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Photography courses in the southwest

With 20 years' experience as a professional photographer, working mainly in the fields of travel, landscape, nature and environmental photography, Nigel has a vast range of knowledge of photographic skills, which he is more than happy to help pass on to others. As a result, he runs occasional photography courses, usually focussing on his first love, that of landscape photography, based mainly in his home area of south Devon.

Starting about five years ago, Nigel usually runs two weekend courses annually, timed to coincide with the best of the spring and autumn seasons. This year, an additional four-day course is being introduced. Photo locations for the weekend courses range across the hills, valleys and woodlands of Dartmoor, and the beaches, cliffs and rivers of Devon's beautiful coastline. Four the four-day course, the magnificent Atlantic coast and moors of north Cornwall will be the outdoor studio.

To see images from past courses, click here.

To see a list of upcoming courses, click here.

Who the courses are for and what they teach

The courses attract people of all abilities and experience, ranging from those with simple compact cameras to others loaded with far too much of the latest equipment! All that we ask is that, whatever camera you bring, you know which buttons to press to at least obtain a photograph! Nigel hopes to be able to help participants develop the following skills:

• Making the best use of your digital camera and associated computer work and software;
• An essential understanding of the principles of photographic composition;
• A firm grasp of how different kinds of light can affect the landscape and any potential images within it;
• An ability to pick out great subjects and compositions within a landscape;
• An understanding of how to convert those visualised subjects and compositions into great images, making selective use of the natural light, lens choice and perspective.

Apres-photography

While Nigel aims to make the best use of whatever daylight hours are available, evenings are usually spent discussing photography, looking at digital camera functions and the general principles of great photography, as well as examining images that have been shot during the course. Inevitably, some of the camera and computer discussions can become a bit technical, but Nigel always tries to keep these clear and straightforward, always resisting the temptation to be drawn into prolonged, in-depth technical analyses - the weekend is supposed to be fun!

Accommodation

Accommodation is always in rural or village-based hotels, where breakfast and dinner are eaten. Lunch is provided as a picnic to be eaten out in the countryside. The fee you pay covers all your costs for the weekend, including lunch, dinner and local transportation (minibus around the photo locations), as well as bed and breakfast. The only thing you will be expected to pay for is drinks bought from the hotel's bar.

Upcoming courses

These are the courses that we have planned, so far, for 2010 and into 2011:

Spring photography in Devon, 23rd-25th April 2010. A weekend photography course focussing on the moors, woodlands, coast, harbours and wild flowers of South Devon. The course will be based at the Coombe Cross Hotel, in Bovey Tracey, one of the main eastern gateways to Dartmoor National Park. Click here for more information.

Four days in Cornwall, 11-15th Oct 2010. A four-day course based at the Bossiney House Hotel, close to the Atlantic cliffs around Tintagel, on the north coast of Cornwall. Click here for details.

Devon's autumn coasts, 29th-31st October 2010. Photography of north Devon's dramatic coastline, based for the weekend at the Durrant House Hotel, on the outskirts of Bideford. For full details click here.

Spring landscape photography on Dartmoor, 13th-15th May 2011. Based at the lovely Brimpts Farm, at Dartmeet, in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, this weekend course will range across the tors, valleys, streams and woodlands of the park, the weekend timed to coincide with the spring leafing-out of the beech and oak forests. Details of this course will be posted here in due course.