Steam Recreations

EXMOOR - LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
EVENING TASTER COURSE
BASIC PHOTOSHOP & PRINTING
DIGITAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS
INTRODUCTION TO STEAM RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHY
STEAM IN THE LANDSCAPE WORKSHOPS

Workshops

WHAT WORKSHOP COURSES ARE AVAILABLE?
Workshop courses are offered on a "one to one" basis on a date to suit your own requirements - we all lead busy lives these days - or you can book one of our pre arranged dates listed below and join other like minded photographers where you can also share ideas and experiences to further improve your photography.

We offer 1 day and multi day workshops in both landscape and steam railway subjects, whichever you prefer. Most are full day courses, although see below for our "taster"option. Multi day courses can include an evening critique session of some your previous work if you wish.

Landscape courses are available at a variety of locations in South West England, both coastal and countryside and final locations chosen will often depend on the weather conditions and time of year. You may also have a particular favourite area that you would like to use and this will be considered if required. Landscape workshops take in the best light at the beginning and end of the day for at least a part of the course.

Steam railway courses concentrate on steam in the landscape opportunities rather than shots of trains at stations etc., although some of these can also be included if you wish. The railway courses take in as many locations and picture opportunties as can be fitted in to a full day out on the lineside.

Basic Photoshop & printing will cover the techniques required to enable you to process and print your images incluidng RAW conversion if that format is employed for your picture taking. The 1 day workshop is ideal if booked in addition to an outdoor landscape or steam railway workshop to process the images you have obtained on the workshop. It can be taken the following day or on any day to suit your diary.

Evening taster courses. In addition to the above we offer some short evening "taster workshops" in the Somerset area starting a couple of hours before sunset and taking in a local landscape feature that can produce a successful result in the late afternoon/evening lighting often referred to as the "golden hours".

COURSE CONTENT
Each workshop will aim to cover the fundamentals of good photography, regardless of whether landscape or steam railway. We will however try not to cover in detail areas in which you are already familiar. Most workshops will therefore include the following, obviously digital features only apply when that medium is used;

• The camera - includes an overview of the functions and facilities available on your camera
• Exposure control - including manual, aperture priority, shutter priority and ISO settings and exposure compensation and bracketing
• Working with the light and camera metering modes
• Focus control
• Depth of field
• Composition - understanding how the above all effect the final result
• The eye of as photographer - how to see good picture opportunities
• RAW and JPEG images
• White balance
• The Histogram
• Post production options - software available
• Home printing

PRICES
The standard charge for a 1 day workshops is £135.00.
For a 2 day workshop the cost is £249.00
For a 3 day workshop the cost is £315.00.
The evening taster courses are £50.00 for a three hour session.
Photoshop days are £125.00 per head/per day.

These charges will apply to all courses regardless of whether they are booked "one to one" on tailored dates or as one of our pre-arranged dates with other like minded photographers. The workshops can be booked either individually or for a small group. If small groups book together a discount can be applied, please call us for details.
If alternative locations further away from the west country are preferred for your workshop then the additional costs incurred by your tutor will be applied to the total.
All courses/workshops can be booked on line via our secure payment facility or call us by phone on 01278 784825 and sending a cheque to our postal address.

ACCOMMODATION
Multi day courses will obviously require some overnight accommodation to be arranged and we can help you to find or book on your behalf a suitable bed & breakfast guest house. The costs of this is not included in the course fee and payment for this is the responsibility of the student.

POOR WEATHER OPTION
If you have booked a "one to one" workshop session and when the date for your course arrives the weather forecast is particularly poor you can contact us to discuss the option of postponing, no charge will be made for doing this in these circumstances. Where our pre-arranged workshops are concerned, such as at railway gala events, it is of course best to grin and bear any bad weather and make the most of what is on offer!

SOME FEEDBACK FROM PAST CLIENTS
Hi Don
Hope you're keeping well, thought you might be interested to know that the shot I took at our day at the WSR Spring Gala of the Super D in the one brief moment of sunshine got a "gold medal" at the Worthing Camera Club competition last night!

Hi Don,
I had a great day out and learned lots of useful stuff - it was certainly well worth the money! I hope you enjoyed the day too.
There does seem to be such a lot to learn about photography, but I suppose that is part of it's appeal, isn't it? Now that I've started to take photography seriously I'm keen to learn all I can, to progress beyond taking snapshots and strive to produce something that could be called art. I think it's going to be fun, and the day spent with you has got me off to a good start.

Hi Don,
Thank you once again for an excellent workshop & day playing with Photoshop plus prints.
Also thanks to Jane for coffee and an excellent lunch.
Everybody has liked my pictures.

Hi Don,
Once again thanks for an excellent weekend on the WSR. I'd been looking forward to it since Christmas, and it turned out to be much better than I had been hoping for. Keep me posted on your charter events - I hope that I'll be able to join one later this year.

Terms and conditions

EXMOOR - LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Monday 27th September - Friday 1st October 2010.

Landscape photography workshop on Exmoor and the surrounding area with FULL BOARD ACCOMODATION at the beautiful Halsway Manor hotel in the Quantock Hills. Options for en-suite @ Ł599.00 per person.

The week will start with late aftrenoon arrival at Halsway on Monday followed by Dinner and evening introduction discussion. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you will be taken out into the countryside, and provided with a packed lunch, taking photos ofthe Exmoor National Park area and coast. Each evening dinner will served and followed by reviews of your work and slide shows of landscape images. Finish is after breakfast on Friday.

Bookings can be made either by calling Halsway Manor on 01984 618274 or online via this website. Contact us with any queries.

The cost quoted below is for the full en-suite option. Cost for this workshop will be £599.00 per head.

EVENING TASTER COURSE

A short three hour evening session at a scenic Somerset landscape location. These workshops are intended to offer a brief overview of shooting a classic location in the "golden hours" evening light and at sunset.

Don will meet you near the agreed location and spend time with each student covering shooting techniques, composition, exposure etc.

If a full days workshop is booked afterwards in addition a discount will be offered on this. Cost for this workshop will be £50.00 per head.

BASIC PHOTOSHOP & PRINTING

One you have completed a days workshop "out in the field", whether landscapes or steam, you will want to review and print your work. We can now offer a days course in basic Photoshop techniques required to convert RAW images (don't worry if you decide to shoot JPEG we will simply move forward to the next stage), adjust white balance if neccesary, resize, use layers as required, check levels, curves, shadows and highlights etc, remove minor unwanted items that may be in the image, sharpen and then print the final image using our Epson Pro printers.

The days workshop will be held at our home in West Huntspill and will include a light buffet lunch. The day will start 09.30 hrs and finish at approx 17.30 hrs.

This workshop is not intended to cover more advanced Photoshop applications and is ideal for those wanting to learn how to simply "process" their images. The workshop can be held the next day after your outdoor photography workshop or on another date to suit your diary. If a multiple day outdoor course is booked a discount is available on the Photoshop day. Give us a call to discuss your requirements.

Cost shown is per person on a one day basis. Cost for this workshop will be £125.00 per head.

DIGITAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

What if you are already a keen amateur photographer and know your way around an SLR - film or digital? These workshops are for those with a reasonable background knowledge of photography but who want to advance their skills to a new level. These workshops are often held on a one to one basis on a date to be agreed between us.

The workshops are field based and will be held in Somerset (Devon or Dorset can be covered by special request) along the coast and hills. A full day event starting around dawn and finishing at sunset during the autumn/winter/spring months. The workshop content can be tailored to cover any areas you feel you require help with. We will seek out some good landscape locations for our photographs and work to get the best results possible from we have in front of our lens.

The events concentrate on composition, having an "eye for a picture", using filters and making the best of the available light.

Contact us with dates that you may be available so that we can agree a suitable date(s) for your workshop. We try to be as flexible as possible with these workshops so do not list dates in advance.

Cost shown is per person on a one day basis. Options are available for 2 or 3 days at a reduced rate per day - contact us for booking details. Cost for this workshop will be £135.00 per head.

DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS

Sales of digital SLR cameras have rocketed over the past few years as prices come down and features improve, making them much more attractive to people looking to improve their photography over that possible from a small compact camera.

If you are not already a seasoned photographer and don't know your ISO from your f stops using your new digital SLR camera to its full potential can be a bit daunting. SLR cameras are able to give the user full creative control of their picture taking as well as using auto modes, just like on a compact, when the situation suits.

This is our starter workshop for those who want to know more about digital photography and take their picture taking to a more advanced level. These workshops are often held on a one to one basis on a date to be agreed between us.

The workshops will cover the principles of good photography, composition, exposure, using the light and camera handling.

Bring along your camera and its individual handbook and we will guide you through the cameras features and functions to help you understand it and improve your photography for better enjoyment of the hobby.

The workshops are field based and will normally be held in Somerset (Devon or Dorset can be covered by special request) along the coast and hills.

Contact us with dates that you may be available so that we can agree a suitable date(s) for your workshop. We try to be as flexible as possible with these workshops so do not list dates in advance.

Cost shown is per person on a one day basis. Options are available for 2 or 3 days at a reduced rate per day - contact us for booking details. Cost for this workshop will be £135.00 per head.

INTRODUCTION TO STEAM RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

A specialist area of photography in which Don is well known and one that many photographers like to have a try at, regardless of whether they are railway enthusiasts or not. Steam train photography requires many special techniques to be applied and considered to get the best results and these workshops will show what these are and how to work within the constraints presented to you to get excellent quality steam railway images. So if you are a steam enthusiast who wants to improve their pictures of preserved steam in the UK or a keen amateur photographer of any subject these workshops are very enjoyable and beneficial events.

Normally held at the West Somerset Railway which runs between Bishops Lydeard (near Taunton) and Minehead and offers plenty of photo opportunities, ranging from the beautiful Quantock Hills to the seaside at Blue Anchor where the line runs right along the top of the beach. Alternatively the workshop can be held at a steam railway in your own area, but additional costs will apply to cover travel and accommodation costs for your tutor.

Don will offer advice and share his knowledge to get the most out of a particular location. He will arrange to assist and guide you or the group throughout the event and provide critique and constructive feedback on your work. Transport to the venue will be the responsibility of the participants, however once arrived there we will provide 4x4 transport for you or the group around the various chosen locations, thereby reducing the problems of parking etc on the day.

Contact us with dates that you may be available so that we can agree a suitable date(s) for your workshop. We try to be flexible with these workshops so do not list dates in advance.

Cost quoted for this workshop is per person/per day if held at the West Somerset Railway on a one to one basis. If 2 or 3 people are booking together the fee for the group will be reduced to Ł110 per person/per day. Cost for this workshop will be £135.00 per head.

STEAM IN THE LANDSCAPE WORKSHOPS

This workshop event is aimed at photographers who enjoy taking pictures in the great outdoors and in particular the countryside, but with the added feature of including a working steam hauled train in the picture.

Normally held at the scenic West Somerset Railway, running through the beautiful Quantock Hills and alongside the Bristol channel coast to Minehead. If however you wish to book the cousre at a railway nearer your own home that can be arranged but a small additional charge will apply to cover extra costs.

The workshop is to learn about and practice the art of steam photography.

The course will include transport around the locations selected (often less well known) along the line where the light will be right for the shot planned. Tuition will also be provided on camera technique, composition and exposure control etc. The emphasis will be on shots that include the landscape around the railway as well as the steam trains themselves. The day will start at approx 09.00 hrs and continue through until approx 18.00 hrs with a packed lunch taken whilst out on location.

Cost shown is per person on a one day basis. Options are available for 2 or 3 days at a reduced rate per day - contact us for booking details. Cost for this workshop will be £135.00 per head.