VSP

The Company

In 2002 The Venice School of Photography was formed by Jonathan Maher, a photographer from the UK. The company has grown over the years to achieve a reputation as a leader in photographic and travel-based workshops. As the offering of workshops and locations grew over the years, a decision was eventually made to re-brand the organisation to better reflect what we do. In 2007, the company officially changed its name to 'VSP Workshops', launching an exciting new look, identity and website. Ownership of the company remains the same - still run today by its founder Jonathan Maher. Our approach is also the same - our attention to detail and our passion for photography - remain as they always were. VSP Workshops is a UK Limited liability company, with head offices in London.

The Philosophy

Core to our approach is the belief that great photography is within the realms of us all. We believe that a person can be taught to see creatively and so we attribute great importance to 'seeing' and to the significance of ideas over technical know-how. Some of our offerings deal with more mechanical skills, others more investigative. What transcends all of our workshops, is our commitment to inspire you, bring you closer to your photographic goals and play a continuing role in your ongoing photographic journey.

We find the best photographic talent in the world to teach and we bring it together with our intimate knowledge of a location to offer you a learning experience you will find nowhere else. We always aim to bring our participants closer to the place they visit - preferring often to stop and savour a place over descending in a swarm for an instant. We encourage our participants to slow-down, open their eyes and see more of what is in front of them. In teaching, our critiques are always honest but constructive. We tell you what we believe, and why, and how to improve. We aim to inspire and encourage you.

We recognise that the world is full of spectacular locations to photograph and visit, and each year we aim to offer new and exciting destinations - but only when we know that we have a deep and intimate knowledge of the place. Light is critical to us, and our itineraries are always organised around it.

Photography is not just our business, but our passion. We hope you will decide to join us.