Doddington Place Gardens

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Date: Fri 17th May 2024
Time: 14:30 - 21:00
Price: £145.00
Group size: 6
Tutor / Guide: Robert Canis
Location: Doddington Place Gardens, Kent.
Duration: 1 day
Cost includes: Entry into the gardens, tuition, tea and coffee.
Cost excludes: Transport to the venue, lunch and insurance.
Fitness level: Very low. Aside from steps leading down to some of the gardens, generally, the terrain is very even.
Experience Level: Beginner upwards.
Equipment needed: Wide-angle to telephoto and either a macro lens or extension tubes/close-up supplementary lenses for flower close-ups. Although a tripod is not mandatory you may find it useful to aid composition and towards the latter part of the day to keep the camera steady as the light fades. A polarising filter would also be useful to reduce reflections on vegetation. It is necessary that you have a clear understanding of exposure. A full checklist will be given nearer the workshop date.
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Set in the grounds of an imposing Victorian mansion deep in the north Kent countryside, Doddington Place Gardens, in Kent, is the perfect location for enjoying a full day of relaxing and rewarding photography.

The warmer, lengthening days of May make this a wonderful time to visit where, along the woodland walk, Edwardian rock garden, sunken garden and formal clipped yew hedge lawns, blossoming rhododendron contrast beautifully with a myriad of other flowers – both wild and cultivated - including cow parsley, buttercups, water lilies and azaleas.

And, with the workshop held on a day closed to the general public, barring any last-minute group visits (which are often quite brief and are held early in the afternoon) we will have the ‘run’ of these beautifully landscaped grounds in which to explore and capture scenes and intimate details found amongst its many hidden corners.   

Given the workshop will be cutting into dinner-time and to set you up for the day, for those that wish, you can join me in a nearby pub for something to eat before following me in your cars to the venue. This will be the perfect opportunity to get to know each other a little and for me to go through the format of the day. This is purely optional, and if you'd rather meet at the venue, you are, of course, very welcome to do so. 

Once at the gardens, I will show a selection of my images discussing the technique and aesthetic considerations of flower and garden photography before escorting you on an introductory stroll. As the day progresses and the light changes, we will move to different areas in order to capitalise on the low, warm, raking light. We will look at capturing the intimate landscape, patterns of interlapping ferns and soft ethereal interpretations of flowers and mid-way through there will be a refreshment break and Lightroom/photoshop tutorial which, I hope, will give you a few ideas as to how to process your own photos. 

I hope you can join me on what is sure to be a day full of springtime inspiration.

Note: Due to the unpredictability of the British weather, please leave the whole day free incase the workshop is brought forward by a few hours. 

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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