Ogwen Valley Snowdonia Photography Workshop (June 30th 2024)

Description

Join me on June 30th to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Snowdonia and maybe even Wales to photograph the highlights of the stunning and dramatic Ogwen Valley on a workshop with high rewards for very little walking. Most locations have good access and paths.

This workshop is designed to cater for all photographic abilities with a variety of subjects. If you have been on a workshop with me before it’s a great way to see some new locations as well. I have rated the difficulty as easy/medium. I would regard most of the locations in most people’s capability but there is around 4 miles of walking so I have graded it slightly harder for this reason.

This whole area boasts some of the most rugged mountains south of the Scottish Border and some of the most photogenic, particularly Tryfan which not only is photogenic but from multiple angles too.

With big rugged mountains you would be forgiven for thinking the terrain would take a level of mountain fitness to get to the best photographic spots but there is a reason the Ogwen Valley is so popular and that’s because you can get to good viewpoints with relative ease, with Cwm Idwal being a well pathed 2.5 mile walk around with minimal ascent.

We will be looking to visit a variety of subjects from waterfalls to lakes (Llyn’s as we are in Wales) and grand landscapes. We will meet at Joe Browns in Capel Curig (for single reasons) before heading to Ogwen Outflow to photograph the waterfalls that leave Llyn Ogwen and tumble under the A5 and the old Roman bridge. This is a good way to get acquainted and learn the basics of the camera, long exposures and filters all at a slow pace. You are also welcome to travel in with me from Wrexham as well if you are travelling this way.

Next we will head up into Cwm Idwal, a large glacial bowl in the heart of the Glyder’s (the mountain range). This is probably one of the most popular walks in Snowdonia and with an ascent you barely feel over a good path before reaching Llyn Idwal. We will stop at points along the way to capture some of the viewpoints.

We will then take a walk around the Llyn. At the far side there is a small ascent for those that fancy it to capture a dramatic view over Llyn Idwal looking to Pen-Y-Ole-Wen with a well placed tree in the foreground too.

We will continue back around, potentially stopping along the way and if we are doing well for time we will then head back down and slightly up the valley to visit Afon LLoer, a 15 minute walk uphill to visit cascading waterfalls with the mighty Tryfan as a backdrop and this could well be our sunset location.

This is a day that provides a lot of opportunities with so many subjects. The day will also work well in a variety of weather.

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. Please pay particular attention to required equipment as a certain level of appropriate gear is expected. The list won’t be conclusive but aimed to give you the best guidelines possible. Please take a common sense approach to your packing, for example I suggest 2l of water but you may know from experience you need more or less. Please contact me if you are unsure and I will try and advise you the best I can.

Photographically 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.

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.