by Paul Nguyen

I’ve always wanted to title something “A letter from our founder” because it sounded so quaint and small-businessy. Well, as the founder of BlueHour Photo Ventures, this is my big chance to boast about my small business.

I’ve never consciously sat down and tried to compile a list of the factors that make my business the distinctive entity that it is. When I started BlueHour, I created a mission statement, as all new organizations and companies do. Our goal has always been to be relatable and accessible to our clients and students, and to provide a learning experience that makes every single participant feel welcome and able to walk away from every workshop or tour with valuable insights and knowledge. And we’ve always tried to be the instructors that provided what our students felt was missing from their other learning experiences - this is what we call “the BlueHour difference.” Now, we’re over 10 years in, and I can take an honest look at how we’ve evolved and what it is that we’ve been doing right for all these years.

So here are my 5 factors that have comprised The BlueHour Difference.

We prioritize YOUR shot

Over the years, the biggest complaint we heard from our students who attended workshops from other instructors or companies was that their teacher would show up, introduce him/herself and the location, and then just disappear. The instructor would then be off wandering about the landscape taking pictures for him/herself. I’d heard of cases where the instructor would even act all bothered when a student would seek them out to ask a question, as if that was not the right thing to do on a workshop. And the most offensive scenario I heard about was on an international tour where the instructor left his students, who paid thousands of dollars for his valued instruction, to go watch a soccer game with his buds.

Sometimes the mistakes of others can be your most valuable lessons. The BlueHour Difference in this case is that we value your time and your shots when you are on a workshop or tour with us. We are there to teach you, and we are not only available for your questions, but we actively check in with you to make sure that you are getting the feedback on your shots that you deserve. You won’t see us wandering off to take our own pictures, and in most cases, we don’t even take our cameras out of our bags unless we’re demonstrating a shot that could be made, or we’re in the “free shooting” part of the lesson when everyone has learned the principles and has been turned loose to be creative on their own.

We’re not trying to sell you anything

Some educational programs are run by camera retailers or even large chain stores. You may even have attended some of these yourself. You’ll notice that there’s always “a catch”. At the end of the lesson, or sometimes interspersed throughout, there’s a sales pitch: something you need to buy, such as a screen calibrator or a specific tripod accessory, without which you cannot possibly advance as a photographer.

The honest truth is that these camera retailers offer workshops as a way to support and augment the sales of their products. It behooves them to sell you something, or else the workshop will not have served its intended purpose for them. The BlueHour Difference here is that our business exists solely and exclusively to educate and provide fun group learning experiences, not to sell products. So when it comes to camera gear, we give you the cold, hard truth. If I believe that you don’t need a screen calibrator (which is the actual truth), I will tell you that, in the modern era of factory calibrated flat panel LED screens, you do not need to buy a screen calibrator, but should just invest in a quality monitor.

That being said, if you want to buy a nice beanie hat or some stickers that say “BlueHour” on them, we have those.

We have the largest diversity of ways to learn

Join our learning-focused community on Skool!

Name one other photo education business that offers local one-day workshops; travel photo tours that span the US and destinations across the globe; an online school and community that features virtual classroom lessons, tutoring, a resource library, ongoing student interaction, and critique sessions; and one-on-one mentoring programs for the most advanced learners (and even an “adventure/photography mentorship led by Yours Truly). I bet you can’t think of one. That is The BlueHour Difference.

We believe in quality over quantity

Have you ever taken a photo course where there were so many students that you either felt that the teacher wasn’t able to give you enough attention, or you felt uneasy asking your questions because you didn’t want to take away from the flow of the class? Or have you taken a guided tour in a foreign country only to find that you had only 10 minutes to digest each magnificent viewpoint because the motor coach of 40 passengers needs to hit 20 other destinations that day

We hear you, and The BlueHour Difference is that we emphasize small-group learning and believe in quality of time over quantity of destinations. Every local one-day workshop has only 8-12 students. This ensures that you get plenty of time with your instructor and plenty of feedback on your shots.

And on travel photo tours, we limit the groups to 6 travelers and 2 instructors. How’s that for an ideal student-to-teacher-ratio? And since our tours are photo-focused, we have only four major stops per day at most, so you can expect to spend up to two hours at the best locations, making your best work, and getting the best feedback from your instructors.

And let’s face it - everyone just feels more comfortable in a small group.

We care about the little things that make the experience better

I mean how can you go to Rome and not visit the Colosseum?

We understand that our learners are not professionals or even aspiring to be professionals - but you are as passionate and enthusiastic about photography as we are. While BlueHour is indeed focused on helping you become a better photographer above all else, we know that photography is not the only part of the experience that you care about. Your best life has more than just your best photos - it has the best travel experiences, the best meals, the best companions and plenty of time to stop and smell the roses, and learn about the cultural history of the places you're capturing with your camera.

The BlueHour Difference here is that we include the things that other companies leave out. Our tours, for instance, include booking your hotel rooms for you, and recommending the best flights, whereas other companies leave you to book your own accommodations. And we have your restaurants already picked out for you, so you’ll never go hungry after shooting all day! And we include stops that often are not photo-focused but will enrich your life nonetheless, such as a visit to a museum or a historic monument.

I am Paul Nguyen, the founder of BlueHour, and I wrote this without any artificial intelligence. Just a very (very) small amount of natural intelligence.