Photographing your product is key to getting it sold but so many people find it difficult to get their images looking just right. If you’re struggling with disappointing images and want to see how to make great images of your products, the best way is to attend a one-day workshop.
I’m an experienced photographer, writer and instructor and regularly run photographic workshops for EOS magazine on subjects such as colour management, basic camera craft, macro photography and image editing.
I’m currently working on a special one-day workshop for Folksy members that will cover all the commonly asked questions on this forum and give you the chance to ask questions face-to-face and try out techniques under expert guidance. Not only is a workshop the best way to get practical help with your photography problems, it’s a great opportunity to network and share experience. Learning new skills and techniques will save you many frustrating hours and allow you to spend more time on actually making stuff!
If there is sufficient interest to go ahead with this, I will email each person attending to discover what their particular difficulty is and invite then to send me a problem image. I will then make sure the topic is covered on the day. We will talk about what cameras to use, types of lenses, backgrounds, lighting, dealing with exposure and colour problems and how to prepare images for Folksy. The workshop will be taking place initially near Witney in Oxfordshire and will cost around £60 for the day including a light snack lunch. If there is a demand for other workshops, I will be happy to consider holding them in other parts of the country.
In order to make this work, I need feedback from you all and would appreciate it if you’d let me know if you’d be interested in attending. If so, would you prefer a week day or a Saturday? Once I get sufficient interest, I’ll post some dates on this forum. I’ve cleared this with Folksy and they’ve said they would promote the workshops on their social media so keep an eye on Facebook too. I look forward to hearing from you and hope I can help.
What a great idea - I’m sure there are loads of people who would be happy to attend. I would be interested in principal although it would depend a little bit on the course content. I don’t have the disposable income to afford a fancy camera but would be interested in how to make the most of the one I have which is a compact camera with various programmable settings on it. Also personally I would need quite a bit of notice to make sure I haven’t got work/craft fairs booked at the same time. Look forward to finding out if it is viable and to further details if it is
This sounds like a fantastic idea and I think that £60 is a really great price too. If you ever decide to do a workshop in the Derbyshire/Nottingham area, let me know x
That’s no problem - the idea of a workshop is to meet the needs of those attending not for me to give a lecture on top-end photography. That’s why I ask people what equipment they use and what problems they have. That way, I can tailor the topics covered to match what people really need to know so to some extent the course content is up to you.
I’m aware that not everyone is going to be shooting with a high-end camera so I’ll certainly cover how to get the best results with whatever equipment you have.
This sound great and I live close enough to Witney to be able to attend.
A weekday would generally be better for me - like Roz @OrchardFelts I do a lot of craft fairs that ai book well in advance, and most are at the weekend. Not sure when you are thinking of running the workshop but for me it would need to be some time in the new year- my time between now and Christmas is pretty much spoken for.
Thanks for the feedback - I understand about craft fairs so we can arrange something for a week day in the new year. In the mean time, feel free to email me at dave@ravello.co.uk to tell me about the camera you use, what problems you’re finding and how you process your images so I can address any issues you may have in the course.
Hi mecki,
my workshops are usually about ten to twelve people. This helps to keeps costs low but few enough people to keep it personal and friendly. I always encourage people to ask as many questions as they like but this only works in a relatively small group. As soon as I have ten people interested, I will book a venue and date - probably a week day in January.
Hi Dave
It might be helpful to others - certainly would be for me - to know a little more about your professional background, approach to and style(s) of photography before committing… Maybe by providing your websie details?
Mecki
Sorry it’s been a while but I’ve been spending time working on my website update. Please take a look at www.image-matters.biz. I’ve added a Folksy product photography workshop and am just sorting out the venue and dates. It will probably take place in January but not sure if a weekday or Saturday would be most popular.
Just taken a look at the course content and it looks great - very relevant to me.
Definitely still interested.
Once we’re into the new year my weekends are freer until fairs start up again, around March time, so weekday or weekends is likely to be possible for me.
Hoping I don’t overlook any further posts on this once you set specific dates - if I do please will you be good enough to message me to give me a nudge.
I could do with some help, & course content looks good. Based in Yorkshire, so if you consider running any courses further up north please let me know.
I’ve added a blog notification on my my main page. If you enter your email there, you’ll receive notification when I add a new post. I’ll happily run a workshop on the north if there is enough demand. Folksy will also be promoting new workshops so you should be able to stay informed.
Hi Sue,
I’ve added a blog sign-up box on my site’s front page. If you enter your email in the box, you’ll automatically get notification when I post on it (don’t worry - I won’t spam you with pointless posts and you can unsubscribe from it a single click). That way, as soon as there is news to report concerning the workshop venue and date, you see it.
I must say, what an amazing idea about new product photography workshop. It would be greatly helpful for professional photographer in learning more product photography. Thanks!!
