Thanks for the kind words, guys.
Jedorme, I agree that there are some parallels between photography and the other visual arts. However, in the workshop environment, my main effort is to gain some mastery over the basic technical skills...the tools of the trade. Loading and handling the brush, mixing colors and controlling values, understanding how to "turn the form" and the related need to understand the logic of light, practicing laying-in the basic forms of head, hands, and figure, and expressing volume and form in space, with due regard for perspective.
I was very fortunate to be invited to participate in this workshop, or
atelier as this kind of arrangement is often called. Rather than taking short day or evening art classes from different teachers, and ending up with a scattered, diffuse bunch of methodologies, I have taken the approach - recommended to me by a noted local portrait artist - of committing to work on a consistent method or set of principles under the guidance of a single, accomplished master. I have been working this way for about 5 years, and I have not regretted taking this approach. The small workshop size (4 or 5 students) enables the teacher to spend ample time with each of us (the workshop is 4 hours long).
I know there are such workshops for photography in general, and street photography in particular. However, based on what I've seen so far, they are priced very highly, and they have considerably larger groups of students. I may have posted here something about Jay Maisel's workshops in New York City, which have been going for a long time, with smaller student groups, and which are highly regarded. One look at his books and you can see he is a photographic artist of real merit and has strong teaching chops, as well. His workshops last one week and cost $5000. Unless you live in New York City, you have to add travel and room expenses. Would I take the workshop? If I had $7000 or so in completely discretionary cash, you bet I would...at the earliest opportunity. But I don't.
The Leica Akademie programs are interesting, but also very expensive. I recently received an e-mail announcement about the upcoming programs, which I will share in a later post under the appropriate topic.