Workshop Details
This intimate three-day masterclass (limited to just 5 students) is designed to maximize both the learning experience and your ability to create a unique and powerful portfolio of imagery from Boston.
The workshop officially begins Saturday at 1pm and ends Monday after the Memorial Day Parade.
This is a mentorship workshop where Steve meets with each participant prior to the start for a one-on-one Zoom meeting assessment of your portfolio and a tech check to discuss gear and best ways to use it regardless of your system brand.
There is a pre-workshop group meeting & lecture as well as a post workshop Zoom class as part of the mentorship. Steve will be teaching you new and powerful street photography techniques guaranteed to push you from your comfort zone to new heights in your work and share his street-shooting philosophies gleaned from a lifetime of wandering urban places with his camera.
When we arrive in Boston, you will explore the vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods Boston is famous for and local expert Sean will take us to some great vantage points for capturing Boston's architecture along with urban landscape and cityscapes and some hidden gems. A highlight of course will be the Memorial Day Parade coverage on Monday in Cambridge.
Group Dinner
On the Saturday night we head to our special dinner location for a true Boston culinary event. (Restaurant TBD).
Boston is one of the most historic cities in the United States. Famous for many reasons, it’s perhaps best known as the birthplace of the American Revolution. If Boston is lovely to look at from afar, it’s is even more intriguing up close. The cobblestones of the narrow streets echo a history of revolution and transformation. However, not a single element has influenced the city so profoundly as its educational institutions.
As in the past, Boston’s universities and colleges continue to attract scholars, scientists, philosophers and writers who shape the city’s evolving culture. Students arrive from around the world, an endless source of energy for the youthful city. It is a small city of winding roads and nestled neighborhoods, one where America’s rich history sits directly beside some of its finest Universities, medical centers, and technological innovations.
Steve & Sean will scout locations to work out the final detailed itinerary to balance the street and urban work we will pursue. Though the schedule may seem packed, woven into the program is down time to relax, edit your work and percolate on the experience and what is being taught. Here's Steve in action during the Chicago version of this workshop.
We encourage flexibility and independence among participants and will attempt to personalize your experience whenever possible. If you fall in love with an area and want to continue working there–you are encouraged to do so.
Limiting our workshop participation, allows us to tailor this workshop to meet the needs of each participant. Lectures and assignments will be personalized to get you out of your comfort zone and push you forward in your work. The city of Boston is fairly easy to navigate but you will be doing a lot of walking so keep that in mind!
Our Meeting Room Base:
Club Quarters Hotel
161 Devonshire Street, Boston, MA 02110 T. 1.617.960.9100
Uniquely situated at the center of downtown Boston and its Financial District, this CQ hotel boasts walking-distance proximity to the waterfront, Government Center, and the city’s famed North End. Housed in the Compton Building – which appears on the National Register of Historic Places – history buffs will appreciate being just a stone’s throw from Post Office Square, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston Common, and the must-experience Freedom Trail. As we say here, wicked good..
Our meeting room is downstairs from the hotel in the Elephant & Castle restaurant.
Accommodation:
Click HERE for Club Quarters Hotel. Click HERE for Nearby Hotels.
Street Philosophies
“When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.” – Alfred Eisenstaedt
Steve and Sean will be teaching new and powerful street photography techniques as well as best practices for capturing the amazing urban opportunities Boston offers using your tripod and live view--guaranteed to push you to new heights in your work. Steve will further share his street-shooting philosophies gleaned from a lifetime of wandering urban places with his camera.
This intensive, exclusive workshop will help you find your own unique vision and street style through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the city.
But mostly you will be shooting the theatre and architecture that is the street; sometimes together, often on your own.
All levels of photographic experience can benefit from this workshop. Passion is the requirement.
You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and we will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up.
You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people on the street; overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision.
And we will have so much fun!
“I am a tourist.“ – Garry Winogrand
(All Images ©Sean Sliney) 
Street Tech
We will talk urban-tech with Steve & Sean giving you their minimalist view on gear along with simplified shooting processes to maximizing your response time to capture decisive moments.
Steve’s street tools include Nikon mirrorless along with a carefully curated selection of lenses. He is also familiar with a wide range of equipment to help you maximize your mirrorless, compact, rangefinder, DSLR or even your camera phone for compelling urban images.
Though our focus is on vision more than gear, we will talk lenses, auto focus, zone focusing, shooting form the hip, using live view, flash, camera support and tripods and a host of other tips, tricks, distractions and ideas that will improve your work dramatically.
It’s a street and urban photography masterclass but the lessons learned here will benefit you in all genres of image-making.
Critique
We will have in-class meetings as well as virtual photo-reviews on shooting days where we will examine a selection of your best or most interesting work from the previous day.
These daily critiques are of crucial importance, where we share ideas and constructive criticism looking through each others’ images. Our workshop will be a “safe place” for group discussions with suggestions and new ideas put forward. Steve will help guide participants work into a cohesive portfolio of images, through careful culling. You will be encouraged to take on a theme over the week for your final portfolio.
“A picture is the expression of an impression. If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it? “ – Ernst Haas
Itinerary
Steve Simon
Steve Simon has been passionate about documenting the beauty and drama of the human condition his entire photographic life. The author of five critically-acclaimed photography books with works in major museum collections worldwide, he is on the faculty of the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York. He has also done a series of photography videos on Lynda.com.
Steve is as passionate about teaching as he is photography. His recently launched blog: thepassionatephotographer.com has info on workshops he teaches globally, including Street Photography Workshops, PhotoPlus Expo, Nikonians, Gulf Photo-Dubai, MacWorld & Nikon Mentor Series. He has been published and profiled in a variety of magazines: Photo District News, New York Times Magazine, Life, Harpers, People & Walrus among them. Corporate clients include Nikon, SanDisk, Sony Music & Apple. Among his honors: Art Director’s Club NY, Canadian News Photographer of The Year, Global Health Council, NPPA & PX3.
His book THE PASSIONATE PHOTOGRAPHER was chosen one of Amazon’s Top Ten Arts and Photography books. A revised and updated second edition will go on sale early next year.
Read More about Steve Simon hereSean Sliney
A passionate photographer from a young age, Sean Sliney relocated to Boston in 2001, which ignited a new interest in street photography. Transitioning to digital in 2007 only strengthened that interest, and drove him to grow his own photography skills and development.Now after studying many books, lectures, three Steve Simon workshops, and a lot of work, he has been able to start shooting portraits professionally, and continues to shoot street in Boston, and around the world. Recently, he has begun teaching intro to photography classes and workshops, fulfilling a lifelong ambition to teach and give back.
You can see Sean's Instagram account herePricing
Total Cost: USD $2,000.00
Deposit: USD $99.00
What’s Included
The workshop fee is for tuition only, you will have to book your own transportation to and from Boston as well as your accommodation while there. The welcome dinner and Tour are included in the price.
For questions or inquiries, pleasecontact us anytime.
This workshop is limited to 5 students!
The Passionate Photographer Inc. and Photo Educate are not responsible for cancellations due to medical emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. Please insure that these last-minute emergencies are covered by your travel insurance policy.
What to Bring:
- The weather in Boston can be beautiful this time of year. Average temperatures range from mid- 60’s during the day, cooling down (mid 50’s) as the sun goes down. But it could easily be warmer or cooler. It can sometimes rain of course, which could be great for our images.
- This is a digital workshop, so a Mirrorless, DSLR, High-End Compact or rangefinder camera (or phone) can all work. Having a back up body is always a good idea.
- For your Mirrorless or DSLR, fast prime lenses are ideal, or at least one wide-angle zoom. Lenses in the classic range for street photography: 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm will all work (based on full frame camera) and fast lenses f2 or faster offer more flexibility. Ultra wide lenses and longer telephotos can be great for capturing the amazing urban cityscapes and details.
- Two or three fully-charged batteries & charger.
- More memory cards than you think you will need and a card reader.
- Your own laptop for image editing and note-taking.
- A flash is optional but bring one to experiment with flash on the street.
Testimonials
Gary Niederpruem, Chicago
“What a fabulous experience. I learned more about photography in one week than I had in 5 years. Steve is very knowledgable about the technical side as well as composition. He is very patient, gives excellent feedback and will work one on one with you on any photography subject you want. I asked him for help on night photography and at 10 PM he was out on the streets of Havana with me with step by step instructions on how to take the shot. 5 star plus rating!!”
Anna Blanco, New York City
“Best workshop I’ve ever taken! Steve is not only a great photographer, he is also a terrific teacher. He is patient and very hands- on. In some workshops the instructor sends students out to shoot after a short lecture–Steve goes out with his students, coaching them throughout the process. His course is well organized and covers diverse topics. He is funny and engaging and generous with his time and knowledge. I had SO MUCH fun and am ready to sign up for the next one. Highly recommended!”
Anne Dunford, Ithaca, New York
"My week in Steve’s Street Shooting workshop challenged me tremendously. There’s nothing like taking your work apart and putting it back together with new vision to make you a better photographer. If you take this workshop, I guarantee you will see the world differently at the end."
Paul Lavergne, San Juan, PR
"Steve’s passion for photography is contagious and his teaching abilities and knowledge extraordinary! I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in photography."
Chapman Solomon, Mountain View, CA
“Participating in the Street Photography Workshop was an enriching and exhilarating experience. It challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to improve my skills. Steve’s curriculum and hands on approach offered me an opportunity to learn new techniques, add some creativity and visualize subject matter from another perspective. Each day presented abundant photo opportunities, resulting with the capture of some amazing images, exceeding my greatest expectations.”
Stephen Sholl, New York City
"Not only is Steve a great photographer, he is also a caring, compassionate person as well. He is constantly trying to help participants achieve their photographic goals in a gentle, caring, and sincere manner. Sadly, the critiques of my work were very helpful. Steve was right-on in terms of his suggestions to better my work. The totality of the workshop was terrific, primarily because the parts were all excellent as well. Choice of shooting locations, image reviews, suggestions, videos shown, and galleries visited were all great. Steve also promoted wonderful interactions among the participants. The venue was perfect for the workshop. We could spread out, leave our things there, use the facilities, and eat the goodies provided. You know you’re in good hands with Steve! An outstanding workshop!!"
Steve Lavelle, London
"This is an outstanding workshop, led by a world-class photographer. It is impossible to spend time in a room with Steve Simon and not be inspired to get out there and make great images …I had high expectations and you exceeded them…Steve is very personable, articulate and passionate about photography, very welcoming with a warm, engaging personality. Steve’s style is outstanding. I knew of Steve from the TWiP podcast and would have attended if he was talking about how to watch paint dry…”
Oscar Piñeyro, Dallas
"I just spent the last three days with Steve Simon, What a wonderful experience, the best time spent in a workshop ever. Steve is a perfectionist, every presentation not only had spectacular photography but also the perfect music to enhance the mood, a roller coaster of emotions. He cannot hide his journalistic background every single image tells a story. His technique is flawless; his teaching patience unparalleled. I am eager to start a new chapter of my photography applying what Steve taught me in the last few days."