Landscape photography courses Yorkshire Dales

Maximum five photographers per course...no room sharing...no single supplement

Introduction to Digital Landscape Photography Weekend Workshop 2011		Wain Wath Force by Tim Goodspeed

Dates: May 20th - 22nd, 2011 July 8th - 10th, 2011 Location: Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales Cost: £495 Cost includes: Three days of one-to-one and group tuition. Two nights accommodation with no shared rooms and no single supplement, plus breakfast, lunch and three-course dinner each evening. Transport to locations plus comprehensive course notes and unlimited follow-up email and telephone advice. Start/Finish: The workshop starts at 6pm on Friday and finishes at 5pm on Sunday Deposit: £100 per person Group size: Maximum 5 photographers Fitness level: Most locations involve a short walk, some across uneven ground and a limited amount uphill, but nothing strenuous Equipment needed: Digital SLR camera; tripod; walking boots; waterproof clothing Where we stay: The Buck Hotel, Reeth, Swaledale

	Click here for full outline of the workshop
	Click here for images made on previous workshops
	Click here for questions about the workshop
	Click here for feedback from photographers
	Click here to learn about the leader
	Click here to see where we stay (off-site link)

FULL OUTLINE OF THE WORKSHOP

THE DIGITAL DAWN Introduction to Digital Landscape Photography Weekend Workshop offers the opportunity to learn about digital landscape photography while making images at some of the country's finest waterfalls. It is an intensive three days designed for photographers who want to learn how to use their digital SLR camera to its full potential away from the automatic settings and are also keen to develop their eye for landscapes.

Our base is Swaledale which is considered by many to be the most beautiful and intimate of all the Yorkshire Dales. The River Swale, from which the dale takes its name, has tremendous power and the sheer force of its flow has cut through the soft bedrock to create a series of spectacular waterfalls. Many of these are considered to be the finest in the country and they form the basis of the workshop's locations.

The workshop has been designed so the maximum group size is just five photographers, whereas some courses and workshops can have 10 or more. This means you will receive a high level of one-to-one tuition out on location and also back at the hotel during the one-to-one review session of the images you have made.

It is the small group and individual nature of the tuition that has made workshop leader Garry Brannigan one of the country's most popular instructors of landscape photography, with many returning photographers booking a year ahead to join him. Garry does not make any of his own images while teaching so he is able to offer his tuition at a level that is exactly right for you.

Our base for the course is the village of Reeth, right in the heart of Swaledale. Accommodation is at the Buck Hotel, a former traditional coaching inn positioned by the village green that offers a high standard of comfort and home-cooked meals, plus we enjoy a private dining room and teaching room set up with computer, monitor and printing equipment and a wide selection of landscape photography books.

The workshop begins on Friday evening with dinner hosted by Garry Brannigan then afterwards he outlines the workshop content and explains the image-making process behind some of his favourite photographs. The next day is the start of two full days of tuition and photography plus there is the opportunity for a shoot at before breakfast which increases the potential for superb photographic light.

Click here for workshop itinerary

During the first section of the workshop the emphasis is on the technical side of landscape photography. You will gain a real understanding for what depth of field is and how to achieve it in your images. When you learn how to take more control of the technical decisions, rather than letting the camera decide, your images improve significantly and your photography will become a great deal more creative and satisfying. The less you resort to your camera's automatic mode and use its manual settings instead, then the more individual to you your images become. The intention is that by the end of the workshop you will be confident in using your camera fully manually.

Next you will learn how to set up your digital SLR so it is working to its full potential. We look specifically at the difference between the two shooting formats, RAW and Jpeg and learn why RAW is nearly always preferable, especially if you want to produce your own prints. We will examine the white balance settings and how RAW gives us far greater control over the vital colour temperature and exposure of our images.

We also concentrate on the different lightmeter options and gain a real understanding for using the histogram to obtain exposures that record all the available shadow and highlight detail. This section of the course is rounded off by explaining what the ISO settings are and which are most suitable for landscapes.

We then head out on location to put it all into practice while also learning how to focus the image correctly to gain the maximum amount of sharpness. We'll also explore the crucial use of filters in landscape photography, learning when and how to use neutral density graduated filters to control excessive contrast range and how a polariser can have a significant effect on the saturation and clarity of our images.

A vital part of every Digital Dawn workshop is when we review the images made out on location. This is also done on a one-to-one basis with Garry alongside and is designed not only to highlight the successful images but also identify mistakes that can then be rectified when we head back out again on Sunday, enabling you to learn as much as possible.

Finally, the group sits round the same table on Saturday night to enjoy a three-course meal with wine and we have the chance to discuss not only the day but views on differing styles of photography and share experiences with equipment and software.

After spending Saturday achieving a real understanding for the essential camera techniques needed for landscape photography and reviewing the images you've made, the next day is spent putting it all into practice back on location in Swaledale. Sunday starts with an early morning shoot before breakfast, then we head out again to make the most of the abundant waterfalls and tumbling becks that help make the Dales landscape so unique. We look at how to find the picture in the first place and then examine how we can use elements within the landscape to build successful compositions.

The next section of the workshop covers how to set up your computer and monitor and explains the need for colour management of your equipment and calibrating your monitor. The final session then demonstrates how to convert your RAW images and use the Photoshop imaging software to prepare an image for printing.

The Introduction to Digital Landscapes Weekend Workshop costs £495. This includes three days of one-to-one and group tuition with transport to the locations, plus two nights' accommodation with no shared rooms and no single supplement, and breakfast, lunch and a three-course dinner with wine hosted each evening by Garry Brannigan. You also receive comprehensive course notes plus unlimited follow-up email and telephone advice.

Click here to see where we stay (off-site link)

If you would like to check availability or find out more about the tuition, accommodation and the locations we visit, Call Garry Brannigan on 01748 821041 or |

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IMAGES MADE ON PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS

Fleeting Light, Thwaite by Stuart Honey

To The Point, Wain Wath Force by Jamie Bodley-Scott

Daybreak, Hudswell Woods by Guy Heyligen

Curve in the Swale, Ivletside by Graham Beck

Autumnal Flow, Wain Wath Force by Ric Cole

Flood of Colour, Hudswell Woods by Guy Heyligen

Liquid Stone, Wain Wath Force by Jeremy Rodell

Edge of the Weather, Wain Wath Force by Stuart Honey

Lone Tree, Grinton Moor by Mike Wilkinson

September Evening, Angram by Mike Wilkinson

Curve to the Falls, Wain Wath Force by Jamie Bodley-Scott

Make Hay While..., Keld by Jeremy Rodell

Golden Flow, Crackpot Falls by Iain Laskey

Hawthorn and Hillside, Ivletside by Terry Dalligan

Peat Stain and Falls, East Gill Force by Simon Hauxwell

Reach for the Light, Hudswell Woods by Jeremy Rodell

Evenining Light on the Barn, Twaite by Margaret Burrell

Before the Rain, Gunnerside Meadows by Neil Bryce

Route to the Falls, Wain Wath Force by Guy Heyligen

Above Crackpot Falls by Neil Bryce

Light on the Barns, Thwaite by Shelagh Wooster

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

Why should I choose a Digital Dawn workshop?

Perhaps the main reason is that our group size is never more than five photographers, whereas some photographic courses and workshops can have 10 or more. This smaller group size means you receive a larger amount of personal in-depth tuition out on location. It also means we can visit more varied locations and have more elbow room when we get there. Also, course leader Garry Brannigan will not be using your time making his own images. All his time out on location is spent alongside photographers giving them one-to-one tuition. It's a combination that has proved successful and a large proportion of photographers return for additional courses at a different location. Some are now on their third or fourth course.

What type of camera and equipment do I need for this workshop?

You will need a digital SLR camera to get the most out of this workshop, plus a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. After your camera and lenses, the most essential item is a sturdy tripod. It is heavy to carry around, but landscape photography often involves freeing yourself from holding the camera and using a sturdy tripod will have a direct effect on both the technical and creative quality of your photographs. Also, it is not possible for the course leader to help with your compositions if the camera is hand-held. Please contact us if you would like advice on buying a tripod before coming on the workshop.

What level of experience do I need for this workshop?

You may be completely new to using a digital SLR camera or making the switch from film to digital. Either way, The Digital Dawn Weekend Workshop is ideal for anyone who is keen to learn more about developing an eye for landscape photography and how their digital SLR camera works beyond the automatic settings. Because of the small group size you enjoy individual attention and receive the tuition at a level that is right for you. This workshop is designed to teach you the entire photographic process from the creative enjoyment of finding the image out on location, to the technical aspects of actually taking the picture and using the computer software to prepare the image for printing.

Do I need any filters?

During the workshop you'll learn how neutral density graduated filters enable you to record areas of excessive tonal contrast, often between the sky and the land. They are not essential but they do have a significant impact on the quality of your images. Please contact us if you would like advice on buying these filters or a polariser before coming on the workshop.

How long is each day and how much time do we have at each location?

Photography and the landscape come first, so our daily routine is determined by the time of year. We'll pack in a lot of photography, it's not just nine-to-five. Meal times fit around the tuition and there will be an additional shoot before breakfast on Sunday. We'll also review images made during the workshop and have an informal critique session of images you have brought along. Because we are not a photo tour company rushing from one location to another, you'll have the time to explore and enjoy each location's full potential. The workshop begins at 6pm on Friday and finishes at 5pm on Sunday.

What will the locations be like?

All the waterfalls and river locations have been carefully researched beforehand so you arrive at the right time of the day to make the most of the available light. Because of our small group size we'll visit the more intimate locations as well.

How fit do I need to be?

This Yorkshire Dales workshop involves leaving the road to walk mostly on well-developed paths. A small amount is uphill and some of the ground covered is uneven. The longest walk is about one mile with stops for photography along the way.

What will the other people be like?

You will be joining an enthusiastic group of mainly individuals with a wide range of ages. Because The Digital Dawn concentrates solely on landscape photography, you will be able to enjoy the company of like-minded photographers who share your appreciation and enjoyment of the landscape.

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FEEDBACK FROM PHOTOGRAPHERS

I am quite sure that all the attention you bestow on your pupils is the reason why you are so successfull in the field of photography courses.
KEN DICKENSON, Weekend Workshop

Thank you so much for your patience and support throughout the weekend. I really enjoyed every minute. I thought the course was excellent and I certainly learnt a huge amount. Many thanks again for a wonderful learning experience.
SHELIA GREY, Weekend Workshop

The weekend was so full of learning and laughter! I was really inspired by the scenery and you filled many of the gaps in my technical knowledge, which was just what I was hoping for.
JULIE SKELTON, Weekend Workshop

I learned more on this workshop than all the magazine articles I have read and other workshops I have attended, put together. The time you are prepared to spend with people out on location working with them one-to-one made it great value for money.
GREG SMART, Weekend Workshop

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ABOUT THE LEADER

Garry Brannigan has become one of the country's most popular landscape photography instructors with students booking a year in advance for his courses in the Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Northumberland and Scotland. He concentrates solely on landscape photography using a digital camera system and exhibits his images throughout the North.

Garry designed his courses and workshops to pass on to other photographers his passion for capturing the moment when light, in all its different forms, transforms the landscape from being merely distinctive into something beautiful. Since establishing The Digital Dawn, photographers from around the world have joined him out on location learning how to create images that say as much about themselves as they do about the landscape.

Click here for a gallery
of Garry's images

If you would like to check availability or find out more about the tuition, accommodation and the locations we visit, Call Garry Brannigan on 01748 821041 or |