About
Chuck Place has worked as an editorial photographer for over thirty years, specializing in food and people on location. His assignment clients include National Geographic, Sunset, Islands, Time and Smithsonian and Place is the sole photographer of six books. Chuck Place has also taught photography for fourteen years, first though the prestigious Brooks Institute and now through Santa Barbara City College. Chuck also does individual tutoring in the various aspects of photography and computer processing.
For a current schedule of Chuck Place Photography Classes, please visit his web site at https://www.chuckplacephotography.com/Workshop-&-Class/1 or subscribe to his new blog at https://santabarbaraphotographicworkshops.wordpress.com and read the recommendations submitted by his students.
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Steven L.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
When working with a new student, my first step is ask questions so I can gage the photography level and subjects of interest to my student. I like to see a small portfolio of their work as well.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
For the last 14 years, I have taught photography to literally thousands of students at both Brooks Institute and Santa Barbara City College. For several years I taught workshops for Panasonic Cameras and have done quite a bit of individual tutoring as well.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My normal fee is $100/hour with a discount for multiple hours.
How did you get started teaching?
I actually had never thought about teaching. My editorial work kept me quite busy and out of town much of the time. At one point, my wife underwent a life-changing medical event and I decided to stop traveling in order to care for her. Most of my clients were national and international publishers and I had no local client base, so I began to look for work in the area related to photography. I was asked if I would be interested in teaching at Adult Education and my teaching career grew from there. I quickly realized that sharing my passion for photography was both fun and challenging and I now enjoy it as much as I do creating images.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with a huge range of students, from teenagers to seniors, from gifted individuals to students with learning disabilities. Teaching is about connecting with individuals, no matter how large your class. This is something I had done all through my photography career so the transition was not all that difficult. I found a bonus of teaching is that I learn new techniques from my students and new ways of approaching people. Kniowledge should flow in both directions for a class to be successful.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I just finished a Location Photography class and the quality of the images was much better than they had been after the first location shoot. Seeing the response from my students after only five classes is a great gift that all teachers enjoy.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
I would advise a new student to research the teacher thoroughly and make sure they know how to shoot the subject that interests you most. I would not hire myself, for instance, if fashion or sports were my main focus. Travel, people, food and aerials are my strength. Check out the instructor's portfolio and make sure they have a lot of experience shooting the subjects that interest you most.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Research should answer many of a student's questions. The portfolios on their web sites will show the instructor's specialties and there should be endorsements from students. Decide how basic you need to go. Have you set the menus in your camera? Do you know how and why the camera controls work? Are you confused about post-production and archiving your images? Do you have the software for processing? All this needs to be discussed before the instructor can create a series of presentations and assignments fine-tuned to the student's needs.