3 Day Photography Experience near Swansea, Neath,
Port Talbot.
TUTOR COMMENTS: I left Bristol in the rain
on the morning of Thursday 5th September to prepare for our course
which was to run from Friday to Monday and as I approached the Swansea area, I
met bright sunshine which was to prove the perfect start to a great weekend of
photography and I believe everyone in the group really enjoyed the social as
well as the photographic aspects.
On the first day, we met
over coffee ready for a 10.30 start which was an introduction to taking Landscape
photographs; then we headed by car to the other side of Swansea and parked
near to The Mumbles Pier, this provided opportunity for lunch either packed or
in one of the local cafes. The tide was
low and so those who were able, went down on the huge area of flat sand taking
photos across the bay with buoys and boats in the foreground and Swansea and
Oystermouth Castle in the distance.
After two hours we moved around to Bracelet Bay to get some cliff top
shots and the odd cup of tea and piece of cake! Then we returned to the
Aberavon Beach Hotel where those who were resident returned to the boardroom
for a review of the photos taken. A
short rest and then we met up in the bar for a pleasant social evening and a
meal. This proved to be a major success
and really brought the group together (those who were not staying with us did
wish they had returned even if just for a meal.).
Next morning after a full
Welsh Breakfast it was back to the boardroom to review the photos for those on
the course who were not resident, and then the theory turned to taking photos
in Low Light conditions. A quick
attempt at using fill-flash in the boardroom and then off in the cars to the
Dan-yr-Ogof, National Show Caves of Wales.
No tripods allowed – this proved a real challenge to everyone, myself
included, but people stuck to what they had learned and some excellent shots
were taken by everyone. I must point
out, that when I had finished and headed for the cafe – everyone was already in
there having a great time chatting to each other. A return to the hotel and a review of the
photos was followed at 6 by a team meeting which resulted in a short drive to a
wonderful Indian restaurant. At 8 we
returned to be joined by our non-resident students so that we could have an
evening of fun with the cameras – on the front in Port Talbot taking pictures
of car trails, using second curtain flash, and then photos of the lights
on the cranes across the bay and finally painting in light with cameras – we
eventually stopped at about 9.45 and by 10.00 it was pouring with rain. At this stage I should point out that the
locals thought it was a speed trap with 7 camera flashes going off every time a
car passed! The other problem was that
we needed a seventh curtain flash! As
several cameras picked them all up as the car passed. What a great time we had!
Sunday morning was a lie
in - with breakfast at 9 and then sign out of the hotel and head for the
Waterfalls. A walk along a stream to
several spectacular waterfalls in the Neath valley and again everyone got some
great shots. When we arrived at our
planned lunch destination which was the turning point of the walk – the heavens
opened and we had to abandon lunch and head back down to the cars but to be
fair to the weather the minute we got to the pub, the sun shone again! Soup and tea/coffee was a welcome end to a
great time. Thanks to all who came as
students, and to Wayne who came along to help me deliver a very busy course.
As I write this, three
days after returning, I am waiting for the hotel to call me back just to
confirm our next booking which will be on Sat to Mon, May 3rd to 5th
with the same programme so hopefully lots of you will feel that you want to be
part of the growing Going Digital family and will get your place reserved. www.goingdigital.co.uk/southwales.
Peter We had a Mammoth time!
Student Comments (David and Belinda)
“Good range of locations –
access to caves particularly good for low light section.”
“General location – great! I have fallen a little bit in love
with South Wales and will definitely go back – with or without GD! There are
other areas and attractions of which I am now aware that I would like to visit
and photograph.”
“Good Value for money”
Evening
Activities: “Good to venture
out for team meal, would have been good for everyone to be accommodated in same
hotel.”
Overall Course Balance: “Worked
well as mix of creative / composition and technical components. About the right
length – more would have been exhausting!”
Boardroom
and Review Sessions:
“Appreciated down to earth style and readiness to explain. Very helpful
to see others’ photos of same subject.”
“Briefing sessions were very
comprehensive with good handouts and very helpful. I didn’t attend the review
sessions (as was staying elsewhere), but did have the opportunity to review
images the following morning.”
Appropriateness of Content and enhancement of
your skills: “Although first course attended, did not feel
at major disadvantage – interested and challenged productively throughout.”
Level of challenge of each course: “Useful level of challenge – didn’t want or
get easy praise!”
Level of tutor input: “Both, extremely approachable and helpful –
learned a lot.”
“Great as always! Very helpful also to have Wayne along for
support / help.”
Landscape
Course: -
“Excellent learning opportunity. Good and challenging throughout.”
“Great opportunity for
seascapes and some useful revision as well.”
Low
Light Course: “Good opportunity to learn technique. Might have benefited from low natural light
situation as well e.g. church”
“Attended
the briefing, which was very useful. Due to my mobility issues I didn’t go to
the caves, but went to the Botanic Gardens instead! It was nice to have this
opportunity and I think it could be a venue for a future botanic / macro
course!?” [NB This will be used if the
weather is unsuitable for the waterfalls].
Would you book again at a different venue?
“Yes, of course – but I will always have to take access into
account. I’d book again at the same venue as well as I think there are other
things in the area to do”.
Would you
recommend the course to others?
“Yes.” “Of course!”
Any Other Comments: “As first timer didn’t know exactly what to
expect – outcome exceeded my estimate.”
“Thank you very much to Peter and Wayne for a very enjoyable
and useful couple of days. Be warned – I will be back for more!”
Katherine (attended
Day 1) “I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my day's photography
course and learned a lot. Today I have been brushing up on ISO and shutter
speeds with every intention of using these tools effectively in the future.
There were so many useful hints and techniques that I feel the course has
really brought my skills on. I found it particularly interesting to see what
everyone else achieved with the same views. It was a lovely day with a nice group of
people. Many thanks for your help. I will certainly be attending another course
in the future.
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