Dartmoor Wildlife & Nature Photography Experience
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Availability
All year round
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Duration
4-8 hours
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Price from
£250 Per group (1-4 People)
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Suitable for
Adults and teenagers. A moderate level of fitness is needed.
Introduction
Would you like to move your landscape photography up to the next level, ensuring successful images from every photographic outing and being able to use new knowledge to create great shots reproducibly rather than through luck?
This photographic outing onto Dartmoor, the wild heart of Devon, is led by Nigel Hicks, one of South West England's leading professional photographers. With 30 years of experience behind him, as well as membership of the prestigious National Geographic Image Collection and a Fellowship in the British Institute of Professional Photography, few photographers can match his knowledge in this field of photography.
During this photography trip Nigel will take you, along with your camera, into a few of Dartmoor's most beautiful and remote locations, to show you just how to capture such beauty photographically. Throughout the day, you'll learn how to make the most of your digital camera's most critical functions, and how to use that knowledge to aid you in executing superb photographic compositions.
To secure your experience – book today.
Your experience will start with a short introductory talk by Nigel, after which you'll walk for about 20 minutes to a riverside location, where Nigel will demonstrate some techniques for photographing both the forest and the river flowing through it.
You'll then start photographing yourself, creating compositions and using the cameras in ways shown to you by Nigel. While you're photographing, he'll be on hand to give you help whenever you need it.
After a couple of hours in the forest, you'll relax on a short break before heading out to Venford Reservoir, a 20-minute drive away, from where we'll walk about 15 minutes to Bench Tor. Here, you'll photograph this tor's beautiful rocks, wind-gnarled trees, and its beautiful views across the forested Dart Valley.
After a couple of hours here, you'll return to the Venford Reservoir car park, where the trip will end, after a final short talk and round-up of the day.
Why this experience is great for you
- You'll learn, out of a digital camera's many functions, the few that are critical to good photography, and how to make the best use of them
- You'll understand how to be in control of your camera (instead of the camera controlling you!) and hence of your photography
- Master some of the important principles of photography that can help guide you towards the creation of successful images
- You'll determine the steps involved in using your eyes and your mind's eye to spot and pick out possible photographic compositions from the chaos of the world around us
- Learn to use of all this knowledge at one and the same time – the technical features of the camera, combined with the aesthetic processes in your mind's eye – as part of the normal process of putting together great compositions, resulting in fantastic photography
Additional information
Equipment needed: Please bring your own camera. This can be almost any kind of camera, ranging from a DSLR or mirrorless camera to a reasonable quality compact. If you have filters and/or close-up kit then bring these too, though they are not essential. Please bring a tripod. If you don't have one, let the provider know as they may be able to lend you one. Please ensure that your camera battery/ies is/are fully charged and that there is lots of space on your memory card(s).
Please be sure to wear good walk shoes/hiking boots. Most of the paths you'll be walking on are reasonably good, but being Dartmoor the ground can be rough, as well as muddy and slippery after or during rain. Be sure to bring layers you can add or remove as the temperature changes – this can be needed on Dartmoor even in summer. Sun screen may also be needed on bright days at any time of year.
Weather: Rain is, of course, always possible, so be sure to bring plenty of waterproofing both for yourself and for your camera equipment. If, in the final few days before the event, there is very bad weather forecast then it may be necessary to postpone the course. Hopefully, it will be necessary to postpone only by about 24 hours, as bad weather usually moves through quickly. Therefore, some flexibility in timing of the course may be needed. Please try to build this flexibility into your travel plans.
Parking: The course will start in the large pay-and-display car park at Dartmeet, in the southern heart of Dartmoor National Park. The car park is beside the B3357, which runs between Ashburton and Tavistock. At Venford Reservoir (for the second part of the course) there is a free car park.
Food and drink: The only food outlet is a small snack bar in the Dartmeet car park, so you are strongly advised to bring all your own food and drink.
Toilets: There are public toilets in both the Dartmeet and Venford Reservoir car parks.
Availability: This experience runs all year round, though the best times are late spring, summer and autumn. The experience can take place at any time of day, from dawn onwards - please request a time when booking.
Suitability: Due to rough terrain, we regret that this course is suitable only for those able to walk.
Location
In addition to this specific photography activity, Nigel offers similar events at other locations around Dartmoor and across Devon. Please enquire for more details.
To secure your experience – book today.