group PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
Photograph the figure with Kim Weston at Wildcat Hill
Small-Group Workshops at Wildcat Hill
Immersive small-group workshops at Wildcat Hill, Edward Weston's former home, led by Kim and Gina Weston. Each workshop includes fine art nude photography sessions with professional models, plus personal instruction and critiques.
Open to novice and experienced photographers.
More than 25 years of teaching at Wildcat Hill
Limited to six photographers
Two or three workshops each year
2027 dates will be shared with our workshop mailing list first.
What to Expect
Kim Weston sharing prints with workshop participants
Professional Art Models
Our fine art models are long‑time collaborators of Kim and Gina Weston. With two photographers per model, you’ll have time, privacy, and space to work at each location. We emphasize respectful, professional relationships with models throughout the workshop.
Instruction and Critiques
Kim provides individual guidance in lighting, composition, working with models, and developing your photographic vision. Group critiques, informal discussions, and stories from the Weston family’s photographic history are woven throughout the experience.
Edward Weston’s Wildcat Hill
Edward Weston (back) and Brett Weston (with pipe), late 1940s. Photo: Don Whyte
Wildcat Hill sits along California’s Highway 1, between the coastal village of Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur, with its dramatic seaside cliffs and often-misty coastline.
For more than eighty years, Wildcat Hill has drawn photographers, artists, writers, poets, and their admirers. Ansel Adams, Ruth Bernhard, Imogen Cunningham, Minor White, and Beaumont Newhall all came here, drawn by its beauty and by the Weston family. Edward began a tradition of teaching here: in the late 1940s and early 1950s, students from the California School of Fine Arts came to learn from him at Wildcat Hill and Point Lobos. Kim carries that tradition on today.
Weston Workshop participants are invited to photograph in several areas of the property, including Kim Weston’s studio, Bodie House, and the main house where Edward lived with his last wife, Charis Wilson. Participants may also photograph outdoors as weather permits.
About Kim Weston
Kim Weston is a third-generation member of one of the most important and creative families in photography. He learned his craft assisting his father, Cole, in the darkroom, making gallery prints from his grandfather Edward’s original negatives. Kim also worked for many years as an assistant to his uncle Brett, whose bold, abstract photographs rank among the finest examples of modern photographic art.
“I'm always learning from my students, and hope they take away a renewed passion and interest in photography as an art and lifestyle.”
Kim Weston • Our story →
2027 Workshops
Dates will be announced soon. Join the workshop list to be the first to hear and to get early access to registration.
“A warm, welcoming atmosphere with professionalism …
Honestly, that was the most free I felt in a while.”
Steven, group workshop
More from participants →
Questions
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We welcome photographers of every level of experience, from beginners to the most experienced. The only requirement is that you know how to use your camera.
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Most workshops take place at Wildcat Hill in Carmel Highlands, California. We also hold occasional destination workshops in other locations; each workshop’s listing shows where it takes place. Directions and parking details are sent when you book. Planning a longer stay? Our oceanview apartment is available by the month. See the Apartment →
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Yes. Choose whichever serves your goals. Any format is fine.
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Photographers are put in groups of two with one model at a time (2:1 photographer to model ratio) with six participants total.
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The day before we start photographing, we meet, get to know each other and share our work. On each photography day, you’ll work in small groups and rotate through three locations on the property, with a morning session, a break for lunch and an afternoon session. Please bring your own lunch. The morning after each shoot, we hold a group critique of everyone’s images.
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Our models are professional fine art models Kim and Gina have worked with for many years. At the start of each workshop, we talk through how to work with them respectfully, and that guidance carries through every session. Every photographer receives a model release, so you’re free to exhibit, publish and sell your fine art images. Commercial use, such as advertising, is not permitted.
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Instruction and critiques from Kim and his team, professional models, a model release, and photography sessions in three locations at Wildcat Hill. Meals, lodging and model gratuity are not included.
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Your camera, and a tripod if you have one.
Film: bring plenty, or ship it to Wildcat Hill ahead of time (let us know a week before).
Digital: several high-capacity memory cards and a laptop for reviewing your images.
Some of your work to share at the meet-and-greet.
Your own lunch each day.
Kim works with natural light, so studio lights aren’t needed. Wear layers and flat-soled shoes; we’re close to the ocean and the weather changes quickly. -
Full payment is due when you book and includes a non-refundable $150 administrative fee. If you cancel 90 or more days before your workshop, you receive 50% of your payment after the $150 fee is deducted. Within 90 days, a refund is possible only if a qualified replacement is found. We strongly recommend travel insurance. Cancellation Policy & Terms →
Join the Workshop List
Be the first to hear when 2027 dates open.
We will be in touch personally when registration begins.
Prefer one-on-one? See Private Workshops →