Join National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting for one of his immersive photo workshops where he shares his skills and vision and helps unleash everyone’s creativity. Learn to express your personal vision with expert instruction from Frans and his team of professional assistants. Between field trips we return to our classroom for indoor sessions about technical and creative topics. Participants will be able to have images made during the workshop critiqued by Frans during group reviews.
“CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY WITHOUT BOUNDS” – SANTA CRUZ
Saturday November 15 – Sunday November 16, 2025
Digital photography is uniquely suited to creative experimentation. Pixels are free and results can be reviewed instantly. This program teaches participants a variety of unorthodox approaches that are shortcuts to creativity. Intentional camera movement (ICM) has become a popular concept that liberates photographers from conventions.
If you would like to refresh your imagination or break away from standard photographic techniques, then this is the workshop for you. We will teach how you can create gorgeous abstractions by applying motion blur with panning and zooming techniques, how to apply different vantage points, use special ISO settings for artistic effects, and much more. Join us for a weekend aimed at unleashing your creativity. We will break old rules and come up with some new ones in the process. We are confident that you will leave smiling.
“I came to this workshop hoping that it would be the catalyst to making images completely unlike my prior work. I leave with a new set of tools that I am certain will lead to the next phase of my photographic journey. Frans is a gifted and nurturing teacher!” –- Brian Lee
Limited to 10 participants
Workshop fee: $2000 Fee includes: Field trips and instruction, orientation session by Zoom before the workshop, daily classroom sessions and image reviews. Breakfast and lunch each day.
Requirements: A digital camera with interchangeable lenses and a laptop with Adobe Lightroom for classroom sessions.
“PLAYING WITH PLANTS” – CALIFORNIA
POSTPONED UNTIL 2026
California’s Carrizo Plain is a world unto itself. With sufficient winter rain, it becomes a botanical wonderland in the spring, with an intricate variety of native plants on the plain and surrounding hillsides. During this workshop, Frans and his team will share a variety of creative approaches and photographic techniques ranging from impressionistic soft focus to sharply detailed studio-style setups.
Limited to 10 participants
Workshop fee: $3000 Fee includes: Virtual orientation session; group dinner on April 22; field trips and instruction; final image review.
Requirements: A digital camera with interchangeable lenses and a laptop with Adobe Lightroom for classroom sessions.
Schedule: Starts: Tuesday April 22 at 7:00 PM. Ends: Friday April 25 at 4:00 PM.
“SEASCAPES” – MONTEREY
Saturday February 8 – Sunday February 9, 2025
California’s Central Coast has inspired photographers for generations. Frans will introduce participants to the styles and techniques of great photographers like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Wynn Bullock, as we explore the coast to come up with our own photographic interpretations. A special feature of this weekend will be a visit to Edward Weston’s original studio and darkroom in the Carmel Highlands.
“To photograph a rock, have it look like a rock, but be more than a rock.”
––Edward Weston
Limited to 10 participants
Requirements: A digital camera with interchangeable lenses and a laptop with Adobe Lightroom for classroom sessions.
Workshop fee: $3000 Fee includes: Virtual orientation session before the workshop, field trips and instruction, final image review. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the Collector’s Edition of Bay of Life: From Wind to Whales.
“PERSONAL VISIONS” – VIRTUAL WORKSHOP
Saturday March 1 – Sunday March 2, 2025
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM PDT via Zoom
This virtual weekend workshop is open to participants from anywhere in the world. It is designed to help photographers refine a body of existing work via Zoom during one-on-one sessions with Frans and his team, and through presentations and group discussions. The emphasis will be on individual project development.
“This workshop changed the way I was looking at photography. It opened a new dimension around storytelling, narrative, and application. It is an absolute must. Frans’s ability to look through your work and pinpoint what is ‘personal’ to you is unparalleled.”
–– Guy Hadari
Limited to 12 participants
Workshop fee: $1250 Fee includes: An orientation session before the workshop weekend, and two full-day classroom sessions.
Requirements: A body of work organized in Adobe Lightroom and a good internet connection.
All sessions will take place via Zoom between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
“BETWEEN THE TIDES” – SANTA CRUZ
Tuesday April 29 – Wednesday April 30, 2025
Monterey Bay features some of the most diverse tide pools along the California coast. They are full of life and photographic opportunities, but they are challenging to photograph unless you have the right gear and know how to apply it. We will apply a range of tools, techniques, and creative ideas to help you capture them in innovative ways. Our workshop dates coincide with low tides at sunrise, when otherwise hard-to-reach habitats will be accessible.
“It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again.”
—John Steinbeck
Limited to 12 participants
Requirements: A digital camera with interchangeable lenses and a laptop with Adobe Lightroom for classroom sessions.
Workshop fee: $1850 Fee includes: Virtual orientation session before the workshop, field trips and instruction, daily classroom sessions during the workshop, image reviews. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the Collector’s Edition of Bay of Life: From Wind to Whales.