Where Trackside Focus® Stands in the Photography Workshop Market

Sep 10

I ummed and ahhed over writing this blog - and, if I’m honest, it made me a bit uncomfortable. But after hearing the same comments, feedback, and yes…even a bit of outrage about our pricing over the last 18 months, I figured it was time to show how things compare in the wider photography workshop industry. So, I thought I’d put together a little market comparison of photography workshops run by UK-based photographers and businesses. Now, let me be super clear: this isn’t about calling out anyone’s prices - plenty of them offer excellent value, it’s about showing where Trackside Focus® sits in the grand scheme of things.

You’ve got your landscape photography workshops, your travel-focused tours, your luxury wildlife safaris and your 1-to-1 mentoring. All fantastic and all offering their own unique value.

Then there’s us: Trackside Focus®.

Our Workshops: Where the Action Actually Happens

A Trackside Focus® two-day weekend photography workshop, such as our recent Gold Cup Motorsport Photography Workshop starts at £395. That’s around the same price some workshops charge for a two-day landscape course - but with us, perfect for beginners or those starting out, you’ll be trackside, building your confidence, learning the circuits dynamics, and discovering how to capture the live action of a motorsport race weekend, from the very best spectator vantage points.
From 2026, our international trips, like the 24H Dubai (our most expensive workshop currently) - runs at £1,895. However, for five adrenaline-filled days you get a full media-accredited pass with hands-on coaching and training and the perfect start to your journey toward professional motorsport photography. Some of our European media accredited workshops, such as the GT Winter Series run from £1,495. Try finding a similar length, international photo holiday for less than that…

The Wider Market: Paying More for Less Excitement

Let’s do a quick, easy comparison from across the industry. Here’s what you’ll usually find:

UK residentials: £500–£900 for a couple of days, often including a B&B or hotel stay (more on that below) and lots of unpredictability.
Four-to-five day UK tours: £1,200–£1,500. Familiar hills and lochs that have been photographed countless times, albeit still lovely, of course.
Luxury international tours: £1,500–£5,000+. Organised, scenic, and beautiful - but booking luxury lodges and guides is a lot easier than negotiating with race organisers to secure media passes and trackside access.

Package Travel Regulations: What Most Workshops Aren’t Telling You

A large proportion of photography workshops and holidays that bundle together accommodation, transport, and activities are operating in breach of UK law by not adhering to the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. These regulations stipulate that any multi-day trip involving at least two travel services (such as transport and accommodation) sold together under a single price must comply with specific legal requirements, including financial protection for consumers. Shockingly, a significant number of these workshops fail to meet these obligations, leaving participants without the legal safeguards they are entitled to.

Due to the sheer cost of this insurance for small businesses, such as Trackside Focus®, we made the decision in May 2025 to move away from offering packages into a new model of operation. However, most (not all) workshop providers out there choose to keep offering packages illegally. Certainly worth bearing in mind when booking with anyone offering packages.

Where We Fit (Hint: Pretty Nicely)

Value at entry level: At £395, our two-day events are actually cheaper than many landscape residentials - and you don’t even have to wait around for “mood lighting.” The action is happening whether the sun shines or not.
Competitive at the top end: At £1,895, our flagship 24H Dubai trip gives you multi-day, media accredited access for less than many luxury photography holidays. And instead of photographing another beach, you’ll be shooting supercars at night under floodlights.
Specialist edge: No one else offers motorsport photography workshops and training the way we do. We’re not dabbling in genres. This is our thing. Trackside Focus® is purely, 100% motorsport photography focused.

Final Thoughts

The wider photography workshop industry is full of awesome and fantastic options. You can pay a small fortune to photograph a mountain that’s not going anywhere, or a loch that’s been photographed from every conceivable angle. Sure, those workshops are beautiful, well-planned, and give you plenty of time to sip tea while waiting for the light…but at the end of the day, the scenes aren’t going anywhere, and neither is the subject.

Or, for less money, you can join Trackside Focus®. Stand trackside at world-class racing events with a media pass in hand. Learn the circuits, understand the flow of the race weekend, and capture moments that exist for seconds - fleeting, adrenaline-fuelled shots that you can’t replicate in a studio or on a static landscape. It’s live sport, pure and unpredictable.

We know where we stand and the value we offer. We offer training, not experiences, ones that are thrilling, immersive, and uniquely motorsport-focused, all at a price point that’s highly competitive with, or even very often lower than, many multi-day landscape or travel photography workshops. It’s the kind of value that lets you learn, shoot, and improve and chase your goals.