Heather In Eryri Snowdonia Landcape Photography Workshop (August 17th 2024)

Description

Summer is well renowned as being one of the hardest times of year for landscape photographers. Long days, unsociable hours and harsh light. However for me one of the highlights of the year is in the middle of August. The heather of the UK. It is a time where the brown moorlands come to life with swathes of purple flowers take over the landscape. It really adds a different dimension to our photography and offers new opportunities and compositions.

On this workshop we will spend our time around Cwm Idwal & the Ogwen Valley where there is a good amount of heather with some absolutely stunning and fantastic backdrops. I spent a day last year walking around this familiar location at the end of heather season and was pleasantly surprised at the different images and compositions I got to search out compared to all my other visits of this place I already knew very well.

We will meet at 13:00 at Joe Browns in Capel Curig as there is signal there. If you are travelling via Wrexham you are more than welcome to lift share with me from there. We will then do a meet and greet with the other photographer’s to get to know each other before heading out.

Our first location will be the Ogwen Outflow photographing the waterfalls looking up to Tryfan and also of the old Roman Bridge that crosses below the A5.

We will then take a walk around Cwm Idwal, while this is a circular walk of around 2.5 it is largely over good paths and is considered a walk suitable for most and as such is a popular spot for all abilities. There is an optional short ascent to a viewpoint over Llyn Idwal where a fantastic rocky outcrop with a lone tree leads you into the distance. We will spend a lot of time seeking out compositions around the Cwm, working with where the heather is blooming best.

Once we have completed this walk we will see how we are for time. If we are on track we can head up Afon Lloer for sunset. While there isn’t much heather on this side of the valley it is the perfect place to end the day as the light will hit Tryfan whereas in Cwm Idwal, being north facing it will be in shade.

The day will conclude after sunset. We will get back to our cars approximately at 21:00.

Upon booking you will be provided with a questionnaire to fill out which is a requirement of attending. I will also provide a recommended kit list and what to bring.

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.

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 poor? Don’t worry, unless it’s torrential all day, I have plenty of locations that suit a variety of weather and with my experience, you will still get to the best locations possible and you will still get some great images, for example waterfalls are brilliant for those overcast days. As we are in the UK, we see more grey than we do yellow and I am well adapted to getting us to the best spots if we need to change itinerary. This may even include chasing the light, with my knowledge of how the weather works in certain areas and using forecasts, webcams and other tools on the day to help us make those decisions, which I will share with you. We will spend a lot of time working on technique and composition and most of the day is designed to work up until that hopeful sunset so you have the skills to get the best you can at the end of the day. So even if we don’t get the weather or even that sunset you will have learnt a load of new skills, even if you are a more advanced photographer which you can take away with you and use on your next photographic outing.

There is a £40 deposit required to secure your place on this workshop with the balance due no later than 6 weeks before the workshop.