THE BUSINESS OF OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY

An exclusive in-person photographic workshop hosted by Paolo Sartori. In 2024 bring your photography, brand and business to the next level.

 

A business focused workshop

Learn how to turn your passion in a profitable business. Over 4 days of full immersion Paolo will cover everything you must know to jumpstart your career in the outdoor photography industry, sharing the experience and the lessons he learned over his 10 years in the industry.

Learn the value of your work

How much is your photography worth? And who’s willing to pay for it? How do you find clients? Paolo will answer to all these questions, showing you his whole process to find clients, pitch projects and get paid to go on trips and dream adventures.

Real assignments with real athletes

For the duration of the workshop you will be assigned with different commercial assignments, shooting different activities with professional athletes. Paolo will always be on location sharing his approach and the tips that he learned during hundreds of successful commercial shoots.


To keep the group small and guarantee lot of one-on-one time with Paolo, group size is limited to 10 participants. Apply now to get notified when dates will be announced.


When?

Summer 2024, dates TBA

Group Size

Max 10 people

Investment

TBA


What is it?

When Paolo started his career in adventure and outdoor photography, it took him years of trials and errors to figure out how this business works and how to make his photographs a highly valued asset in the marketplace.

During this business-focused workshop Paolo will share all you need to make a profitable business out of your photographs: how to get clients, how to pitch them your projects and ideas, how to quote for your work, how to create work that is unique and relevant to the client’s needs and how to stand out in today’s apparently overcrowded marketplace.

What will I learn?

During the week we will cover:

  • Revenue streams for photographer and how to find clients

  • How to quote and to get paid for your work

  • Shooting for brands vs shooting editorial

  • What gear Paolo uses and why

  • Planning for any kind of trip or assignment

  • Logistics to shoot in remote locations

  • Participate in real commercial photoshoots with different activities; hiking, sport climbing, trail running and camping will be covered.

  • Workflow and editing

  • How to develop your own style

  • How to create timeless work

The location

The workshop will take place in the pristine mountains of Val d’Ossola, where Paolo was born and where he grew up exploring every corner of those peaks. These lands provide endless opportunities for outdoor photography, ranging from the sunny shores of Lago Maggiore and culminating with Monte Rosa, the second highest massif in the Alps. You will get to shoot in a wide variety of situations and to see some of Paolo’s favorite locations and even some of his best kept secret spots.


Daily schedule

    • Coffee and course overview

    • Paolo’s history, approach and mindset in photography and business

    • Hands on review of what gear Paolo uses in different scenarios

    • Outdoor photography basics

    • Sunset photoshoot where we will apply learnings from the day

    • Review of each others work from the previous nights shoot

    • Digital workflow and editing process, and how to develop your own style

    • Location research: learn how to plan and pack for every trip and shoot, from a short hike in the backyard to a multi week expedition

    • Head out into the field for the second location - epic views guaranteed

    • Photography business crash course. We will cover everything you need to know to get noticed and start working with brands

    • Learn how to get paid to go on your dream trip or to create your own photography project

    • We will take some time for Q&A and one-on-one sessions with Paolo

    • In the afternoon, Paolo will take you to one of his favorite locations where we will finish the day with a debrief, and discuss the days learnings while out in the wild

    • Get out early for a sunrise session

    • Group critique and review on the photos from the past days

    • Business part two: social media, marketing for photographers and the future of visual storytelling

    • More one-on-one sessions with Paolo

    • Debrief from the week and set actionable goals for yourself and your photography

    • Wrap-up dinner


    • Continuous assistance with your photography and image processing by Paolo

    • access to Paolo’s knowledge and learnings from his 10 years in the business

    • All accommodation/lodging costs

    • Two persons per room (i.e. shared double occupancy), unless single supplement option is exercised and secured at the time of payment of deposit

    • All tourism taxes and park entry fees

    • All meals commencing with lunch on Day 1 and finishing with dinner on Day 4; beverages are not included

    • Plenty of time for Q&A and one-on-one sessions with Paolo

    • Access to a private Telegram group to share, plan, and collaborate with other attendees leading up to, and after the workshop

    • Transfer to and from Baceno, Italy.

    • Non-mealtime snacks and drinks

    • Credit Card surcharges

    • Any purchases of a personal nature

    • Tips and optional activity extras

    • All beverages and drinks

    • Travel Insurance

  • We want to ensure that everyone at the workshop has the best experience possible. By asking a few simple questions we ensure all attendees have similar objectives, experience levels of both photography and hiking, and are ready to take the workshop seriously.

  • The workshop is limited to 10 individuals. Apply by filling out the Google Form here. If you are selected to attend the workshop you will receive notification within one week of applying. You will then be given instructions to make your deposit to secure your spot in the workshop.

  • To reserve your spot we do require a 990€ deposit. That deposit is only refundable for 48 hours after booking.

    Once you pay for the rest of your trip you can receive the following refunds on the rest of the trip (deposits not included):

    • More than 60 days before the trip = 100% refund.

    • Between 60 and 30 days before the trip = 50% refund.

    • Less than 30 days before trip departure = 0% refund.

    We highly recommend trip insurance.

    We may cancel a trip prior to the start date for reasons including (but not limited to) insufficient participation, weather conditions, or other instances that may impede trip operations. In this case, you will receive a refund for funds paid towards the trip cost. You will not receive any payment for any hotels, flights, or transportation booked before or after the trip.

    A legal language version of our trip cancellation is this...

    We reserve the right to cancel any trip, at any time, prior to the scheduled departure date for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation, insufficient participation, local weather conditions or logistical problems that, in our sole judgment, may impede trip operations. In the event we cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever other than a force majeure event, your sole and exclusive remedy shall be the refund of all payments we received from you as of the date of cancellation. Strohl Works payment of the refund shall release us from any and all other or further liability in any way related to such cancellation. We may make payments to our suppliers (permits, transportation companies, etc.) far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. Accordingly, if a trip is cancelled due to a force majeure event (e.g. acts of God, war, labor strikes, earthquake, flooding or any other cause beyond our control), we will undertake commercially reasonable efforts to promptly refund the portion of any amounts paid by you that have, in turn, not already been advanced to suppliers. In addition, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to recover and refund to you the balance of your payment amounts that were advanced to suppliers, less our expenses, if any, of such recovery, as promptly as possible. However, we do not guarantee you recovery of any portion of advance payments made to our suppliers. We are not responsible for, and you hereby release and forever discharge us from, any expense or cost incurred by you in preparing for or arising or resulting from a cancelled trip. If you cancel your trip, we will refund your payment as follows: (a) cancellation 60 days or more prior to trip departure – 100% of your payment will be refunded, with the exception of the deposit amount; (b) cancellation between 60 - 30 days prior to trip departure - 50% of your payment will be refunded, with the exception of the deposit amount; or (c) cancellation less than 30 days prior to departure, or during trip – no refund will be made.

What gear should I bring?

  • DSLR/Mirrorless Camera body with at least one lens

  • Laptop for editing and for note taking if desired

  • A selection of your ten of your favorite images for review and critique

  • Apropriate clothing and gear for hiking long stretches over varied terrain. This includes good hiking shoes or boots, a waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves, and a warm layer if it gets cold late evening on field shoots.

  • Headlamp, since we will head out early morning and come back in the dark after sun is set

  • Good vibes and a willingness to learn


Getting here

The nearest airport is Milano Malpensa (MXP). From there you can either rent a car or book a transfer to Domodossola. The meeting location is around 1.5 hours drive from the airport.