A little more than a year ago I had an idea. Why not run a free workshop? But as I worked on it I realized it wouldn’t be practical. Then I had a second idea. Run a workshop but the only people who get to attend are the workshop leaders and photographer/attendees who win the right by entering and winning a contest. It was a very odd approach. Usually, people pay ME to come on my workshops. But in this case, I paid them. And instead of our usual 12 persons to two instructors ratio, we went smaller. Four winners and four pros – a one-to-one ratio. This made for a more intimate and personal experience for all.
After I figured out what I wanted to do, the next step was to find sponsors. If I was going to bring four professional photographer/instructors and four amateur photographers to locations all over the western USA, I needed sponsors.
Thanks to Apple, Nik Software, Lensbaby, Drobo, Peachpit Press and ThinkTank Photo, we got the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops off the ground.
We ran four contests, one each quarter – the winners got free seats to the workshop, money for transportation, prizes, and more. They were all talented folks. Here they are, in no particular order…
Rhonda Holcomb, Bill Jeffries, Julie Stainbrook, Jarek Szymanski, Olga Yiparaki, Elyse Weadock, Ara Roselani, Bryan Holliday, Kimberly Haugen, David Orias, Nikki Frantz, John Harrison, Bryan Mahler, Cathy Chung, Richard Rothstein and Rob Trueman.
We went to some of the most beautiful locations in the USA. Mt. Rainier, Yosemite, the Tetons and Yellowstone.
Along the way we made lots of great images thanks in part to the great team of instructor/pros who helped me lead the workshops. Thanks to Rick Sammon, Gary Hamburgh, Steve Simon, Juan Pons, Frederick Van Johnson, Jennifer Wu, Scott Stulberg and Martin Gisborne.
I also want to thank our trip documentarians, Nicole Young, Cathy Chung, Liana Lehua and Lisa Bettany.
This concludes the ANPW series. We’ll keep this blog going for a while so we can continue to link to pictures, etc. We’ll have other wrap up posts and some pics and video from ANPW#4 soon.
Thanks to all who participated.
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I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you Scott, as well as all of the pros who helped and the sponsors. I think the APNW’s were a great idea and a great way to give back to the photography community. I have seen lots of people advertising their work shops all over the world, but the APNW’s were the only ones I have ever seen that were being given away. My only regret is that I didn’t win.
I really hope you consider doing something like this again in the future.
Thanks for all you do to help the photography community!
Regards,
Mike
Scott,
Thanks for the innovative idea and the tremendous amount of effort and organization that went into this year long event. I really have appreciated being a part of it and having the opportunity to work with the winners as well as the other professionals.
Scott, it was an honor and a privilege to be able to meet you and the others. An experience I will never forget. I don’t think I’ll be able to thank you enough.
Congratulations to you, Scott, on such a successful workshop program! What a great year! It was a tremendous opportunity and a most memorable experience all around…one which I will always value, remember, and be thankful for! What’s next??
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