Rugged South-West Peak District Workshop (April 20th 2024)

Description

Join me on the 20th April for a packed day of photographing the South-West Peak District, home to some of the most dramatic escarpments and hidden gems the Peak District has to offer.

The South-West Peak District is an area of the Peak District with dramatic gritstone landscapes that spread out over the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. The highlight of the area has to be The Roaches near Upper Hulme, a gritstone escarpment that juts out of the ground as if an earthquake pushed the cliff edges up.

Further up, you have the mighty Shutlingsloe, which is locally known as ‘The Matterhorn of Cheshire’ due to its distinctive shape. Not to be overlooked is Windgather Rocks, an easy-to-reach gritstone edge that can prove challenging in bad weather, as it name suggests, it is often windy.

Throughout the day it would be a crime not to visit such locations as Three Shires Head which is a pack-horse bridge and waterfall where the three counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire meet. In older times, the bridge was used for criminals to escape the law when jurisdiction of the police would not extend over county boundaries.

Tucked away nearby and hidden in the woods is the fantastic Luds Church, a deep chasm where it is said that Robin Hood once used as a hideaway.

As I aim to split my time equally for 1-2-1, this workshop is designed for all abilities from beginner to those who are competent and are looking for guidance on locations.

We will meet around 13:00 before heading to Three Shires Head to photograph the stunning waterfall under the old packhorse bridge. This allows us to start slowly and get to grips with how you work with your camera as well as practicing use of filters and long exposures.

We will then likely head to Ramshaw Rocks which offers a fantastic viewpoint where we can discuss the intricacies of composition and planning out locations. This is a quick walk of about 5 minutes from the car.

We will break for lunch around 17:00 and if time allows, look at my own images on a laptop to discuss basic processing techniques within Adobe Lightroom.

We will aim to finish with a sunset from the Roaches, walking onto the escarpment to Doxey Pool where there are a numerous amount of compositions and subjects to photograph. We will be spoilt here. I have in the past also managed to squeeze in Roach End Barn depending on how we go.

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.

The fitness rating on this workshop is listed as moderate. The locations by themselves aren’t too involved and can be done by most with enough time but as we are visiting multiple, especially with the Roaches having some uphill you may wish to consider this.

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.