Precipices and Panoramas Photography Workshop Eryri (May 31st 2024)

Description

New for 2024. Join me on May 31st to spend a day photographing high up viewpoints with great access photographing the Mawddach Estuary all the way from Dolgellau to Barmouth.

We will meet at Dolgellau but for anyone travelling via Wrexham, I am also happy to take you from here.

On this stretch there are 3 high up viewpoints with easy access allowing us to start up high. We will start at the Precipice Walk near Dolgellau which is a 5km/3 mile circular walk with far stretching views. To start with we will pass a small Llyn (Lake) with fantastic views of Cadair Idris. If the water is calm the reflections here can be stunning. Further around there is the classic viewpoint looking down the Mawddach Estuary. At this point we will be around 1/3 way around. We may choose to do the full loop if we have the time and it will allow us to explore more viewpoints, particularly if the light is good.

Next we will head to the New Precipice walk which is a little further down the valley. Providing there is room to park, we can park right at the top and the panoramic views down the estuary are within a few minutes reach.

We will take a break at the mid-point of the day to grab a cuppa and potentially some food. We will also take the opportunity for me to show you an introduction to post-processing and Adobe Lightroom.

Our potential last stop will be the panorama walk above Barmouth. An easy 10 minute walk has us looking back up the Mawddach Estuary showing where we have just come from as well as over to the imposing Cadair Idris. In the distance you can also see the railway bridge stretching from Barmouth to Fairbourne.

At this point it will be around sunset. If we have done well for time we may decide to drop down to Barmouth Beach to photograph the dunes or the sea crashing around the groynes. This will give us a bit of variety to the day.

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 medium. The paths are largely good at all locations. The hardest spot is the Precipice Walk and there are a few sections where the path narrows, hence its name. However many families walk around here without any issue so this should give you an idea.

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.

A £40 deposit is required to book with the full amount due no later than 6 weeks before the start of the workshop.