Photography Workshops

By
Ron Long

Hi there - Welcome to my web-site.

After location (which is described in the workshop pages) I am sure that your next question is 'who is the leader and what can he do for me'? So the purpose of this page is to tell you about myself. I am always a little uncomfortable doing this because it smacks of blowing my own horn but you need the information so here goes.
Many years ago and far, far away I graduated from the Photographic Arts program at Ryerson University. For thirty-six years I have been employed as a full time photographer at Simon Fraser University. For fifteen of those years I photographed exclusively for the Biological Sciences Department so I have a considerable amount of biology in my background and an abiding interest in nature photography. That is not to say I am strictly a nature photographer. Anything that will make a good picture is grist for my camera. The great thing about working for a university is that it requires a photographer to become proficient in fields as diverse as portraits of people to portraits of insects so small you can barely see them. My motto came to be "if you can see it I can photograph it" It's a toss up which was the greater challenge, the people or the insects.

Discovering photography in high school was serendipitous because it gave me not only a vocation but a life as well. To this day I do little that does not involve photography. In addition to my full time work I do freelance photography, I do photography for fun, I give presentations to photography clubs, I teach photography and I travel to interesting places to do photography. After forty years, photography is still as exciting as in the beginning and I continue to learn. Digital has begun the entire cycle again.

I have taught photography classes for over thirty years and have come to enjoy the teaching as much as photography itself. I spend so many hours each month in the classroom that teaching photography has become an entire second career. I must be doing something right because my students regularly exceed me in expertise and creativity. One of my great joys is to watch this kind of development from snap shooter to highly competent photographer.

But getting back to what I can do for you. First and foremost I can offer you the most fun you have ever had with your camera. The energy generated by a group of enthusiastic photographer is enough to inspire anyone to exceed their own personal best and enjoy every minute of it. I can offer you exciting locations with endless photo opportunities. I can offer lectures and critiques to provide guidance, new techniques, ideas and encouragement that will expand your expertise by leaps and bounds. Finally I can offer my own unique combination of experience which will be available, one on one, whenever needed.