I am excited to announce my nature photography workshops for 2016. These are action packed, fun filled workshops that are crammed full of practical photography tips and information that will supercharge your photography. Just ask anyone who has “survived” one of my workshops.

Before you read about the workshops I would suggest you quickly scroll down the page and look at all of the photos. They were all taken at my workshops and they will give you a visual sense of what the workshops are like. Then go back and read the details.

In my workshops, no professional secrets are held back. I share everything I possibly can in the time we have together. I am committed to helping you become a better photographer.

These are full tilt, no holds barred, get right after it workshops. One day workshops are non-stop from 9 am to 9 pm (with breaks for meals).

Weekend and 2 1/2 day workshops are crammed full of activities from 6 am or earlier in the morning until 9 pm or later at night.

If you end up totally exhausted from the intense schedule (it happens), skip a morning or evening field trip, rest, sleep, and catch up with us at the next activity.

Intensive, fully illustrated exploration sessions in the classroom are followed by “go out and do it” field trips. One minute you are learning the professional secrets of great photography, the next minute you are outside practicing what you just learned. It is the ideal combination of activities to take your photography to the next level.

In addition to the outside photo activities at the primary workshop location to practice your skills, we also go on field trips to other locations of photographic interest.

At the Gibraltar Island workshop we shoot at the island in the mornings and we head for South Bass Island for other field trips. At the Grand Rapids workshop we head for Lake Michigan for the evening field trip. Park of the Pines is on Lake Charlevoix so we do the morning field trips right there. In the evening we head north to Lake Michigan and to other places like Thorne-Swift Nature Preserve. The Colorado workshop takes advantage of Rocky Mountain National Park which is right next to our workshop location.

If you are serious about your photography and ready to kick it up a notch, one of these workshops is for you.

These workshops have a limited number of participants so everyone gets lots of attention. Register soon. These workshops fill up fast.

Unfortunately, every year we had to turn people away from workshops that were booked full. Last year the September workshop in Colorado was booked full before the end of February. This year the advanced workshop in Colorado is already half booked.

The workshops I do for The Ohio State University are limited to 12 photographers. The rest of my workshops are limited to 10 or 7 photographers.

Why don’t we increase the size? An increasing number of photography workshops are “limited” to 25-30 participants. You do the math. When you are out on a field trip, how much attention will you get from the workshop leader when there are that many photographers?

The Colorado photography workshop is hugely popular. In addition to photographers from Colorado and Wyoming, we have photographers from as far away as Iowa, Tennessee and California. If this is the workshop for you, register now. It will book full in just a few weeks.

Do to the high demand and the splendor of the location for the Colorado workshop, we are adding a second, advanced workshop for people who have already been to one of my workshops.

One of the best indicators of the quality of a workshop is the number of participants who come back and take a workshop again. Great workshop presenters throw more information at you than you can possibly absorb. I have been to George Lepp and Rod Planck’s one day seminars several times. Why? Because you can’t “learn it all” in one workshop with someone as good as George or Rod. You learn something new every time, not to mention the the new burst of photographic inspiration.  I highly recommend seminars and workshops by George and Rod. Sad to say, they are not currently offering one day seminars. I did a 5 day photo tour in Denali National Park with George Lepp and it was like being in photographic heaven. The last time I checked, Rod’s workshop are $795 and George’s workshops are around $900. Depending on the length, sponsor, and location, my workshops range from $100 – $450. More information below

When I started teaching photography 21 years ago at the the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, students would come back and take my classes (which included field trips) more than once. That is still true of my workshops today. You can read workshop testimonials here.

Jeremy Bruskotter took my classes more than once at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. He is now shooting professionally and we team lead one weekend workshop each year at Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie.

Workshop Costs

Depending on the workshop location and sponsor, my one day workshops range from $100 – $150 and weekend workshops vary from $300 – $450. The workshop fees at Park of the Pines in Northern Michigan and OSU’s Gibraltar Island include food and lodging, making them huge bargains as compared to typical photography workshop fees. Details for each workshop are at the links below.

So who am I?  This is from my web site.

The Workshop Leader

Jim Doty, Jr. has the ideal combination of practical photography experience and teaching skills to provide an inspiring workshop experience that will improve your photography.

Jim is a photography instructor with over 20 years experience on the adult and University level. He currently teaches photography at The Ohio State University. He has also taught at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Michigan and Graceland University in Iowa. During his workshops, seminars, and field trips he has worked with hundreds of photographers at all skill levels. He also does one-on-one, “shoot with a pro” sessions for people who want the ultimate in personal guidance.

Jim is an internationally published photographer whose images can be found in magazines, books, newspapers, calendars, tourist brochures, corporate reports, and on web sites for corporations and not-for-profit organizations.

Jim’s nature, portrait, event, and commercial work has been published by the National Wildlife Federation, Black & White Magazine, The Ohio State University, Ohio Sea Grant, Stone Laboratory, Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, Graceland University, Ohio.com, UNCF (United Negro College Fund), Crowne Plaza Hotels, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Hotels, Best Western Hotels, Hunt’s Guide to the Upper Peninsula, Heartland Tours and Travel, Midwest Photo Exchange, Wiley Publishing, Inc., The MichMatist, The Akron Beacon Journal, Nebraska Magazine, Yukon Review, Magic 106.3, The Herald, Community of Christ, Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Kirtland Temple Historic Site, KOA Campgrounds, Restoration Voice, Terrapin World Imports, and dozens of other businesses too numerous to list here.

Jim is the author of Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies, one of the highest rated photography books at Amazon.com. More information is here.

Workshop Links

Links to all of the workshops.

Spring Workshops

Nature Photography Workshop
OSU – Mansfield Ohio Campus
May 7, 2016

Nature Photography Workshop
Grand Rapids, Michigan
May 14, 2016

Summer Workshops

Nature Photography Workshop
Park of the Pines on Lake Charlevoix
near Boyne City, Michigan
August 12-14, 2016

Nature Photography Workshop
OSU’s Gibraltar Island, Lake Erie, Ohio
August 19-21, 2016

 

Autumn Workshops

Nature Photography Workshop
Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, Colorado
September 23-25, 2016

“Shoot with a Pro” One-on-One Sessions
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
September 26-27, 2016

Advanced Nature Photography Workshop
Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, Colorado
September 27-29, 2016

Nature Photography Workshop
OSU – Mansfield Ohio Campus
October 15, 2016