A One Day, One-On-One New York City Experience with The Passionate Photographer: Steve Simon

Private Workshop Details

With my love of travel and passion for photography along with a need to share that  passion, leading workshops has become an ideal fit for me as I pursue my photographic dreams and projects. But my seven-year-old son Sawyer has made it hard for me to be away as much. I love hanging with him, so I've reduced my travel and decided to spend more time close to home.

 (Yes, I'm shamelessly exploiting my photogenic son for profit)

Having lived in New York City for 20 years and taught more than 100 workshops here, I know this amazing city very well from a photographers' perspective. I have decided to offer personalized one-on-one or small group New York City private workshops over one or two days when time permits. This will give you the benefit of all my experience and my full attention. 

Each workshop will be personalized and designed to maximize your learning and New York City shooting experience. Our time together will be tailored to your needs. To do this we will communicate well in advance via Zoom so I can create a program to best suit your goals.

We will make time to go over your work, and I will provide an honest and insightful assessment with suggestions on how to best move forward. We will also take time to solve any technical issues you may be dealing with before we go out on location. At the end of the session, I will design a plan of action to move you forward toward achieving your photographic goals and dreams, providing assignments to keep the momentum going long after the session ends.

If shooting in New York City is a major goal, the session will be programmed to maximize the learning experience and help you create a unique and powerful portfolio from New York City.  We will explore vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods New York is famous for and I can take you to some hidden gems.

Locations may include: Times Square, High Line Park, Harlem, Fifth Avenue & 57 Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Hudson Yards, The Oculus, Chinatown, Little Italy, Ground Zero and the Lower East Side, Union Square, Washington Square Park, Queens, Coney Island and other parts of Brooklyn.

The cost is $1250 per day and includes dinner or lunch at one of my favorite New York eateries. If you want to keep the cost down, find a friend or two. The daily rate for a two-person session is $2000, the maximum is three people @$2750. It's expensive  but it's an investment I'm confident will pay dividends. So much so that I offer a complete money-back guarantee if you feel the sessions did not meet your expectations. In my own professional development, mentors have helped catapult my progress with a valuable nugget here and there which has accelerated my progress. 

Click on the "Book Now" button to inquire about setting up this personal workshop experience. 

Street Philosophies

I will create assignments to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of place.

You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” for travel photography. I'm well versed in the global laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up. We can 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. 

Street Tech

The technical is the easiest thing to fix but there are no shortcuts around it--which is why we take care of tech issues at the onset. I have a minimalist view on gear and will share my simplified shooting process to maximize response time so you can capture decisive moments.

My street tools include Nikon Gear, both mirrorless and DSLR with a carefully curated selection of lenses. Along with looking at a portfolio of your work, I ask that you supply a list of gear so we can collaborate on an improved shooting process designed for your shooting style and photographic goals.  

We can talk lenses, auto focus, zone focusing, shooting form the hip, using live view, flash and a host of other tips, tricks, distractions and ideas that will improve your work dramatically. Along with gear choices you will learn best practices of problem-solving when dealing with constantly changing variables.

After our location shoot, we will look at a selection of your best work and I can walk you through my processes of culling, organizing, editing, processing and archiving vast volumes of images.

You'll see how I work with programs like Photo Mechanic and Lightroom when it's applicable. I can discuss how I deal with securing and protecting my work, from memory cards on a shoot to archiving and backing up on to drives and in the cloud.

The critique is of crucial importance, where we share ideas and constructive criticism as we look through each others’ images. We will have honest discussions and I can help you to identify strengths and weaknesses.  

Click here for some available hotels…Air BNB is also a good option. 

“I am a tourist." – Garry Winogrand

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 NYC 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. you 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."