UNIQUE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK / WALES
FEATURED BY EYE-PHOTO CLUB & EYE-PHOTO MAGAZINE

A three day intense landscape and nature photography experience with three passionate and skilled instructors.

Description:

Unique landscape and nature photography workshop, using neutral density filters for mountain landscapes, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Long exposure photography at sunrise and sunset around the beautiful Ogwen Valley in the breathtaking SNOWDONIA National Park – North Wales.

Snowdonia National Park:

Snowdonia is a dramatic mountain region in northwest Wales. The English Name Snowdonia derives from Snowdon, at 1085 m, the highest mountain on the British Isles outside Scotland. Opened in 1951 it is the first of the three designated national parks in Wales.

The rugged terrain and cliff faces are popular for mountaineers and rock climbers, even Edmund Hillary was training in the area for his ascent of Mount Everest.

During this workshop we will guide you on your journey into long exposure photography and landscape photography with neutral density filters. To show you everything you need to master this field of photography with ease and enthusiasm, we have chosen unique locations in the breathtaking nature of Snowdonia.

Our base camp will be a typical country house of the region with beautiful view to the Snowdonia mountains, close to our shooting locations. This keeps traveling times short and might give us a little more time for rest and sleep. Be warned, it won’t be much!

The maximum number of participants is limited to 12!

There are three good reasons for this: First of all we want to have ample time for each of you. With three instructors there will only be four participants each and we can fulfill your individual wishes, answer all your questions and be available for tuition. Second, as landscape photographers we have established a special relationship to our sensitive surroundings which we respect and protect. The larger the group, the more difficult this task will be, hence the limited numbers. And finally it’s way more fun in a smaller group!

What to expect?

Generally this workshop is addressed to beginners as well as ambitious advanced photographers.

Of course it would be helpful when you already know how to change the settings of your camera, like changing the white balance or check the histogram. But hey, if not, your instructors are always available to help.

What are you going to learn?

The basics of long exposure photography. The creative use of filters in photography, like polarizer, neutral density and graduated neutral density filters. When are we using them, why and what do we want to achieve – and when is it better not to use them?

• Image composition, lead-in lines and creative use of colours.
• Photo editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.
• Photography in manual mode „m“ and Bulb.
• Useful equipment – sometimes less is more!
• Should the weather be in our favour, we can offer a night highlight. The workshop is set shortly after full moon and perhaps there is the opportunity for a cool twilight shoot.
• There will certainly be the odd valuable tip in our bag which we will happily share with you.
• Without a doubt you will be taking many photographs at fascinating locations and have loads of fun!

This workshop is supported by „KASE Filters Germany“ with several systems. This gives you the opportunity to test these filter systems free of charge.

Last but not least, there is a closed Facebook group for our workshops and of course we will invite you. We’ll be there to answer questions beforehand, can provide a packing list, share tips and tutorials and of course – stay in contact! You won’t be left alone when our time in Snowdonia is over.

Program:

Day 1

• 12:00 Arrival at Manchester Airport
• Transport to Snowdonia
• Check in and allocation of rooms
• To keep cost and organisation as efficient as possible and for being able to offer you this workshop at a very attractive price, we will stay in double-, twin- and shared rooms. You have to be aware of that. Obviously we won’t mix genders.
• From the patio you can enjoy the beautiful view over the Menai Strait, separating Snowdonia from Anglesey.
• Welcome Snack and coffee/tea and Introduction
• Two hour theoretical basics: location scouting, light, weather, Sun, image composition, when to use which filter and why? When not to? Etc.
• Afterwards driving to the first location.
• After scouting and analysis of the location we start shooting and put the theory into action. Now we will be available for you and answer individual questions. You’re going to take photographs until your sensor will be glowing red.
• Into sunset and beyond blue hour
• Back to base camp, dinner and time to go to bed

What should you bring?

• A digital SLR or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses from wide angle to moderate tele lens. For a potential night shooting it’s an advantage to have a fast wide angle lens but that’s not mandatory.
• A stable tripod
• Remote control (cable or wireless). Use of self timer is possible but there will be limitations like no use of bulb mode.
• If you are already in possession of filters (Polariser, ND filter and GND filter), bring them! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We will be bringing in test kits from KASE Filters for you to work with.
• Robust shoes, ideally hiking boots. We are in the mountains, where Flip Flops are rather inadequate!
• Warm and rainproof clothing for the days and nights in September in the welsh mountains!
• Torch / head torch
• Enough batteries/rechargeables
• Your charging devices
• A power adapter – if you are from outside the UK – and a multiple socket for your chargers
• Memory cards
• Rain protection for your camera and lens. We might be able to show you how to turn a decent sized freezer bag into a protective cover
• Maybe we will need an umbrella. Nope, not for you but for your camera. We won’t let a bit of rain stop us enjoying our photography.
• Perhaps a small foldable stool or a seating pad
• What about a thermos flask?

Please note: the more equipment you bring, the more you have to carry and potentially transport in an aircraft (when travelling from abroad)!

Top-Tip: Earplugs! 😉

What else? A good mood, inquisitiveness, appreciation for nature and a joy of taking landscape photographs!

How can you prepare yourself?

Taking really good photographs, usually involves a decent amount of planning. What’s the position of the sun/moon at what time of the day/night? How does it affect the shadows? What’s the weather forecast and what about the tide? We will discuss all of the options and show you some useful apps.

Tip:

When even the MET Office can’t predict the weather accurately, how can we? We do know though, the weather in the mountains and especially in North Wales can change quickly! Thus we recommend to prepare your clothing to dress in layers, like an onion.

Booking:

Bookings will be accepted in strict chronological order and can only be made online via MB-Lichtbild. Markus’ Webspace also provides a full description in German!

Closing date for bookings and payment is 06/09/2019.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the contact form, email or phone.