow you). We often work under incredibly tight time constraints, with far less set-up and equipment than you’d want to do the job perfectly, usually working with subjects who have no experience being in front of the camera, with venue coordinators tapping their watches, Uncle Bobs getting in your way, little control over your shooting environment, etc. etc. etc. As a New York City photographer, I work with tighter time-frames than most, frequently getting five minutes or less for formal portraits, and try to bring only as much gear as I can carry up the endless stairs on a subway platform.
Whether you’re a harried professional or just an avid amateur, it’s handy to know how to maximize the tools at hand, whether they’re things you brought or whatever is lying around … after all, give MacGyver a baked potato and a ballpoint pen and he could make a nuclear submarine. Or, for example, take an overhead projector and turn it into a dramatic light source. Make small lights look like big lights. Make your DSLR look like a huge medium format camera (the “Brenizer Method” in action). Make your light, cheap tripod enable amazing feats. Give yourself as many tools as possible, so you never have to be stuck to one small set of expressions within your images.
That’s what I try and do with my work, and what my workshop on February 6 is all about. It is tied to a broader three-day meet-up with Flickr’s Starting a Wedding Photography Business Forum, for those interested in meeting other budding professionals, some of them as good as any long-experienced wedding photographer I’ve seen.
I’m very excited about bringing together the style of work that I love with my longstanding love of teaching. People have been asking me to do this for years, but even after years as a photojournalist and documentary photographer I wanted to get at least 100 weddings under my belt before I felt completely comfortable teaching others — and so I have. I know that just someone having technical skills doesn’t mean that they can actually teach them to others, so perhaps my photographic awards matter less as a reference for this workshop than my final for a curriculum course at Columbia University Teachers College, which was graded “A++! Are you SURE you don’t want to enter this profession, PLEASE?”
No, I didn’t know Columbia gave out A++’s, either.
More information will appear on this space, and more workshops will happen as I gauge interest and find the time to do them right. I am in no way slowing down in my true passion — shooting weddings — to teach, so this will be one of the very few ever on a Saturday.
More to come!
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iloomin - Great opportunity to learn from a season professional like yourself. Money is an issue since being unemployed. Wish I could attend. Have fun!
The other Ryan - If I was on the east coast I’d totally hit this up. It is worth at least $250 for the “Big effects with small lights” section alone.
How about some teaser tips to light up Twitter?
Dana Goodson - Please come to Florida someday. I’d love to take part in one of your workshops if you do more down the road.
Ryan Brenizer - I don’t think I’d mind another trip to Florida.
Sylvia - I hope there will be another one; I’m shooting a wedding that day and I think the bride would be miffed if I ditched her for you ;)
db - I’m in LA and it doesn’t make a lot of sense for me to come to NY in Feb to take a wedding photography class. But I’m intrigued. I love the personally discovered and perfected methods. I like your shots. I like your style. I would call it MY style except I’ve never shot a wedding. (That’s supposed to be funny.)
I have a fellow photographer friend in NYC who might also like to attend. The price is right. We’re both sports photojournalists of a sort.
Doesn’t make sense… but… put me down as seriously interested.
Avira Abraham - Big fan of yours from India. Is it not possible to record your course on DVD for those of us who are willing to shell out 250 dollars for the course but not the 1000 dollars for a ticket to NYC! Like Strobist style….
Laura Poland - Ryan- I am located in Indiana and a big fan of your work. I would like to second Avira’s comment about the video course!! I don’t think I can make it to NYC next month but would gladly pay to see the videos, if you make some.
Ryan Brenizer - There will be some very exciting video content to come!
Donna - totally stoked at the prospect of video training. I live in rural south Australia and needless to say…don’t get a lot of training opportunities down here. will wait impatiently to hear more! :) #haitirelief
Joel - what a tool that guy is, #haitirelief
Rafael Javier - Hi Ryan, we are about 2.5 weeks away from the workshop when will you post or email the location and time for the workshop so that we may plan accordingly.
Ryan Brenizer - Moreinfo tonight, but it will be at Phillip Stark Studio.
sanjay dua - i am a photographer i am doing photography last 10 years bu i want to learn more about wedding photography
Dmitry Gudkov Photography » Learning from the best - [...] past Saturday I attended a photography workshop given by Ryan Brenizer, one of the rising stars in wedding photography, and someone whose overall [...]