TESTIMONIALS
"Out of all the photography workshops I have attended, Dan Ballard’s passion for photography truly shines through."
Joe / California
I am a semi-professional photographer from Canada with my work showing in numerous galleries. On every level both Dan and his workshop exceeded my expectations. I left the workshop as a better photographer.
Mark Brodkin / Canada
"Just imagine spending several days together one-on-one with one of the top photographer/teachers in the country. Dan is a gifted teacher, one with no agenda except what you want and need. He is generous with his knowledge and experience, sharing the best of both."
Robert McGowan / New Jersey
"Dan pushed me to see photography in a completely new way, gave me useful tips and truly inspired me to become a better photographer.
Michelle Hohol / Illinois
"I consider myself an advanced beginner but despite taking a lot of pictures and watching many hours of YouTube videos, most of my work looked more like “snapshots” instead of photographs. The workshop filled in many of the gaps that I just hadn’t been able to figure out on my own. Dan’s artistic and technical expertise, patience, and ability to recognize the difficulties I was having, explain why I was having them, and provide instant solutions to those problems were invaluable. The workshop was small enough for individual attention (10 people) but big enough to benefit from his discussions with issues that others in the group were having (experience in the group ranged from beginners to pros). The energy was good, the weekend was memorable, and I am no longer looking at “snapshots” on my computer screen. He said we would come back from the weekend with works of art. I definitely did. I would highly recommend Dan and Nicole to people of all levels of experience and am looking forward to my next workshop with him."
Mike Menachof / Colorado
"Never having taken any formal photography instruction, I was thrilled for my day in Rocky Mountain National Park with Dan. He has a very gentle and unassuming manner and you can see it his pleasure to impart his expertise to a group of 'weekend warrior' photographers.”
Rob Lash / New Mexico
"Dan is an extremely interesting and interested person, and a very warm and easy going guy, so it was a delight to spend 4 days with him."
Carol Larson / New York
"I recently had the opportunity to meet up with Dan for a 2 day photo excursion in the Colorado Rockies near Aspen. Dan is an amazingly interesting person and has been influenced by his travels all around the world. His work is some of the best I've seen. I look forward to seeing photos from his future travels, and hope I will have the chance to shoot with him again!"
Jim Boud / Utah
"As I begin editing my photos from the workshop I am compelled to thank you so much for all I learned! I had some trepidation about making the investment in taking the class but I'm so glad I did. You took us to some gorgeous places and not only taught us how to capture them in the camera but also how to edit them for the best effect. I wasn't impressed with my images until I took them into Lightroom and edited them as you suggested and I am thrilled with the end product. Wow! I have had so many great comments on my photos. Here are a couple of my favorites so far but I have many left to edit. You were a great teacher as well as being a fantastic photographer. That's a rare combination."
Linda Wright / Washington
“I have been shooting for 30 years and one day with Dan has literally changed the way I shoot, select and edit and my photos forever. I have had several teachers and mentors along the way, but Dan brought these keys points to light better than anyone else. Dan is honest, down-to-earth, amazingly knowledgable, helpful and generous with his guidance."
Karen Berman
"I have to say that hearing Dan Ballard talk about his passion and enthusiasm for photography, showed in his work AND in his instruction. His sense of detail and sensitivity during his workshop, gave me inspiration in my own work as a fine art landscape photographer."
Andy Schwartz / Colorado
"Your exuberance and passion for your craft is inspirational and is quite evident from the personal energy you devote to teaching and leading a group of photographers. I really appreciated the amount of time, effort and your own personal abilities you brought to the workshop."
Karen Abel / California
"Dan was familiar with the area, and led us off the beaten path taken by other photographers, with spectacular results. His enthusiasm is infectious."
Mike Larkspur / California
"I learned a ton on the workshop and the scenery was absolutely spectacular! Your workshop was well-organized and it's amazing just how much we packed into those three days. I hope to take another one with you soon."
Paul / Utah
"Dan Ballard has a keen eye for great landscape photography and experience in capturing it, HOWEVER, it is his determination to match to the student’s level to share his in-depth knowledge in teaching it to others that was the highlight of the weekend. He was very patient with each student and took interest in each individual’s needs and level of experience."
Stan Crane / Colorado
"Wonderful event, engaged audience, well-illustrated session highlighted by superb photography and a contagious speaker, and hosted by a great organization, REI. Who could ask for more?! I will blame it on you Dan that I spent many hours on Friday and Saturday wandering around in aspen groves in the high country looking for a “moment”
Rich / Colorado
"Dan is an awesome instructor. He is passionate about his art and more than willing to share how he creates it. I learn something new each time I hear him speak."
Kristal / Colorado
"His class was probably the best educational investment that I have made for my photography. Dan is an excellent teacher. He combines both lecture and hands on exercises. He allowed us to practice on a few of his images. I went through some of my old pictures today and converted some nice snapshots into art."
Sondra / Colorado
"You proved that you can still teach an "old'' dog new tricks. I can't wait to join you for another seminar!"
John Sumner / Indianapolis
"Dan not only has great technical and guiding knowledge but he is also driven by the strong personal desire to teach and impart his artistic legacy with his photography clients. Dan works very hard to understand what motivates his clients and then tailors his education to the client’s expectations"
Leland Louie / California
Dan did a fantastic job of breaking it down to the basics...top level concepts that will help any photographer compose a better photo.
Holly / Colorado
"I was wholly impressed with Dan on my first western landscape workshop. He has a clear, concise teaching style and was available to each of us throughout the workshop. The one thing that sets Dan apart from others is his selflessness in sharing his knowledge. He wants everyone who participates, from hobbyists to professionals, to get better at their craft."
Pam / Ranches Workshop
"It was everything I was hoping for. I appreciate your input/tips in the field and the very informative demonstration of your processing workflow. Also, thanks for going above and beyond in showing us the Colorado backcountry."
John Morrison / Private Workshop
"I enjoyed [the workshop] a great deal and learned a lot. I feel that I improved both my photography skills and my editing skills. The post-processing techniques that you showed us in Lightroom for the intimate landscapes we were shooting were a real “game changer” for me and I’m looking forward to trying them on my photos. I love it when I come away from a workshop so excited about photography and trying new things!"
Cathy Herberding / Ohio
"I learned more about using the develop module in the first 20 minutes of Dan Ballard's class than I learned in the past year of using LR."
Don / Colorado
The class was extremely useful and almost all the information presented was new to me and I will use those new techniques in my future use of LightRoom. Dan's enthusiastic manner of presenting the information kept everyone's attention and made the class all the more interesting and upbeat. Great class experience and I look forward to and highly recommend future learning opportunities with Dan."
Rich / Colorado
"Having just completed my 4th workshop, I continue to marvel at Dan’s process and how well he shares it with all of us. I walked away inspired once again."
Jay Miller / Florida
"Exactly the class I was looking for. I've appreciated and admired Dan's photos for several years with an understanding that Dan primarily uses Lightroom. I've been curious as to how he gets such beautiful, bold results. While there are many resources out there for determining a virtual dark room work flow, most are pretty standard and follow the develop menu from top to bottom. Dan's presentation was clear and easy to follow giving me a good start to thinking about my process in a different manner and thinking about the end vision for the work."
Elizabeth / Colorado
"This was my 3rd workshop with Dan and each one I continue to learn from all of Dan's experience from scouting, location and editing. The workshops are run so well and we always have such a great time and he always make sure to work with everyone one on one to help with each individuals needs. You are sure to learn on his workshops as well as going to great locations."
David Kasuba / Pennsylvania
"Tas and I learned SO MUCH and are super excited to go through our photos from the trip and start editing! The number of photos we took on this trip surpassed all other trips and I think we have a decent amount to work with, which doesn't always happen. You've definitely given me more confidence and inspired me to take more photos."
Sarah / Iceland Workshop
"Not only did I have a great time shooting in absolutely beautiful locations, but I definitely learned a lot, too. Your individualized instruction, availability for questions, and ability to tailor the workshop to meet the needs of a variety of participants all helped to make this such a valuable learning experience. Your enthusiasm for your craft clearly shows and once again."
Cathy / Wildflowers Workshop
