Nikon School Review

With spring arriving, I decided to look for a photography workshop, something technically oriented. I found and attended the Nikon School “Color, Light Technology” workshop in Baltimore at the BWI Marriott hotel, which was conveniently located and a good venue. Registration is by phone or online and several days after I registered ($159) I received a paper ticket in the mail. You can’t get in without a ticket and you can’t register on the spot, so if you plan to go you must commit in advance. I was also emailed a link to a 33-page PDF handout (“Working Notes”) to review before the workshop. The handout covers the content to be presented and briefly describes some image processing programs, such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Photo Mechanic, as well as discussing some concepts such as shooting RAW. It also discusses camera features, lenses, use of flash, color management and workflow. Altogether, the handout covers many topics, but there are no illustrations, so it’s more of a course syllabus than a how-to guide. The “illustrations” come in the actual workshop, and they’re excellent.

Quality of Instruction The two instructors, Michael Schwarz and Bob Pearson, took turns throughout the day. Both are accomplished photographers with backgrounds in photojournalism and commercial photography. Both are good teachers: knowledgeable, approachable and self-effacing. They clearly enjoy teaching and closely followed their outlines. They did not entertain questions until a Q & A period after lunch, a good choice. Too often, opening up to audience questions (especially with 100 attendees) derails the presentations and creates delays. This approach allowed both presenters to get through the material and stay on schedule, which they did down to the minute, without it feeling rigidly scripted.

Quality of Illustrations Some people suck at PowerPoint. In this case, the PowerPoints were utilitarian and practical. No distracting visual effects, just the facts and illustrations of “how to.” They demonstrated editing software in real time, so they did more than just describe program features, they performed edits, corrections, and re-edits, the way most of us actually work. It’s worth noting that almost no one left the presentation early, despite the fact that it was held on a Sunday. That says something about the value of the workshop to the attendees.

Nikon-focused With some exceptions the material presented was Nikon-specific, so if you’re considering attending and you use another camera brand, you may want to find a comparable workshop sponsored by your camera manufacturer. The workshop was not aimed at selling or promoting Nikon products, although predictably the equipment demonstrated was Nikon. Instead, it was aimed at making students better photographers by improving their technical knowledge. The only exception to this was the presentation on Capture NX2, which obviously targets NEF shooters, but can be used with TIFFS and JPGs from other cameras. Throughout the day there was an emphasis on shooting RAW, which I particularly appreciated.

No commercials Obviously, Nikon has a commercial agenda, and why shouldn’t they? I suspect their goal is to create brand loyalty by connecting with Nikon users, as well as promoting digital photography in general. Again, there wasn’t a heavy-handed emphasis on “buy Nikon” or “Nikon’s the best.” In the registration area attendees could look at current Nikon DSLRs and P & S cameras, but none were available for sale. SanDisk and Iomega were co-sponsors and both had products to demo, but again none were for sale. There were drawings for some very nice prizes, including memory cards, books, external hard drive, hats, and a copy of Capture NX2. It was a nice touch. (No, I didn’t win anything.)

Bob's presentation on Capture NX2 was most helpful and it and my experience with the trial version convinced me that it’s a piece of software worth having, especially since I shoot NEF. If you shoot another RAW format, Nik’s Viveza 2 uses the same engine (Nik wrote Capture and Viveza) and can be used as a plug-in in Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I like the fact that Capture is a standalone; it may not matter to others. In any case, it is a very impressive piece of software. You can make global and regional edits without masking and selecting, a huge time saver. Michael did an excellent demonstration on using multiple flashes, taking out the mystery and demonstrating how easy it can be. There was a useful presentation on using reflectors and diffusers outdoors.

Value Was it worth $159? Yes. (A very nice lunch was included, by the way.) Much of the material was not new to me, but it’s always helpful to hear it again, I picked up some useful info and was reminded of things I had forgotten. It’s also helpful to see experts work, rather than just read what they say about how they work. 


Overall, this was a worthwhile experience, and I had to drive over two hours each way. If you’re a Nikon shooter and are comfortable with the basic operation of your camera and the fundamentals of composition and exposure, this is the next step and is well worth the cost. After attending this workshop the next step is practicing the skills that were demonstrated and becoming comfortable with the concepts that were discussed. If the Nikon School comes to your area, give it a look.

Recommended Improvements  I wish Nikon would offer more Capture NX2 workshops. I'd like to attend one, but the only one I could find is in Austin (nice place, far away.) And, while I certainly don't expect Nikon (or SanDisk or Iomega) to set up a storefront in a hotel, it would be nice if they offered a few things for sale, like instructional DVDs, or gave out promotional coupons. I suspect people are in a mood to spend money when they're enjoying a workshop.