Author: Chris

Saturday 23rd September 2023 – 4.00pm to midnight. Only 1 place still available.

This advanced level course is limited to just 6 photographers, and places cost £99.00 each. Please contact us to request a booking form or if you require further information.

Most photographers have tried to photograph a sunset at some point (many cameras even have a special “sunset” mode), but are often disappointed with the results. On this course you’ll find out why this can happen, and learn some of the techniques that will make your sunset photos really come alive. Many of these same techniques also apply to twilight and night sky photography, and during this course, you will learn how and when to use them.

Modern digital cameras work extremely well in low light conditions, and have made night photography much easier and predictable than it used to be just a few years ago. So if you’ve ever wanted to try low light, night photography or “light painting“, this course will show you how to get started, and what fun it can be!

It is being held at a very safe, rural location in the Derbyshire Peak District – which has relatively little light pollution and is ideally suited for sunset and night photography. With wide horizons, twisted trees and amazing old industrial buildings and chimneys silhouetted against the sky, this is one the prime locations in the whole of the Peak District for this type of photography.

There are often some lovely evenings in September,  with light winds, spectacular sunsets – and warm temperatures! On September 23rd, the sun will be setting just after 7.00 pm, and the course will begin three hours before that – so we will be able to take full advantage of “golden hour” light, continue through sunset and into “blue hour“, and finally night itself.

The moon will be 57% illuminated on this date, and will rise at around 5.00pm, so we will have the chance to photograph it while the buildings and other foreground features are also still illuminated by daylight – a great combination which can produce spectacular results straight out of the camera with no complicated post processing required.

Later, when it has got properly dark, we will be able to get some different shots with the buildings and landscape illuminated just by the light of the moon – a relatively easy introduction to photography at night.

The photographic possibilities on this course are obviously dependent on the weather and cloud conditions, but even if it’s cloudy, we will still be able to get some great photos using combinations of natural light and “light painting” using flashguns and/or the lights that we will be bringing along.

“many thanks for a brilliant low light/night workshop …  I personally learned a lot that evening as did all the other participants and I respect that you keep your groups small so everyone gets your valuable help.” Stuart

There will be a maximum of only 6 photographers on the course, with places costing £99.00 each. Numbers are deliberately being kept low, and priority will be given to people who have already attended one of our landscape photography courses.

Please contact us if you would like more information, or to request a booking form for the course. Continue reading “Sunset and Beyond – Low Light and Night Photography in the Peak District”

Saturday December 2nd – 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Only 2 places still available.

This course will be limited to just 4 photographers, with places costing £99.00 each. Please contact us to request a booking form, or if you need any further information about this course. 

This intermediate level course will explore some of the wonderful photographic subjects around Stanton Moor, between Bakewell and Matlock in the Peak District. We will spend the first part of the day in one of the former sandstone quarries which surround the moor. Stanton Moor has been prized for its fine grained stone for centuries (the paving for Trafalgar Square came from here), and the quarry we will visit still retains plenty of interesting features from its industrial past – though they have now been softened and partly reclaimed by nature. Continue reading “Stanton Moor Winter Landscapes Course”

This course has now taken place, but you can see the dates of our next beginners’ photography courses here.

This practical one day course is being held outdoors in the area around Fox House, on the edge of Sheffield, and is accessible by public transport. The course is limited to a maximum of just 6 places, which cost £99.00 each. Please contact us to request a booking form, or if you need any further information about any of our courses. 

No prior knowledge of photography is required for this course – so it is ideal for people who have just bought their first dedicated camera (and have only previously used a smartphone to take photos), as well as those who have only been using their camera in “auto” mode and would like to learn how to use it to its full potential. The course is not just for owners of digital slrs, but is equally suitable for any type of digital camera provided it can be used in other than “all-auto” or “scene” modes – whether it is a compact “point and shoot” camera, travelzoom, bridge, mirrorless, or dslr.

Continue reading “Beginners’ Photography Courses near Sheffield – Getting Off Auto Mode”