Years and years and years ago (holy crap, it’s been over 20 years) I took one of my very first photo workshops. One big reason I chose this particular workshop in Olympic National Park was that it featured John Shaw. At that point in my nature photography journey, John had been my biggest influence. I had his books and videos. I’d read his articles. So naturally, if I could take a workshop, I wanted it to be with John Shaw.
John’s co-leader on this workshop was David Middleton. I’d heard of David too, but the reason I took this workshop was because of John. Turns out that though I learned some things from John, I learned even more from David. David became sort of a mentor and later a friend. And a few years later I was actually teaching workshops alongside David. It’s safe to say that I learned much of what I know about photography from David and practically all I know about leading workshops from him as well. (So you can blame him!)
David is one of the best teachers I know. And his workshops are a mix of humor, good instruction, hilarious stories, chocolate, and good instruction. And sometimes a dog.
When folks ask me about other workshops the first name I give them is David’s. Want to photograph Vermont? David runs a workshop in what is literally his own backyard. Seriously, he takes you to his house. He also runs a workshop in Pacific Rim National Park on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. I’ve been seriously thinking of crashing this workshop; it looks great and always seems to sell out. And David is the person who showed me the ins and outs of the Oregon Coast (we even wrote a book on the subject).
Here’s where David is going this year:
- Redwood National Park, April 16-20
- Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park, May 26 – June 1
- The Oregon Coast, July 9-13
- Fall in Vermont, Oct. 8-12
- Fall on the Maine Coast, Oct. 15-19
So if you’re looking for another workshop to attend, I couldn’t recommend David’s more highly. Take a look at his workshop offerings here, you won’t be disappointed.
