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Why not, I hear you ask? Well, it rained with gale force winds – I think I have a weather curse.  Storm Swept Headland
Portugal is an interesting country with a mix of old and modern, with
Moorish castles and glamorous golf courses, with storks in chimneys and
cork trees missing half their bark – lots of material for travel stock
images.
 Interior brickwork ceiling of restored Moorish fort
My reason for visiting Portugal? It was workshop time. I firmly believe in continuing education and this landscape workshop was part of my program. Yes, even professional photographers – including stock photographers - as do most professionals, need to consider a program of ongoing education.
I try to allocate four weeks a year to continuing development and photography workshops cover one aspect of this target. Thus, in the past twelve months, I have attended a color management workshop in Carmel, California (Ansel Adams Workshops - http://www.anseladams.com), a Photoshop course in Edinburgh, Scotland (contact Steph Stewardson at http://www.violetmoose.com and tell her that John sent you), and a landscape photography workshop in Portugal (contact John McKinlay at http://www.photographscotland.com). Later this year I will attend a travel writers and photographers conference in California (contact http://www.bookpassage.com/classes/twc.htm), and undoubtedly, I will attend other training courses and workshops during the next twelve months.
OK, you do not have to travel half way around the world and back just to attend courses and workshops – there will be local training and education facilities somewhere near you – but I am a travel photographer, and travel is an integral part of my photographic activities. At least that is my excuse!
I interviewed John McKinlay (see http://www.photographscotland.com,.above) for this article, about his approach to the need for continuing development for professional photographers. John is from Scotland and now lives in Portugal, and speaks with a soft Scottish burr. He has an unmistakable enthusiasm for photography. John has recently replaced film for digital, and carries a Canon, in contrast to my Nikon.
 John McKinlay in serious mode
Me: John, tell me something about yourself, how long you have been a professional, and where you run your workshops.
John: I've been running landscape workshops since 1991 - that's 15 years, although it doesn't feel like it - I must enjoy it!
Before I became a photographer I was a geographer and I was always a keen walker and climber, so through my work and hobbies I developed a deep appreciation of the landscape.
I now run landscape workshops in various areas of Scotland - Skye, Glencoe, the Western Isles, the North West Highlands, and others. I also take groups to do landscape/travel photography workshops in Cyprus, Saharan Tunisia, Northern Tunisia, and of course in Southern Portugal where we now live.
 Typical narrow alleys and streets of Portuguese villages
Me: I might swap places with you, it sounds exciting. Who are your typical participants?
John: The majority of my clients are keen amateurs who shoot for the sheer pleasure of it and professionals or semi-professionals who shoot for stock. I've had a number of professionals with me, especially wedding and portrait specialists and medical photographers, who enjoy taking shots for themselves rather than for clients - a kind of "busman's holiday", I suppose! I've also arranged specific "tours" for stock photographers and photojournalists who simply want to cover a specific area as quickly and efficiently as possible, using me as a location guide.
Me: Why professionals? What prompts them to take your workshops?
John: I think there are several advantages for professionals attending these workshops. They visit a wide variety of top locations within an area without the need to do research and location finding beforehand. They get to look at the landscape through "other eyes", whether mine or other clients' and this is both motivating and inspirational. There are also endless opportunities for exchanging ideas with other photographers on these workshops.
Me: If you have professional photographers in a workshop, do you vary your workshop approach?
John: Different photographers have different requirements when it comes to workshop content and that's why I only take small groups. I generally try to identify the areas that clients are most interested in at an early stage and concentrate on those. The most common topics are exposure techniques in awkward lighting situations and interpretation of scenes in terms of composition - seeing the picture. Every workshop includes a variety of contrasting locations and I sometimes set little "challenges" - perhaps a location or subject that I've experienced problems with - just to keep people on their toes (or pinch their ideas? - surely not).
Me: So you will now use my ‘wheel’ discovery to challenge other photographers?
 Farmer’s wheel
John: It is now known as John’s wheel. I had seen that a number of times and not realized its potential.
Me: Would professional photographers be disadvantaged if there are non-professional clients attending a workshop?
John: Definitely not! In my experience, having professionals and non-professionals on the same workshop, works well from everyone's point of view. Professionals are always willing to share their experience with others and I think they get a bit of a kick out of having their words of wisdom listened to by eager ears. By the same token, working with non-professionals often serves as a healthy reminder of some of the problems/pitfalls they encountered when they were at the bottom of the learning curve.
Me: What is the most significant benefit a professional photographer will gain from attending a workshop?
John: An easy question - the answer is therapy! Workshops are terrific stress-busters. They take you out of your normal routine and give you time to relax and refresh your thinking. There are no deadlines to meet and no competition - someone else takes care of all the logistics, transport, locations, food and accommodation - all you have to think about is your photography - sounds good to me!
 Doorway patterns
Me: And to me, too. And one final question - how do you address your own needs for continuing education as a professional?
John: My own continuing education needs are addressed to a large extent by each workshop. Clients bring along new and fresh ideas, and very often non-professionals have amazing product knowledge of camera equipment and imaging software - professionals rarely have time to read manuals - or so they say! When I can find the time, I use the internet to keep up to date and see what my competitors are up to. I also read photography magazines and books. Above all, it is contact with other photographers that provides me with new information and inspiration. My clients are not the only ones who learn on these workshops!
I then spoke with one of John’s workshop clients, John Fishlock, a professional photographer from southern England who specializes in weddings. (There must be a mandatory requirement for professional photographers to be named John).
Me: John - wedding photography is a taxing and stressful business - how do you keep up?
John Fishlock: I use trade magazines, the internet, and attend seminars and other events.
Me: And John’s workshops?
John Fishlock: I attend John’s workshops to relax. It is an opportunity to use my skills in a more leisurely way in a different sphere of photography. On John’s workshops, I can spend more time thinking about viewpoint and composition, the effects of ND and polarizing filters and the finer points of metering, including determining the 18% gray point or fine tuning the histogram. I look to John to research the area that we are going to photograph and for him to present the best photo opportunities, taking into account the possible locations, the time of day, lighting and so forth. I also look forward to having time and opportunity to discuss equipment, technique and experiences with John and other people on the workshop.
 Fishing Pots
My conclusion? I think there are twofold advantages to workshops. Certainly they should be a part of your continuing education program helping you to re-learn some of the techniques that you may have overlooked, or by providing an opportunity for guided experimentation. And if you are feeling stressed or if you want the opportunity to relax and work with some of your peers, workshops will allow you to sit back and rest while someone else does all the hard work of organizing when, where and how you are going to shoot.
Now if only it would stop raining.
Copyright © 2006 John Hindmarsh [Contact ] [Bio]
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Traveler's Tales 
