1-Day Photography Workshop: Autumn in the Peak District - Sun 29th October, 2023

Product Description

Introduction

Join me and Marc Robbins for a dusk till dawn day of photography on SUNDAY 29th OCTOBER 2023 in a variety of locations in one of the UKs best national parks, especially at this time of year, focussing on woodland and all the magic that autumn brings. We’ll explore scenes like many you've seen on our social media and take you to some of the best locations we’ve shot over recent years to help you hone your skills. Much of the positive feedback I receive from clients comes after taking them into the forest, often a daunting place to photograph well. Me and Marc will be on hand helping you understand how to handle complexity, find compelling subjects, simplify messy scenes and work with the light available to enhance your images.

Agenda

We will provide coaching, direction and tuition on all the aspects of woodland and landscape photography you will need to get the best out of your day in the Peak District. We’ll help you understand how to approach woodland areas initially, managing that initially overwhelming feeling of complexity and mess. We will identify your natural shooting style and where your strengths are (everybody is different) and start to work with this as your foundation through the day, working progressively from finding subjects and executing a technically clean shot, then moving onto larger scenes with multiple characters and 'more going on'. Within this, we will try to help you understand the subtle elements that make woodland photography special - flow, rhythm and relationships within scenes when captured are often what makes a memorable image. Interaction is critical in great woodland images and we’ll help you explore how you see and capture this using the light available. If we are lucky, we'll have some foggy or misty conditions to work with, but contrary to popular belief this isn’t the only way you can shoot woodland! As the sun changes throughout the day, we'll show you how to work with the light within the scene you are trying to capture, the woods can be brilliant at any time of the day if you know what you're looking for and working with.

Itinerary 

You will meet us before sunrise (approx 7am) at a location in the north eastern Peak District (near Hathersage) where we will leave the cars and walk to our first location before dawn. If there is the forecast of a powerful sunrise we will take this chance and shoot a nearby vista before setting off into a nearby woodland. We will spend the morning in this area, either walking between nearby locations or driving a short way to subsequent locations (depending on the weather and light), we can use mine and Marc’s cars for this or you can follow us if you prefer. If time allows, we will endeavour to show you some of the lesser known and even hidden areas of woodland just a stones throw from the beaten track. We'll help you get practiced in reccying and exploring woodland, and letting your senses collect together the elements of a scene you enjoy and wish to photograph. We will break for lunch at approx. 12noon at a lovely cafe in Hathersage and can talk more photography if you’d like or you can relax a little for an hour or so. After lunch we will drive across to the eastern edge of the Peak and spend the remainder of the day shooting another spectacular and not so commonly photographed woodland in the Goyt valley. Depending on light and conditions, we will finish the day at Shining Tor for a sunset shoot after which the workshop will end at approx 6pm. 

Summary

Start time and location for the workshop is 7am in the Hathersage area. We will confirm closer to the time exactly where to meet and provide you with a google maps link. This is likely to be a place accessible by road only. If you are travelling by public transport we may be able to collect you from Hathersage railway station or at a hotel in Hathersage if you are staying over the night before. Please get in touch with us to discuss this before you book. We will finish approximately 6pm on the Eastern edge of the Peak District or drive you back to Hathersage for approx. 7pm where the workshop will end.

What's included

Tuition, coaching, guidance, help and support from myself and Marc during the workshop on the day. We will take care of the planning, location selection, weather forecasting and logistics surrounding what we will shoot, how this suits the weather conditions we are presented with and how we can get the most from the groups learning objectives during the day. After meeting us at the start of the workshop at the specified location, me and Marc will transport and guide you to each location during the day, returning you to our meeting point at the end of the workshop. We will help you explore the locations we take you to, understand the photographic potential and work with you to react to the weather conditions as they unfold. We are happy to share any aspect of the knowledge and insight we have developed during the course of our work so feel free to make use of what we know throughout the course of the day. Our aim is to help you get more out of your landscape photography and to really enjoy the day! If you're struggling with woodland but really get inspired by it then you're in good hands, woodland is my favourite genre and I know it is for Marc too, so we hope we can share some of this passion with you and convert that into excellent images!

What's not included

You'll be responsible for:

- Travel to the meeting location at the beginning of the workshop and anywhere you need to get to once the workshop finishes

- Photography gear and suitable outdoor clothing. You should dress for all elements including wind and rain. Good hiking shoes are essential as are gloves (it can get cold in the Peak District). It goes without saying that a tripod is important, although we will explore handheld shooting techniques

- Any form of insurance

- Food and drink on the day. Myself and Marc will carry a small number of snacks and some water, and we will break for lunch and probably coffee either mid morning or mid afternoon. You will need to cover the cost of any food and drink consumed during the workshop.

How to book

Payment for your space on the workshop is made via this website, just click the BUY IT NOW button and your place is secured. There are only 6 spaces available. Once you have paid, please drop myself or Marc a message (via Instagram is best) and let us know you have paid for your place. We will need your email to get in touch with you closer to the workshop (see below).

After you book

About one week before the workshop date, myself and Marc will be in touch via email to ask some basic questions (what gear you have, what your learning objectives are, what you enjoy about landscape photography/woodland and why you have booked onto the workshop). This will help us get to know you all and to shape the day. You'll have the chance to ask us some questions and prepare for your day with us in the Peak District and then we'll be ready for the day! We just need to hope for some good weather conditions, although having photographed in the Peak District for many years now there are very rarely any days where it is too difficult to shoot.

Cancellations

If we receive cancellations made up to 48 hours before the start time of the workshop you will receive 100% of your fee in return. If you cancel between 48 and 24 hours before the workshop start date/time you will receive 50% of your fee in return. No part of the fee will be returned for cancellations received less than 24 hours prior to the start of the workshop.