Dartmoor in Black and White: Capture to Computer

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Date: Mon 10th Mar - Thu 13th Mar 2025
Time: 17:00 - 10:30
Price: £995.00
Deposit: £200.00
Group size: 4
Tutor / Guide: Robert Canis
Location: Dartmoor National Park
Duration: 3 nights
Classification: Workshop
Cost includes: 3 nights en-suite B&B accommodation. No single-supplement necessary. Transport for the first 3 that book. The last will carry one.
Cost excludes: Transport to and from the accommodation, meals not mentioned.
Accommodation:

Located in Princetown in the very heart of the national park, our base will be the superbly situated family-run B&B - Duchy House. Priding itself on its high level of comfort and hospitality, each attendee will have a private en-suite room to themselves (no single supplement necessary) containing a Nespresso coffee machine, flat-screen TV, WiFi and complimentary toiletries. With regards to meals, breakfast will, of course, be at the B&B while lunch will be picked up from a nearby store. A minute's walk down the road lies The Prince of Wales pub where each evening we will have dinner.   

Fitness level: Moderate. Although some of the locations will require just a short stroll from the car, due to the very nature of this region, some will necessitate a walk of around 20 minutes which includes slopes, moorland and forest. It is, therefore, necessary that you have a decent level of mobility.
Sunrise / Sunset: 06.30 / 18.15
Experience Level: Beginner upwards.
Equipment needed: Just a couple of lenses from wide-angle to telephoto will be sufficient. A tripod will be useful as will polarising, graduated and ND filters though they are by no means essential. What is, however, is a clear understanding of exposure! A comprehensive checklist outlining equipment and meet-up details will be sent out two months prior.
Additional info:

Transport to the locations
The first two that book will travel in my car to the various locations and the last will carry the remaining passenger and follow me in theirs. To offset fuel (plus a little extra!), the person who drives will receive £40 off the workshop cost.

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Covering an area of 386 square miles, Devon's Dartmoor National Park is one of England’s last remaining wildernesses. A vast area, comprising of open moorland, deep river valleys, ancient woodland, granite tors, and bronze and iron age settlements; during this Dartmoor in black and white photography workshop, you will have the opportunity to capture much of what this inspiring region has to offer. 

A moody and austere landscape, from my first visit, I recognised Dartmoor's black and white potential. It doesn't take long for you to see why such books as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' were set here as well as providing locations for War Horse, Gold Digger and Doctor Who. It truly is an inspiring landscape and March is the perfect month to visit where variable conditions including mist and fog are anticipated providing mood and drama to the landscape.  

Your camera's menu settings and post-processing plays an integral role in black and white digital photography, and during this workshop, we will discuss this (and more) with the inclusion of Lightroom/Photoshop tutorials covering many aspects of the process from colour to black and white conversions, masks, colour grading and sharpening for web and print.  

RELAXED START TIME
With our meet-up time being at 5pm, there'll be no need for a prior night's accommodation. 

NO EARLY SUNRISE SHOOTS
Jokingly (I think!) referred to as 'Canis-O-Clock' by those who have attended past workshops, many of you will be very pleased (and just a little relieved) to learn that other than the final morning where there is an 'optional' sunrise shoot, there will be no dedicated early starts. Indeed, this is one of many advantages of working in black and white where unlike colour you are not heavily reliant on the quality of the light but rather on the strength of the composition.  

GROUP SIZE
I prefer to keep mine small and intimate with the maximum number on this one at just 4. This not only makes for a fun and friendly dynamic but also means that you will have plenty of space in which to photograph without too much concern about others being in your way. I can also spend quality time with each attendee which would otherwise be impossible with a much larger group. 

WHAT TOPICS WILL BE COVERED?
Almost everything! Below are just a few aspects of the image-making process that will be discussed both on and off-location. 

  • Seeing in black and white and how best to interpret the landscape
  • Setting up the camera's menu
  • Replicating black and white colour filters
  • Pre-visualisation
  • Composition: Strengthening and simplifying
  • Seeking out details and the overlooked
  • Post-processing including B&W conversion and Colour Grading
  • Considering the quality and direction of the light
  • Lens choice and its effect on subject relationship
  • Working with different aspect ratios
  • Tonal balance
  • Filtration

FINALLY...
Thank you for considering this workshop. If you have any questions, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm here to help and ensure that you have a wonderful few days filled with inspiring photography. I hope you can join me! 

 

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Workshop info

Thank you for dropping by and considering attending a workshop. I love nothing more than to pass on to others the knowledge I have gained over the last 30 years as a professional photographer and 15 as a workshop and tour leader. My group sizes are always small ensuring a fun and friendly group dynamic, lots of 'personal space' in which to photograph without too much fear of others getting in your way and as much tuition as you would like or feel that you need. I hope you can join me!

Although under the 'umbrella' of Workshops, please note there is a difference between the three types that I offer. To avoid any confusion, please see below.

Workshops

Those taking place in the UK are classed as Workshops where learning is the primary aim, and in the case of those which are multi-day residential, very often include image critique and post-processing sessions.

Tours

Overseas trips are classed as Tours where the logistics are all taken care of and where the emphasis is on getting you to great locations at the best time of the day. Since these may include hide photography and working in cold, windy conditions where one-on-one tuition isn't practical, these are less hands-on. However, prior to the hide session or upon arriving at a location, I will give advice and suggestions on composition, lens selection and exposure.

Creative Visions

Creative Visions is a new concept that I have designed to specifically nurture your artistic growth. They can take place in either the UK or abroad combining both workshop and tour principles. There will be critique and post-processing tutorials and, most importantly, you will be encouraged to go beyond the record and representational and instead produce more intimate creative interpretations.

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