The Malvern’s are a unique range of hills that span across the three English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Another of our locations that has been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty. The summit of Worcestershire beacon is 1,394ft above sea level and boasts some truly fantastic panoramic views including the River Severn valley to the east and the Black Mountains of Wales to the west.
All the workshop locations have been hand picked by me to give you a diverse range of photographic opportunities. The Malvern Hills is no exception, the area is ideal for those wanting to learn how to take better landscape photographs. The hills contain some of the most ancient rocks in England dating back to the pre-Cambrian period. The rocks provide ideal foreground interest for wide angle landscape shots. For those wishing to experiment with larger telephoto techniques these hills provide an ideal vantage point to photograph the patchwork countryside below.
Our meeting point for the day is a local hostelry (Spring and Summer only). We will begin our workshop here and discuss the days events over lunch. During Winter months clients can access this information via an online tutorial. It is imperative that we have this time in order to discuss some of the techniques we’ll be utilising on the photography workshop. These include;
- Aperture versus shutter speed – The benefits of using a small aperture (f22) for landscape work and the relationship between aperture and shutter speed.
- Taking more control of your cameras settings – the drawbacks of using full auto mode and the advantages of changing your camera mode to manual and AV priority.
- Shoot in RAW format – We’ll address the difference between shooting RAW as opposed to JPG format.
- What is ISO and what ISO setting should I be using?
- We will also discuss how to meter and correctly expose difficult scenes within your viewfinder. “How do I expose for a bright sky and a darker foreground at the same time”? This is one of the main questions I am asked. I will give you hands on experience of how to correct this problem using a selection of Lee ND graduated filters.
- Composition, specifically the ‘rule of thirds’ and how this technique can help improve your photography.
- Using a tripod successfully and how this technique will improve your final image.
All questions are welcome. Although all our workshops are very informative I believe in running open workshops for all skill levels. There is no such thing as a silly question are far as I’m concerned, so please feel free to ask for my advice on any subjects that we don’t cover.
After lunch and our introductory session we will head off into the landscape and put what we have learnt into practice. After a full afternoon of taking photographs, we will concentrate on sunset photography from the vantage point of British Camp, a man-made peak that provides stunning views of the vistas below.
This workshop runs throughout the year and start/finish times vary depending on sunset times. Please contact me for more information regarding these times before booking. Listings are for group workshops of no more than six people. If you would like to attend this workshop on a one-to-one basis then this can be arranged, so please contact me with your proposed dates
Equipment - There are a number of things you will need to bring on the day of a workshop, these include:
- DSLR camera (inc. memory cards)
- Tripod.
- Wide angle lens.
- Telephoto lens, (optional)
- Remote shutter release (recommended).
- Polarising filter, these are optional but beneficial.
- Any other filters you have, these may include: ND and ND grad filters.
- Sturdy, waterproof footwear. Walking boots are ideal.
- Outdoor or waterproof trousers and coat.
- Packed lunch for late afternoon/early evening snack
- Liquid refreshment – bottled water is essential
- £3.00 in change, for pay and display car parking
Price: £130.00* (* price includes lunch)
Neil Atkinson • Mob. 07936 242 573 • Tel. 01384 620013 • Eml. neilakee@aol.com