Ancient Woodland in the Peak District: 1-Day Photography Workshop - Saturday 26th October 2024

Workshop spaces limited to 4 people maximum to provide ample focused and personalised coaching and tuition throughout the day for all participants.

Product Description

Introduction

Join me for a dawn till dusk day of photography in some of the very best ancient woodland locations the Peak District has to offer during the autumn season when the colour should be at its peak. For the past few years I have been exploring the national park extensively for new areas of ancient woodland away from the usual busy spots and which haven't been photographed and/or aren't visited frequently. And I have discovered some incredible locations for woodland photography! During the workshop I will take you to some of these locations which you may have seen me posting about on social media (but where I haven't revealed the exact location). This will provide you with a brilliant opportunity to both hone your skills in the woods and come away with some very unique images. I receive the best of my feedback from clients after taking them into the woods, often a daunting place to photograph initially but by the end of the day I will leave you feeling confident to go and explore new woodland areas on your own to make good images.

Agenda

I 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. I’ll help you understand how to approach woodland areas initially, managing that overwhelming feeling of complexity and mess. I 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 good shot, moving onto larger scenes with multiple characters and 'more going on'. Within this, I will try to help you understand the subtle elements that make woodland photography special - flow, rhythm and relationships within the scene you have seen, often this is what makes a memorable image. In great woodland images interaction is critical and I'll help you explore how you see and compose to capture this emotion in the woods with the light and conditions 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, I'll show you how to work with the light as it changes, the woods can be brilliant at any time of the day if you know what you're looking for and how to translate this into images.

Itinerary 

You will meet me at or shortly before sunrise (approx 7am give or take) at a location in the north west or north east of the Peak District (I will determine this approximately a week before the workshop based on the weather forecast and progression of autumn colour in the different locations we may visit). There will be ample parking spots to leave your cars where we will set off on foot to our first location. 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 my car for this or you can follow me if you prefer. We will break for lunch at approx. 12noon (a short drive from our mornings shoot) where we can eat, talk more photography or you can relax a little for an hour or so. After lunch we will drive in my car to further ancient woodland locations and shoot until just before sunset and/or until we have lost the light. I will then drive us back to our initial meeting point and return you to your cars (approx 5pm give or take). 

What's included

Tuition, coaching, guidance, help and support from me on the day. I will take care of the planning, location selection, weather forecasting and logistics. I will help you explore some very special ancient woodland locations seldom photographed so you can understand their photographic potential, compose according to the way you interpret the woodland and work to react to the weather conditions and changing light as this unfolds. I am happy to share any aspect of the knowledge and insight I have developed during the course of my work so feel free to make use of what I know throughout the course of the day. My 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 hope I can share some of this passion and inspire you to go on and convert that into your own 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 I will explore handheld shooting techniques if appropriate

- Any form of insurance

- Food and drink on the day. I 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 where you will need to pay for your place in full and your spot is secured. There are only 4 spaces available to provide a personalised and intimate learning environment. Once you have paid, please drop me a message (via Instagram is best) and let me know you have paid for your place, even though I will receive email confirmation from my website this can be delayed by a few hours sometimes and I like to know when people have booked on!

After you book

About one week before the workshop date, I will be in touch via email (the one you used to make your purchase on my website) to confirm the exact meeting time and location in the Peak District. If you need to ask me any last minute questions to help you prepare for your day with me in the Peak District this is a good time to do so and then we'll be ready for the day! Please ensure you check/have access to the email you used to purchase your workshop space on my website and check this about a week ahead of the date. Please check that emails from photography@demirayoral.com are not blocked or that they don't end up in the junk/spam folder! 

Cancellations

If you have to cancel for any reason and notify me (must be by email to photography@demirayoral.com) up to 7 days before the start time of the workshop you will receive 100% of your payment back (less any small credit card/website transaction fees). If you cancel between 7 days up to 48 hours before the workshop start date/time you will receive 50% of your payment in return (less any small credit card/website transaction fees). No part of your payment will be returned for cancellations received less than 48 hours prior to the start of the workshop.