Tangents

photography tutorials, reviews & workshops

tangents photography blog
learn : discuss : share
  • Tangents
  • Tutorials
    • Flash Photography
    • Wedding Photography
    • Studio Photography
    • Posing People
    • Understanding Your Camera
    • Exposure metering
    • BFT
    • Best Photo Books
  • Reviews
    • Sony
    • Nikon
    • Canon
    • Fuji
    • Profoto
    • lighting gear
  • Workshops
    • Info: Workshops
    • In-person
      tutoring sessions
    • Online
      tutoring sessions
    • Workshops in
      New Jersey (NJ)
    • Workshops in
      New York (NYC)
    • Photo walks in NYC
    • Studio Workshop
    • Video tutorials
    • Workshop results
  • Books
    • On-Camera Flash (revised ed.)
    • Direction & Quality of Light
    • Off-Camera Flash Photography
    • Lighting & Design
    • On-Camera Flash (1st ed.)
  • Projects
    • Two Perspectives
    • B&W Infrared
    • Vintage lenses
    • Time-lapse photography
  • Info
    • About
    • Contact
    • My Photo Gear
    • Books by NvN
    • Join us on Facebook
    • Acclaim
    • Success Stories

• Photography workshops NJ / NYC

Photography Workshops – NJ / NYC

I present personal photography workshops and tutoring sessions which are tailored to your needs and to your schedule. These individual workshops are available as well throughout the year, depending on both of our schedules. My studio is only 17 miles from Manhattan. Just a short hop from New York and quite accessible by bus. Oh, and there’s parking at the studio. Free parking.

If you are limited in how far you can travel, there are online tutoring sessions via video calls to help you get a much better understanding of photography and lighting techniques.

  • Recaps of previous workshops, with feedback from attendees.
  • Also, here are the results you can expect to achieve yourself! It’s well within your reach.

The workshops are intended to give you confidence in your technique, and in using your photo gear. My approach is to teach photographers how to achieve what they want to. What we are aiming for, are those “aaaah, NOW I get it!” moments. Any aspects of flash photography that had been elusive up until then – whether it is a technique or bit of theory – should fall into place.

 

1. Personal workshops – New Jersey / NJ  (with models)

For an individually tailored workshop, including models, I offer personal photography workshops at my studio. In addition to flash photography, we can cover other topics that you want to.

  • location: my studio in NJ  |  (directions)

 

2. Personal workshops – New York / NYC  (with models)

If you’d prefer to have a personal photography workshop in New York, we can meet up on location in Manhattan or Brooklyn. We can make it a full-day workshop with two models, or a half-day workshop with one model.

 

3. Studio lighting workshops  (with models)

If you’ve been curious about getting to know more about studio lighting for portraits, but it all seems too daunting or technical, then this studio lighting workshop is for you. This workshop is a learning experience where you get to actually use studio lights and light modifiers, and learn how to set them up for portrait photography.

  • location: my studio in NJ  |  (directions)

 

4. NYC Photo Walks  (with a model)

With the NYC Photo Walks, we will photograph a model around a colorful, interesting parts of New York City. The group will be limited to just 4 photographers, so it won’t be crowded. We will also work at a relaxed tempo, so that I can attend to everyone and help everyone get amazing images. There will be an assistant to carry and hold the light for us. We just get to shoot and have fun! 

 

5. In-person tutoring sessions

I also offer personal tutoring sessions. These are usually done in person at my studio in New Jersey. These tutoring sessions are tailored specifically for you, depending on what area you need help with.We get to sit and chat and go over problem areas in your photography. If you want, we can add a model for part of this tutoring session.

  • location: my studio in NJ  |  (directions)

 

6. Online tutoring sessions

If you need help with some problem you’re having in photography or want to do a portfolio review, but you live further away than NJ / NYC, then we could always do the tutoring session via video chat via Zoom.

 


 

Contact me

Please feel free to e-mail me or phone me at 862-485-7276, for more information about the workshops.

If you’d like to be updated about upcoming workshops (and other snippets of news and info), then there is the monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to.

thank you

Neil van Niekerk

 

 

 

 


photography books by Neil vN


Amazon USA

Amazon UK

23 Comments, Add Your Own

  1. 1Jeremy Miracle says

    May 31, 2010 at 6:07 pm

    Best photo class I’ve attended based on:

    Nice blend of hands-on work and instruction time
    Great explanation of background exposure (choosing what’s important in the scene)
    Final class exercise on day 1 really tied things together
    Appreciated your help and comments during class
    Top-notch venue
    Investment in the workshop really shows (ie pocketwizards for everyone)
    Very well organized
    Professional models who are experienced; nice wardrobe selection

    Overall a great experience – thank you.

    Jeremy Miracle

    Reply
  2. 2Pravin says

    January 23, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    You’re amazing and giving. What we learned in a day easily helped us shoot up way past our competition. You are a guy that we hope our competition never gets to know.

    We always wish you the best and always tell our friends about your work.

    Thank you again and I hope you have a great holiday season

    – Amish & Pravin

    Reply
  3. 3Debbie Kolasa says

    May 15, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the workshop experience in Dana Point, California. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, expertise, and experience with us. It was truly an incredible hands-on learning experience. The workshop was a perfect blend of seminar presentation and hands-on training.

    Reply
  4. 4Andrew Nolan says

    September 18, 2011 at 4:26 am

    Hey Neil

    I really want to thank you for the workshop I attended in Dublin yesterday. It was an unbelievable and awesome experience to hear if from the man himself.
    It really helped to blend all the theory together, you managed to answer my questions without me having to ask them! You gave a full on 100% effort and it is really appreciated. Jess is also a fantastic assistant and she moves along in perfect timing as the workshop evolves during the day and both of you displayed unbelievable commitment and professionalism to ensure that everyone on the course got those Ah Ha moments.

    Cheers

    Andrew

    Reply
  5. 5Quin Rickman says

    October 28, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    Neil the October 25 seminar was excellent; my only regret is that I had not taken this seminar sooner. You thoroughly covered all the topics list in the description of the seminar. As I shoot with Sony cameras I was concerned I wouldn’t get the full benefit of the photo sessions, but you accommodated me and I was able to take full advantage of the photo sessions.

    The models Aleona and Anelisa were very professional and a pleasure to work with. Jessica had everything ready and kept the seminar moving.

    Great job, I got a lot out of it, Thanks.

    Quin

    Reply
  6. 6Taryn says

    March 10, 2012 at 2:42 am

    Oh, please come “home” and do one in South Africa. Thank you so much for sharing and pouring out your passion for brilliantly creative and technical detail on light and exquisite photography. I am inspired by every visit to your site and secretly excited to learn how to take my photography to a new level. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Reply
  7. 7Photo Toronto says

    May 28, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    I attended Neil’s May 2012 and can honestly say that I am now twice the photographer that I was before his workshop. Thanks Neil!

    Reply
  8. 8Sean Page says

    June 4, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    Just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you for the great workshop (May 2012)! Working with you to put all the techniques I’ve been reading about into practice was both enlightening and inspiring. I love your simple approach to lighting and the amazing results you can get with it. Every where I go I find myself trying to see the quality and direction of light :)
    It may sound strange but after reading your books and following your site for so long I almost felt like I already knew both you and Anelisa, and finally getting to meet and work with the two of you was a real pleasure.
    If I had one regret it’s that I didn’t think to take pull back shots of each set up we tried while other attendees were shooting. Hindsight is always 20/20 I guess. Anyhow, thanks again for a stellar experience. Travelling the long way to New York from Edmonton, Canada was well worth it, several times over.

    Cheers!

    Sean.

    Reply
  9. 9Sarah Fyffe says

    June 11, 2012 at 5:34 pm

    I attended the Sept 2011 Dublin Workshop and have to say that Neil is a fantastic, enthusiastic mentor who will explain everything as many times as you need until it all clicks into place!! Thank you Neil.

    I would do it again as I absorbed so much info.

    Come back to Ireland!!

    Reply
  10. 10sam rogers says

    July 26, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    Dear Neil,

    Your work has a captivating edge, and your instruction in the disciplines of photography is indeed a beacon for anyone who genuinely desires to advance in what has become a very highly competitive field. In my mind, there are very, very few other instructors today who possess your unique acumen.

    Your photography is honest and inspiring; for me, your course was as memorable and important as the workshop I took with Ansel Adams at UC Santa Cruz in June/July of 1969.

    Kudos, my friend.

    Sc Rogers

    Reply
  11. 11david hartcorn says

    July 28, 2012 at 9:11 am

    I have taken a couple of private workshops with Neil… he is really patient, and willing to cover the same ground over and over until you understand what you are doing…

    Since working with him my lighting skills have taken a quantum leap. He unlocked all kinds of mysteries for me and for that I am forever grateful!

    Reply
  12. 12Cesar says

    December 1, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    Neil, I just wanted to let you know the October 2012 flash workshop was not only a ton of fun, but it has really transformed my technique, by ‘opening a few new doors’ for me. ‘Liberating’ would be more accurate.

    I am in awe of the things you can do by applying a very few basic, but powerful concepts, like the direction of the light, the light fallout with distance (the square root thing for techies) and adjusting my metering.

    I did an event last night, at a dark, dim lit restaurant that was followed by a party… I had all kinds of gear with me… I ended up using 4 things for about 90% of the shoot:

    – My main camera (of course I had backup gear)
    – A single, camera mounted flashgun
    – battery pack for the flashgun
    – The black foamie thing (BFT)

    Yes, BFT. It just rules!!!. Unbelievable, bouncing flash off the walls and ceiling, I spent the most of the evening shooting at ISO 2000, with apertures between 6 and 9!!! Group shots, action shots, dance shots, the whole chimichanga!

    So thanks again for such a GREAT and useful event. Your hands-on/theory approach is just very effective, and it shows that you enjoy what you are doing.

    Sincerely,

    Cesar

    Reply
  13. 13Volkmar Witt says

    June 9, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    Now I am back home in Germany. Slowly, I find time to look at and work with all the photos and photo series. This workshop was very very good. I learned very much and I’ve got a lot of wow experiences, so I better understand relationships between these photo series with exif data. I want to say thank you for the good spirit in the workshop. All, Neil, Eric, Anelisa and Aleona have done a great professional job. Of course I also mean in this context, all the food and drink in the breaks and lunch in the restaurant. Every photo of this day is a great treasure for me. I learned so much.
    Nice greetings,
    Volkmar

    Reply
  14. 14Rosaria says

    July 23, 2014 at 10:57 am

    I just wanted to take a moment and thank you again for the amazing amount of information and learning experiances at yesterdays class! I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again today – I wish I had taken your class 3 years ago! It would have saved me countless hours in lightroom and photoshop and in guessing and second guessing myself. So thank you again!!!!

    And if anyone is on the fence about Neil’s On-Location Lighting Workshop….JUST TAKE IT! Best money you will ever spend for your continued education! And you won’t be disappointed.

    Reply
  15. 15MIKE says

    September 22, 2014 at 5:31 am

    I just took the September workshop and learned so, so much. Neil was great to work with and because of the small class size he is able to answer any questions and give one on one attention. After the class I think OCF will be a regular part of my work. The class was 11 hours total and I wish it was longer!!!! Thanks again Neil and I look forward to attending a future workshop.

    Reply
  16. 16Sean says

    March 11, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    Hi Neil,

    Must say you’re a great teacher – your books are my favorite. Easy to follow one day I would’ve to attend a class. What strobes are being use in the shot above where a guy is holding two Profoto softboxes?

    Reply
  17. 17Neil vN says

    March 11, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    Sean … techie details here:
    https://neilvn.com/tangents/gear-updated-flash-photography-workshop/

    Reply
  18. 18Rickard Nilsson says

    May 27, 2015 at 6:25 am

    Loving this site, and this is not actually a suggestion for a workshop topic, but rather a question whether it would be possible to have a workshop in Europe at some point. I would gladly pay the price for a workshop, but spending money on plane tickets and hotels by far exceeds the workshop cost. A tour or something in Europe would have been nice. Would that be possible in the future?

    Reply
  19. 19Neil vN says

    May 27, 2015 at 9:23 am

    Rickard …

    As I mention in comment #2 in the flash photography workshops announcement post:
    The logistics and the financial risk make it tough to pull these off.

    There have been a number of workshops I have presented abroad – Amsterdam (2012), and Dublin, Ireland (2011), and workshops in Brighton (UK) and Birmingham (UK) in 2009, and as well as Cork, Ireland.

    So traveling workshops could still happen, but I would have to carefully consider them, and there would have to be someone there who is experienced in this, to help arrange things. Just as importantly, there has to be some assurance that enough people will attend.

    Reply
  20. 20Mark Schottland says

    September 28, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    I attended the September 25, 2016 workshop on Off-Camera Flash. The class was fabulous! Neil demystified a subject which confounds many photographers. The models were great, and by the time we went on location in the afternoon, I was shooting like a pro! I highly recommend this class if you want to take your photography to the next level!

    Reply
  21. 21Erik says

    February 28, 2017 at 1:17 pm

    Well, the E-book “On camera flash” is the wonderfully well written. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

    Reply
  22. 22Gerri says

    November 11, 2017 at 11:56 pm

    I attended the September flash workshop – and it was a wonderful experience in every way. I can’t imagine any better opportunity to learn so much about flash. But also…it is rare to find such an expert about something who is also a gifted teacher, plus a delightful person. Neil is all of these things. It was an unforgettable experience and one that I highly recommend.

    Reply
  23. 23Jerry N. says

    September 20, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    Personal Workshop 9/17/18

    I took the a personal workshop with Neil and highly recommend it for anyone looking to improve his or her portrait photography. The workshop covered exposure, lighting, posing and many other aspects of portrait photography. Neil is a very effective instructor and presents the material is an easy-to-understand manner. My biggest “aha moment” was learning that very nice portraits can be taken without thousands of dollars in lighting equipment. I was also amazed how common things in the environment can make great portrait backdrops.

    Anelisa was the model during my workshop. She is a talented, beautiful and professional model, who is easy to work with. Being a beginner, I appreciated her ability pose without direction. This allowed me to concentrate on learning the material. During my workshop, Anelisa presented multiple looks: youthful, sophisticated, professional, playful. All were well executed and a joy to photograph.

    Thank you Neil and Anelisa. I hope to see in another workshop in the future.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to david hartcorn Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

categories

Articles & Tutorials

  • • About myself & this site
    • Books by Neil vN
    • Best photography books
    • Black foamie thing
    • Photographers’ success stories
  • • Flash Photography Techniques
    • Natural looking flash
    • Flash + Ambient light
    • Dragging the shutter
    • Bouncing your flash
    • On-camera flash outdoors
    • Exposure metering
    • Flash exposure compensation
    • Bounce flash examples
    • Which is the best flashgun?
    • Flash brackets
    • Off-camera flash photography
    • Flash photography basics
    • Using video lights
    • Flash photography tips
  • • Photography workshops NJ / NYC
    • Models @ photography workshops
tutorials:
flash photography
Photography
Workshops

All rights reserved. Copyright © Neil van Niekerk 2025 · Customization by The Traveling Designer

Copyright © 2025 · NvN on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in