Well sort of but not quite, but for the 5th (or 6th?) year I will be teaching my sports photography class at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design.
Ok, it is not quite camp, there are no tents or cabins; there are no s’mores and probably no bonfires! In addition, you will not be shooting from the back of a motorcycle and while we will be at events, you will not in an editorial sense be Covering the Event.
You will however have a great opportunity not only to shoot but also to have access at events that you could not do on your own. Well at least not legitimately.
Here are a few snaps from prior sessions.
Although the events change year-to-year depending both on the weather and the calendar, our tentative schedule
- Class at MCAD -Tuesday June 7
- Liberty Triathlon – Saturday Morning June 11
- Capitol City Triathlon Morning – June 12
- Class at MCAD Tuesday – June 14
- Paul Saints – Wednesday Evening June 15
- North Star Bike Festival – Friday Evening June 17
- Canterbury Downs – Saturday Morning June 18
- Motorcycle racing – Sunday – Mid-day June 19
- Class at MCAD – Tuesday June 21
- Events Pending – June 25 /26
- One on one student sessions June 26 to 27
As you can see, the weekend of June 17, 18 & 19 we have 3 events schedule, which will really give you a real world feel of what it like to be a working editorial sports photographer.
Although your level of photo experience does really not matter to take the course, the more you know the more you will gain. Each year, we have a student or two who comes back for a second session and their work really improves.
What is important is that you are familiar with equipment. Although we do discuss the use of shutter speeds and f/stops, it will be in the context of getting a sports photo and telling a story and not the basic functionality.
One of the traditionally most popular classroom sessions is the detail walk through of my digital workflow from shooting the photo to post processing, using both Photo Mechanic and Lightroom. Efficiency is as critical whether shooting sprint event or an Ironman.
The final few days will be test of how much coffee I can drink! I will meet with each of the participants individually to give you each a more specific critique of what you can work on and where you can take your photography.
I hope you see you there. Registration begins on May 2nd but in the meantime you can review the details on the MCAD Continuing Education Website.
In closing, I am going to show off just a bit.
The image was shot last July at the Challenge Roth Triathlon and was published in Triathlete.com. In January 2016, it was selected by the industry group, Triathlon Business International as the Top Published Triathlon Photo of 2015.
Competitive Image 