This course has now taken place, but you can see details of all our other courses over the coming months here.
This course will be limited to just four photographers – so everyone will receive plenty of individual attention and have their questions answered. Please contact us if you would like a booking form.
This one day workshop is being held in Lathkill Dale, a beautiful limestone valley in the heart of the Peak District. Spring is one of the best times of year to see it, when the early flowers carpet the floor of the woodlands and the leaves on the trees are just starting to open.
The dale (most of which is a National Nature Reserve) has a wide range of subjects for us photographers – from the numerous weirs used to manage the water levels on the river, to 
waterfalls, woodlands, caves and impressive limestone cliffs. It has also been the scene of industrial activity for hundreds of years, and the remains of the two largest lead mines are today a Scheduled Monument for their significance. One of them still has the parts of a large steam engine house standing, while the visible remains of most of the other features have been made more attractive for photography by being reclaimed and softened by nature during the 170 years since mining here finished.
The first half of the day will be spent at the bottom end of the dale, photographing the series of weirs which are perfect for practising photographing moving water. A tripod will be needed for this (but we have some that you can borrow if you don’t already have one of your own), and we also have some sets of filters that you can borrow for use with the moving water to enable you to get some nice long exposures. Here are a series of photos taken by a client on one of our previous Lathkill Dale courses in winter.
After lunch (not included in the course price) at the Lathkil Hotel in the nearby village of Over Haddon, we will go to a different location – to be decided according to peoples’ preferences and the weather on the day.
If we decide to go to the top end of Lathkill Dale, there are fine views to be had looking down from the top of the valley side – where the impressive limestone cliffs catch the late afternoon sunlight. Because the valley is long and narrow with few access points, there may be a bit more walking involved, but it will still not be more than a mile. The paths here require a bit more care, and there are a few stiles to cross as well, but the walking should still be well within the capabilities of most people.
Another option is a nearby abandoned lead mine, which has very photogenic buildings and chimneys, and is in a superb open location to catch the light during the afternoon.
The course is suitable for any type of digital stills camera that allows you to control the settings – particularly shutter speeds and apertures. The most suitable are digital slr or mirrorless cameras that have interchangeable lenses, but compact and bridge cameras may also be suitable (though some have certain limitations due to their small sensor sizes, and whether or not filters can be attached to them). Please contact us for advice if you are unsure whether your camera is suitable.
As this is an intermediate – rather than beginners’ level – course, it is important that you are already familiar with the basics of photography and how to use your camera in other than the “all-automatic” mode. If you are not confident about how to use shutter speeds, lens apertures and ISO to control exposure, and how to focus your camera, please come on one of our beginners’ level digital photography courses first, where we teach those skills.
Subjects covered on this course may include:
- composition for picture impact
- creative use of lens apertures, shutter speeds and different types of lenses
- how and when to use different types of filters on your lenses
- how to get the colours looking the way you want them in your photos
- tips for shooting in RAW format for maximum quality
- shooting in fully manual (M) mode
- correct use of tripods
Please contact us to request a booking form, or if you need any further information about this course.
We also run landscape and beginners’ level courses in other local areas. See here for details of all our other digital photography courses near Sheffield and in the Peak District.