Here is the student slide show from my 2022 Day of the Dead Street Photography Workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico. All the students did great work and we had an amazing exhibition at the end at Central del Arte where lots of people came out to check out our prints. I’d say this was probably one of the best workshops I have run to date with day trips to graveyards and local villages, lectures from top notch Mexican photographers, fabulous food, and of course amazing mezcal.
workshop
Day of the Dead Street Photography Workshop San Miguel de Allende, Mexico /
San Miguel de Allende | © 2019 Chris Suspect
In San Miguel, Day of the Dead is one of the most colorful and charming holidays of the year. It is the time when Mexicans welcome the dead back to earth for a visit, even while mocking death itself. Featuring several parades, night time celebrations at beautifully decorated cemeteries, art installations, dances and lusciously decorated public altars in homes and the streets around the entire town.
Join me October 29 - November 4th for an amazing trip and take your street photography to the next level in a beautiful, exciting and welcoming city. I will review the history of street photography, discuss the proper method to critique images and highlight visual cues to keep in the back of your mind when shooting, including juxtapositions, tricks of perspective, multiple points of interest, raw emotion, layering, obscuring elements, geometric principles, shadow play, and the subliminal power of semiotics. I also work a lot with flash and will share techniques to shoot at night in the festivities in and around San Miguel.
This workshop is for all levels but a basic understanding of how to operate your camera is expected. Laptop and thumb drive will be required for editing and the feedback sessions. Any camera is accepted.
SCHEDULE: We will have breakfast every day as a group. Then we will meet daily in the mornings to review work and give feedback. The group will go out and shoot at different times and locations depending on the Dead of the Day festivities and La Calaca Festival schedule of events.
The workshop starts Tuesday 29 in the evening with a group dinner (after all students have arrived ) and ends Monday 4th at approx. 8am after group breakfast. You can make travel arrangements to depart San Miguel anytime after 8 AM on Monday the 4th.
For more information and to reserve your spot visit MSPF Workshops.
Check out the Promo Video
Interview with Focus on the Story on My Street Photography Workshop Philosophy /
Denver, Co. | © 2019 Chris Suspect
There is a nice interview on Focus on the Story with me about my upcoming street photography workshop, May 29-May 31, that’s part of the larger Focus on The Story Festival. In the interview I touch on how I run my workshops and the kinds of things I want my students to take away.
By being a student of photographic history and a dedicated practitioner of the craft, you will ideally find yourself in a better position to recognize more visual opportunities and be able to express them with your own unique vision.
There are still some spots available so if you are interested please visit the official workshop page. You can also take this workshop a la carte if you do not want to register for the festival. One other cool thing about this workshop is that all the participating students will have their work projected during the opening party which is a great way for your work to be seen by many of the influential guests and presenters that will be there.
Join Me for a 2 1/2-Day Street Photography Workshop in DC /
2.5 Day Workshop
Washington, DC | 5/29-5/31
Join me for a 2½ -day street photography workshop in Washington, D.C., during the Focus on the Story Festival, May 29-May 31, and take your street photography skills to the next level.
Starting Wednesday morning, I will review the basics of street photography – what street photography is and is not, and the history of street photography, including the work of the masters.
You will learn how one “reads” a street photography image and how to identify the elements of what makes a street photograph successful. I will discuss visual cues to keep in the back of your mind when shooting, from juxtapositions, tricks of perspective, humor, gestures, multiple points of interest, raw emotion, layering, obfuscation, geometry, light and shadow, and the subliminal power of semiotics.
We will take this newly learned knowledge to the streets for the rest of the day/evening and apply what was discussed in practice. Attendees can go out on their own or go with me and I will provide practical tips for capturing interesting photos and will help you to identify situations that may provide fruitful for a successful image.
On Thursday morning, students will be asked to come to the class with no more than 10 of their favorite images from the day before. These will then be shown to all the students in the workshop and be open for critique by the group and instructor.
In the afternoon/evening, we will hit the streets again learning from what went right or wrong the day before.
On Friday morning, we will meet up to review the previous day’s images and consider how one sequences the images from the past two days for slideshow at the official opening party. The workshop will officially end at noon.
All students who sign up for the workshop will receive in advance a recommended reading list of books that explore the history and philosophy of photography, photography techniques, and street photography photo books of importance. In addition, they will also receive some notes on gear, lenses and flashes that are advantageous to practicing street photography.
This workshop is for all levels but a basic understanding of how to operate your camera is expected. Laptop and thumb drive will be required for editing and the edit review sessions. Any camera is accepted.