PAW's Mission

The Photographer’s Alliance Workshops (PAW) is a photography workshop and tour company dedicated to exemplary teaching and superb photography. It is a community of professional photographers brought together to teach and to share their passion for photography. Simply, we are photographers from all over the country who love to help other photographers be their best. No nonsense, no excuses, no inflated egos, no huge overhead; just folks teaching photography and loving what they do. PAW is how photography ought to be taught.

PAW is the result of a 25-year labor; 25 years of leading tours and teaching workshops and seeing all the things that the learning experience could be but seldom was.

I have seen workshops scheduled because the times were convenient for the company even though it was a terrible time for photography. I have seen leaders take people to places that they have never been to before and go to locations that were the wrong spot at the wrong time.

I have seen leaders take more pictures than participants and stand in front of their students to get their shot first. I have seen leaders with such terrible teaching and people skills that they either avoid their students or berate and embarrass them. And I have known workshop and tour companies look the other way as long as the workshop or tour is full and a profit is to be made. None of these things will ever happen with Photographers Alliance Workshops. We are dedicated to changing the disappointing ways of today’s photography instruction and creating the best and most rewarding learning and photography experience for all involved.

PAW leaders are accomplished and enthusiastic teachers as well as talented photographers. You will never find PAW leaders with big egos or little time for you. And PAW leaders will never take their own photos on a workshop. I can’t make this more clear; you photograph and we teach. Period. I have worked with every PAW leader and will personally vouch for their professionalism, experience and excellence in teaching.

PAW leaders take their job of getting you the best pictures seriously but we also believe that the best traveling or learning environment is one where fun is always present. Serious photography in an enjoyable fashion with spectacular results- this is what the Photographers Alliance Workshops is all about. We are what you have been waiting for.

David Middleton

The Best Leaders

All PAW leaders are accomplished full-time professional photographers but they are also dedicated teachers. Teaching skills are just as important as photographic skills. And, most importantly, PAW leaders do not shoot their own photography on our workshops. They are there to help you become the best photographer you can be and that is all.

PAW hires professionals that know how to teach. We don’t hire photographers that have agendas outside helping our clients. We don’t hire photographers that fill workshops on past laurels or that are using clients to pay for their photography vacations. You pay PAW a fee to be taught photography…PAW teaches photography. Period! During a PAW workshop we show you how to get the images we would have taken.

The Best Locations

PAW workshops and trips are held at the best locations at the best times of the year for your best photography and best learning experience. This means that PAW doesn’t go to locations during peak tourist season or when it is convenient for the instructor, PAW goes when the season is at its peak and the photographic conditions are prime. Also a PAW location has to be weatherproof and subject rich so there are great things to photographic no matter the weather and no matter the seasonal timing. At PAW we know when and where to go because we have been there many, many times before and we know each location as only an insider can know it.

The Best Instruction

PAW employees are teachers and leaders first, teachers and leaders last and teachers and leaders at all times in between. At PAW, instruction is foremost and on all PAW workshops and extended workshops the leaders will always be present to help the participants. No PAW leader will ever step in front of a participant to get a shot or keep a better shooting location secret. In fact, on most PAW workshops participants may not even see a camera in the instructor’s hands. A PAW leader’s job is to help you be a better photographer and to fill your portfolio not theirs.

Catch the Light with the Best Leaders, the Best Locations and the Best Instruction!