Digital Photography Workshop – May 6th, 7th & 8th 2011

The Wildlife Film School

 

www.thewildlifefilmschool.com

Tel: 00 353 86 153 1663

Email: learn@thewildlifefilmschool.com

Digital Photography Workshop – May 6^th, 7^th & 8^th 2011

- Improving your Digital Photography Skills -

Whether making a photographic record of our stunning landscapes and seascapes, indulging your passion for portrait photography or simply recording your local wildlife or native plant life; photography is an increasingly popular, absorbing and sometimes financially rewarding activity. This detailed course is suitable for beginners and those with more experience and runs over a weekend.  It will look at the range of equipment available to digital stills photographers and will include detailed coverage of camera settings and techniques for photography in more challenging conditions.

The emphasis will be on practical work sessions at selected locations in West Cork. If you simply wish to make better digital photographs or add a particular discipline to your range of skills as a photographer then this weekend workshop will prove invaluable…with tips and advice from professionals on how to create award winning digital images with the equipment you already have – without spending a fortune on new gear! Course notes will be provided to take away. Included in the workshop will be a session on how to use Photoshop to process and enhance your images to award winning standard.

Join Chris O’Dell BSC and Phil Pound AIPPA, two of Ireland’s most experienced digital photographers for an enjoyable and informative weekend of digital photography tuition and practical experience with the zoologist Nic Slocum. We will cover subjects from landscape to wildlife and from macro to documentary.

Just some of the things you will take away from this workshop:

> Digital photography: Differences from traditional film

> Do pixels matter?

> What camera is right for you for what you want to achieve

> Getting your camera settings correct

> Exposure, depth of field and motion effects

> Choosing shutter versus aperture priority

> How to interpret the complexities of your camera manual

> Preparing images for printing, website, slideshows or competitions

> High Resolution versus Low Resolution images

> Using Photoshop to process and enhance your images

Workshop Programme

 

Friday 6^th May 2011

5pm to 7pm – Arrival at the Garden Mews at Liss Ard House. Late arrivals catered for.

7pm – Greeting. We introduce tutors and participants; who we all are, what we want out of the workshop, and the structure of the weekend’s activities.

 

7.30pm – Evening meal served

8.30pm – Introduction. We will discuss the basic theory and practice of digital photography and how it differs from the traditional film system that we all know and love.  We will look at some of the different cameras available and cover some of the techniques that will be practiced in the field sessions.  We will explain how to get your equipment set up for the following day’s work, and how to simplify your camera settings so that you can concentrate on the subject matter. We will introduce Photoshop as being an important part of the creative process. We will discuss ancillary equipment such as filters and tripods.  This will be accompanied by screening some examples of our own work.

9.30pm – Relaxation time, study some great images in the viewing room and discuss personal photography projects and prepare for the next day’s practical session…or simply chill out!

Saturday 7^th May 2011

8am – Breakfast

9am – Assignment briefing. What do you want from your digital photographs?  We run through your camera set ups and set assignments and photographic objectives for the day.

9.30am – Photography assignments in the field. Possible subjects include wildlife, botanic, macro, landscape, architecture, portrait and documentary. The emphasis of this detailed practical session will be on “looking at subjects differently” The tutors will be on hand at all times.

1pm – Lunch. We will take a packed lunch.

2pm – Continue field assignments.  Using your most precious tool, your eyes!

4pm – Return to Liss Ard.  Download and review photographs.  Students will each choose two photographs from the day’s session.  We will then demonstrate simple uses of Photoshop, to include basic image processing - cropping, levels, brightness & contrast, saturation, sharpness and image sizing.  We will demonstrate several simple enhancement processes such as selective grading, combining images, removing unwanted objects and adding parts of one image to another.   This will open a discussion on how to improve your photography with the knowledge that you can process your images with Photoshop.

6.30pm – Free time

7.30pm – Evening meal served

8.30pm – Group will look at some of the images taken during the day and have a chance to use Photoshop on their favourite shots.  We will look at preparing the images for different purposes; printing, web, slideshows, or competitions.  We will chose the images that you would like to submit to the judge for the photo competition.

9.30pm – Free time to review photographs taken and equipment used or simply chill out!

Sunday 8^th May 2011

8am – Breakfast

9am – Field assignments with the tutors.  Honing up the techniques you have learnt, shooting with Photoshop in the back of your mind.  Trying some new subjects!

1.00pm – Lunch

2pm – Review of the morning’s images.  Questions and discussion.  Preparing your shots for the printer. Each participant will have the chance to chose his favourite image from the weekend, prepare it for printing, and then will be individually coached through the printing process.  You will each go home with an A3 size exhibition print, the start of your portfolio!

4.30pm – Final questions to the tutors and announcements of photo competition winners and prize giving. Course ends following group photograph.

Course Tutors:

Chris O’Dell BSC

Chris O’Dell is a photographer and cinematographer and a graduate of the London International Film School. Initially trained as a stills photographer, he travelled widely in the 70s and 80s filming documentaries of every kind, including the world famous “Cosmos” with Carl Sagan, and “The Heart of the Dragon”, the story of China, for Channel 4. Chris was cameraman on two major wildlife series for Channel 4 with naturalists Gerald and Lee Durrell, “Ourselves and other Animals” and “The Amateur Naturalist”. As a qualified diver, he spent a lot of time filming underwater for the BBC and other clients. He ran a successful production company making arts and music programmes for the BBC. Since 1990 Chris has been the director of photography on many very successful TV drama series including Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Sharpe, Hornblower, Inspector Morse, the Morse sequel Lewis, and many single dramas. Chris lives and works in West Cork and photographs the wonderful changing light on the landscape for which he employs Nikon, Apple, Photoshop, and Epson equipment. Chris O’Dell was chairman of the 2009 Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival.

Phil Pound AIPPA

With an impressive list of qualifications, diplomas and International awards, Phil Pound is no stranger to running courses in digital photography. A professional photographer by trade Phil’s photographs have been used to illustrate magazines and books throughout his career. Phil’s passion for nature photography is apparent in his many award winning shots that have earned him Licentiateship status within many professional photography societies including The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers and the prestigious Associate status with the Irish Professional Photographers Association. Phil’s relaxed and informal style is legendary and a willingness to impart his extensive knowledge of digital photography is admired throughout a wide circle of friends and colleagues. Phil Pound lives and works in West Cork and uses Nikon equipment in his studio and on digital photography assignments.

Nic Slocum PhD

As an experienced wildlife tour guide Nic Slocum is best known for his escorted tours taking enthusiasts out, both in Ireland and overseas, to view and photograph marine wildlife with his companies Whale Watch West Cork and Whales Worldwide. Nic has maintained a lifelong passion for using photography and film to promote the conservation of our natural heritage and has appeared as an expert commentator on RTE, Channel 4 and ITV. A zoologist by training, Nic has published articles on conservation related issues in both regional and national newspapers and is completing a book – Field Craft in Wildlife Photography and Film Making. Nic Slocum lives and works in West Cork and is a director of The Wildlife Film School which runs courses in digital wildlife photography and all aspects of wildlife film making – from script writing to camera techniques from editing to sound recording – at home and abroad.

Booking Information:

Cost: €395. This INCLUDES expert tuition, accommodation and all meals. To secure a place a deposit of 100 euro will be needed with the balance payable FOUR weeks before the scheduled course. If you book within the four week time then the FULL amount is due on booking your place. If The Wildlife Film School cancels a course for any reason all monies paid are refunded in full. (Non residential option available).

Course Dates: May 6th, 7th & 8th 2011

NB. If you are interested in a course which is fully booked please put your name on the waiting list as places occasionally become available and are allocated on a first come first served basis.

To book contact learn@thewildlifefilmschool.com or phone on 00 353 86 153 1663
Course numbers are restricted to around 12 people.

Accommodation:

We will be staying in the Garden Mews, part of the Georgian Manor House on the imposing old O’Donovan estate of Liss Ard, just outside Skibbereen in West Cork. With beautiful views over the surrounding countryside, superb West Cork farmhouse cuisine prepared by the Liss Ard chef and single occupancy rooms with en suite facilities, our comfort is assured. All presentations will take place in the lecture room at Liss Ard House and we will travel out from there to selected locations for the fieldwork. Non residential option available.

What people say about our digital photography workshops…

“Well I tell you, I haven’t laughed that much in a long while. A great bunch!”

“…also thanks a mill’ again for sharing with us your wealth of knowledge. I’m officially hooked!!! I’ll be recommending these courses to all my friends!”

“Just some words to thank everybody again for the brilliant atmosphere. It was a fantastic week end”

“Thanks everyone for making it a great weekend.”

“…thank you for a great weekend and for sending on the group photo. I learnt a lot over the weekend and I look forward to putting it into practice…”

“…thanks again for a great weekend, I will be doing a workshop in the club on the weekend and let the members know what I covered over the course of the 2 days…”

“…thank you and the guys very much for a very enjoyable weekend. Not only for the great workshop but for the great craic we had too…”

“…we had a great weekend and it was a pleasure to meet you all. We will be in touch about future courses and will be recommending you…”

“…thank you for the most enjoyable and easygoing weekend. The venue was delightful,   the food was delicious and the tuition and help were given enthusiastically and your hospitality was much appreciated.    I look forward to the next weekend I can attend…”

“…I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and found it most instructive…it was perfect…”

“…thanks again for a wonderful weekend – learnt a lot and enjoyed meeting everybody…”

“…organization very good. Looks like you are very committed to your craft and presentations were given with enthusiasm. I will have no problem in recommending your course to anyone I meet…”

ENDS