Alport Castles Photographic Walk Photography Workshop (January 28th 2024)

Description

Join me on the 28th January on this photographic walk for a day out to photograph some of the Peak District’s lesser photographed spots including Fair Brook waterfall and Alport Castles.

This workshop is a day designed for those who want to venture further from their car to some more remote locations. You would benefit from potentially having a good working knowledge with your camera as there will be less time on camera during the day due to walking, however this is not essential. The day also requires a level of fitness due to the amount of walking (approx. 8 miles total) and ascent.

To start off the day, we will meet at 10:00 to do a meet and greet before heading off up Fair Brook on the north side of Kinder Scout. Up here there are numerous waterfalls flowing down the brook with the backdrop of the mighty Kinder Scout. This a great location where we can practice long exposures and have a look at your technical ability. It will also work well in a variety of conditions. Please note, access to the main waterfall is down a steep bank and requires some confidence to descend. If this is too much for you, there are opportunities five minutes back.

Once we have done Fair Brook we will move on to the main objective of the day which is to photograph the largest landslip in the Peak District, Alport Castles. This is a walk of about 1 hour, maybe a little longer but we will choose a route where it starts off easy along a road before ascending with a few photographic opportunities along the way. There is a lovely pool with views along the landslip and valley and further up there is a lovely lone tree looking back along the way we walked. Once at the castles we will choose whether to go up to the top or stay in the basin of the landslip, both are equally good! We will then stick around to photograph sunset here before heading back down to the car. The day will finish approx. 18:00 as we will have that hour walk back in the dark, so please remember a head torch.

While there will be a short break between locations it is suggested you bring food with you. Please also remember the conditions could potentially be wintery and warm drinks, clothes etc should also be considered. I also recommend bringing some micro spikes which can help if there is any snow/ice on the ground.

Throughout the day we will look at techniques such as focusing, using a tripod, use of filters vs exposure blending, composition, working with the light and more. This is largely photographic walk and as such, we will build techniques throughout the day and the aim is to put what we have learnt into practice for the sunset at Alport Castles.

I am more than happy to discuss other more advanced techniques on 1-2-1 basis as well as to the group, depending on what is beneficial.

The day is tailored around you as much as possible and I strive to give each of you on the course for that day the best day possible. At the end of the day, you will have hopefully learnt new techniques and taken away some imagery you will be proud of. I am a friendly and relaxed tutor and I welcome you to keep in touch with me after the course to ask me any questions you may have looked over on the day. I have also created a Facebook client area where you can keep in touch, share your photos and keep in touch with other attendees from the day.

There will be a maximum group size of 4 meaning there will be plenty of 1-2-1 time. I will be on hand throughout the day for any questions and my focus will be on ensuring you have the best day possible.

What if the weather is bad? Fair Brook works in most conditions unless the cloud is really low, in which case we may choose another waterfall in more cover. If Alport isn’t possible for whatever reason, I’ll discuss options with you on the day and take you to alternative, impressive locations that will suit the weather. This is only likely to happen if the cloud is really low or there is heavy rain, otherwise we will try our luck regardless!

A £40 deposit is required to secure your space with the final balance due no later than 6 weeks before the workshop.