Travel & Humanitarian Photos
I’m in the enviable position of being swamped with work at the moment. When you’re freelancing, the phrase “Make hay while the sun shines” is never far from your mind and, let’s be honest, I work in what can be a precarious field so there’s every reason to want to keep busy. When I’m not actually shooting or processing or teaching or travelling to or from the shooting, processing and teaching then I’m wearing my Marketing hat or my Admin hat or I’m chasing invoices or sweeping out behind the bike sheds or whatever else needs doing. I don’t actually have bike sheds but you get the gist.
So, I’m busy. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I don’t have time to write on my much-loved blog unless it’s to complain about how busy I am. I sense that I may be in danger of shooting myself in the foot right about now.
So, here’s the thing, I have five minutes whilst I’m brewing up a fresh pot of Muscatel Second Flush Darjeeling tea, fresh from the glorious slopes of what quickly became my favourite place on the planet in recent weeks and it’s just enough time to tell you about the following, very special opportunity that I’m delighted and very fortunate to be a part of – and it’s coming up in July.
If you don’t know the names Karl Grobl, Matt Brandon and Marco Ryan then you clearly haven’t been paying attention so I’ll let you into a little secret… Did you ever wonder what the Chippendales did after they split-up? Well, some people believe that they became travel photographers but I’m not at liberty to confirm or deny that. Anyway, here’s my one-sentence guide to what each of us do since we’ve given up the bow-ties and leather trousers:
Karl Grobl is the busiest NGO and Humanitarian photographer that I know. And I know a few. He’s also the most down-to-earth, most pro-active yet easy-going photographer ever to have wielded a boarding pass.
Matt Brandon is one of the finest street portrait photographers I know. And I know a few. He’s also the gentlest, pipe-smoking, hat wearing individual ever to have picked up a CF card.
Marco Ryan is one of the most accomplished yet self-deprecating Englishmen that I know. And I know a few. He’s what my 98-year old Auntie would describe as being “At the top of the tree, dear”. He’s the sort of guy who sets up charities (Focus for Humanity) in his spare time. Seriously, in his spare time. He also appreciates a decent cup of tea and so is clearly a superior individual.
And then there’s me, Gavin Gough, this is my blog, those are my photos. Recently voted “Most Attractive Tea Drinker in South East Asia” by readers of CNN Business Traveller magazine. Probably.
Imagine, if you can, the heady delight of being able to spend time with any one of us. But don’t stop there, let your imagination run wild, imagine spending time with not one, not two, not even three but with all four of us! Then, if that delicious prospect hasn’t already made you impossibly giddy with excitement, imagine spending two weeks with all four of us in one of the most photogenic and exotic locations on earth and spending all that time talking, eating, sleeping and dreaming photography! I know! What bliss!
Cast your eyes again, if you will, to the banner above and enjoy the sight of our four baby-faces. Have you ever seen a more rugged and shining example of manliness in one photo workshop? Not since David duChemin threatened to shave his goatee has there been so much testosterone in one photo workshop. It’s enough to give you goose-bumps on your goose-bumps.
So, here’s the thing and this is the serious bit (the previous bit wasn’t all that serious, to be perfectly honest). I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to do this workshop justice on my blog and I’d had to admit to Karl that I wasn’t likely to find the time to post anything about it before my next trip. Then, this evening, I opened up the itinerary and I’m just blown away by what he’s arranged. Yes, the accommodation is all fabulous, the locations are truly inspiring etc. etc. but, much more than that, the opportunity for any aspiring photographer is simply unbeatable. It would be hard to find the depth of knowledge and experience in any other workshop. I mean, Karl, Marco and I are each nearly thirty-five years old now and when you include Matt Brandon, our total ages reach nearly 180 years. There’s value right there.
We’ll have story-telling workshops, lectures on post-production, projects to inspire you, multimedia workshops, one-to-one mentoring sessions, countless photo shoot opportunities and even, I notice with some trepidation, I’m down to lead participants on an evening shoot in Phnom Penh that has been worryingly entitled “Heart of Darkness with Gavin Gough”. That should be worth the attendance fee alone!
This trip has been sponsored by a host of leading photo industry suppliers including Think Tank, BlackRapid, X-Rite, Lensbaby, Soundslides and Spider holsters so you can be sure there will be goodies available for participants too.
So, that darned Darjeeling tea will be stewed if I don’t rescue it soon so your two to three minutes at 90 degrees centigrade is up. If you are really serious about improving your photographic skills this year then I honestly do not know of any other photo workshop that will give you greater opportunities than this. Go and read more for yourself and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Karl Grobl or leave a comment below.
I hope to see you in Angkor 
Errr .what was in that tea, Gavin?