Saturday 25th May 2024. Dartmeet, Dartmoor, Devon
Course location: Dartmoor in spring photography in woodlands along the banks of the River Dart, near Dartmeet, plus open moor around Bench Tor.
Times: 1.00pm to 8.00pm
Price: £100 per person
What the Dartmoor in Spring Photography Workshop Entails
Our popular day of beautiful Dartmoor in spring photography, at a time when the trees will be leafing out, sending a swathe of vibrant green across the hills and valleys.
This will be a day of landscape photography, initially in the ancient woodlands of the Dart Valley Nature Reserve, along the banks of the River Dart, south of Dartmeet. Here we’ll practise the photography of a river flowing among trees, the beauty of ancient trees arching across the water, and the jumble of gnarled trees in the forest.
In the afternoon we’ll head up onto the open moors, visiting one of the area’s most photogenic tors, complete with stunning views of the Dart Valley. Here we’ll be able to practise the photography of Dartmoor’s granite rocks, some attractively wind-sculpted trees, and the wonderful Dart Valley views. We may dabble in some wild flower photography, if we come across suitable subjects.
What I’ll be teaching
The course will aim to teach the following skills:
- How to spot potential image compositions among the trees, along the river banks and on the rocks of the tors, composing and shooting both wider views and details;
- Controlling and making use of the balance between shutter speed and lens aperture to gain the best exposure, and to control depth of field (ie the amount of the image that is sharply in focus);
- Use some of the camera’s most important features, such as semi-manual modes, in particular shutter-priority and aperture-priority, in order to help you to get away from ‘auto-everything’, as well as the ISO settings, image histogram and exposure compensation;
- Executing the image, using positioning, perspective, focus control, use of light, and lens focal length to create simple, strong compositions.
Participants should have at least an understanding of what shutter speed and lens aperture mean, plus a knowledge of how to operate their own camera in order to get at least basic images. Beyond this, the main requirements are enthusiasm, an open mind and a readiness to learn!
Note: Since we’ll be working outdoors, what we are able to do during the day is very weather-dependent. Weather conditions may make it necessary to vary the itinerary.