Who's Who
We...
are John Morrison and Elsa Fairbanks. John is a freelance writer and landscape photographer, with many years of experience (or too many miles on the clock, if you prefer). He’s written, or illustrated, about 50 books - most recently Windermere and Morecambe Bay for Frances Lincoln. Two new titles will appear towards the end of 2010: Light on the Lakes (Halsgrove) and The Pennine Way (Frances Lincoln... with text by Roly Smith): a celebration, in words and pictures, of our first National Trail, the grandaddy of long-distance walks. More books are in the pipeline.
John edited two photographic magazines, in the good old days before Tiffs and jpegs and ‘workflow’. Despite initial misgivings he has taken to digital photography like the proverbial duck to water, proving that you can, after all, teach an old dog new tricks.
Aware that photography is becoming ever more reliant on hardware, software and computerised 'workflow', John has tried to simplify his own approach to both landscape and photography. For 95% of his shots, he uses a minimum of equipment: one camera body (Nikon D200), one lens (the often derided 18-70mm 'kit' lens) and a tripod. Light - not hardware - is the secret of landscape photography. This 'less is more' approach allows him to focus on the image, not the camera (though it's not a message that camera manufacturers are keen to acknowledge!).
He prefers to be out 'on the tops' - watching light chasing shadow, and shadow chasing light, across northern hills - rather than staring at a computer screen. And he tries to get pictures right 'in the camera', instead of trying to 'improve' second-rate images in Photoshop. He now wants to pass on what he's learned (and is still learning!) about the art and craft of landscape photography.
Elsa Fairbanks has worked with food and drink producers for many years, running events and training workshops. She is passionate about the rich heritage of her native northern England. While John is out on the fells with his camera, murmering "the light, the light", Elsa is the one who's actually getting things done...
You...
are the proud owner of a digital SLR, with one or more lenses, and you’re interested in landscape photography. You’re not a beginner, but your landscape photographs don’t always capture the drama of what you originally saw. Something’s missing. You may be wondering if you’d take better pictures if you traded in your camera for the latest model. You may be lusting after a new lens. But you may also have the sneaking suspicion that the weak link in the photographic chain may actually be you.
Before you spend your hard-earned cash, take one of our workshops instead. You may find that the equipment you already own is up to the task. You want to learn some new skills... rather than just debating which is best, Canon or Nikon (yawn...). You want to go beyond the basics of landscape photography, to the next level.
The proposal…
We offer personal training and individual attention for small groups of photographers. The workshops operate over a weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon (or a similar timescale in mid-week), in some of the finest landscapes in the North of England. Hands-on sessions ‘in the field’ will be supplemented by sessions indoors, for discussing the finer points of landscape photography, evaluating pictures and fine-tuning your skills.
The workshops will focus less on the technical aspects of digital landscape photography, and more on developing a personal vision. Together we’ll build on the skills you already have, to help turn so-so photos into something special… not with Photoshop, but by getting it right ‘in the camera’, paying attention to the light, composition, the decisive moment, use of tripod, graduated filters, etc.
The promise…
You’ll be taking much better landscape photographs, with a new appreciation of light and landscape. The next level awaits…
You’ll need…
A digital SLR with one or more lenses, a tripod and a cable release. It would also be useful if you could bring a grey (neutral density) graduated filter, rectangular rather than screw-on. In terms of what equipment to bring, and what to leave behind, I’d suggest that less is more. You will need to be fit enough to walk about five miles on uneven paths and tracks. One more thing: bring an open mind and be prepared to question some of the aspects of photography that we often take for granted…
When you book a workshop, it would be good to have a few details about your photographic experience, a realistic appraisal of your photographic skills and a brief idea of what you would like to achieve over the course of the weekend. This will help us to tailor the sessions to match your expectations.
are John Morrison and Elsa Fairbanks. John is a freelance writer and landscape photographer, with many years of experience (or too many miles on the clock, if you prefer). He’s written, or illustrated, about 50 books - most recently Windermere and Morecambe Bay for Frances Lincoln. Two new titles will appear towards the end of 2010: Light on the Lakes (Halsgrove) and The Pennine Way (Frances Lincoln... with text by Roly Smith): a celebration, in words and pictures, of our first National Trail, the grandaddy of long-distance walks. More books are in the pipeline. John edited two photographic magazines, in the good old days before Tiffs and jpegs and ‘workflow’. Despite initial misgivings he has taken to digital photography like the proverbial duck to water, proving that you can, after all, teach an old dog new tricks.Aware that photography is becoming ever more reliant on hardware, software and computerised 'workflow', John has tried to simplify his own approach to both landscape and photography. For 95% of his shots, he uses a minimum of equipment: one camera body (Nikon D200), one lens (the often derided 18-70mm 'kit' lens) and a tripod. Light - not hardware - is the secret of landscape photography. This 'less is more' approach allows him to focus on the image, not the camera (though it's not a message that camera manufacturers are keen to acknowledge!). He prefers to be out 'on the tops' - watching light chasing shadow, and shadow chasing light, across northern hills - rather than staring at a computer screen. And he tries to get pictures right 'in the camera', instead of trying to 'improve' second-rate images in Photoshop. He now wants to pass on what he's learned (and is still learning!) about the art and craft of landscape photography.
Elsa Fairbanks has worked with food and drink producers for many years, running events and training workshops. She is passionate about the rich heritage of her native northern England. While John is out on the fells with his camera, murmering "the light, the light", Elsa is the one who's actually getting things done...You...
are the proud owner of a digital SLR, with one or more lenses, and you’re interested in landscape photography. You’re not a beginner, but your landscape photographs don’t always capture the drama of what you originally saw. Something’s missing. You may be wondering if you’d take better pictures if you traded in your camera for the latest model. You may be lusting after a new lens. But you may also have the sneaking suspicion that the weak link in the photographic chain may actually be you.
Before you spend your hard-earned cash, take one of our workshops instead. You may find that the equipment you already own is up to the task. You want to learn some new skills... rather than just debating which is best, Canon or Nikon (yawn...). You want to go beyond the basics of landscape photography, to the next level.
The proposal…We offer personal training and individual attention for small groups of photographers. The workshops operate over a weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon (or a similar timescale in mid-week), in some of the finest landscapes in the North of England. Hands-on sessions ‘in the field’ will be supplemented by sessions indoors, for discussing the finer points of landscape photography, evaluating pictures and fine-tuning your skills.
The workshops will focus less on the technical aspects of digital landscape photography, and more on developing a personal vision. Together we’ll build on the skills you already have, to help turn so-so photos into something special… not with Photoshop, but by getting it right ‘in the camera’, paying attention to the light, composition, the decisive moment, use of tripod, graduated filters, etc.The promise…
You’ll be taking much better landscape photographs, with a new appreciation of light and landscape. The next level awaits…
You’ll need…
A digital SLR with one or more lenses, a tripod and a cable release. It would also be useful if you could bring a grey (neutral density) graduated filter, rectangular rather than screw-on. In terms of what equipment to bring, and what to leave behind, I’d suggest that less is more. You will need to be fit enough to walk about five miles on uneven paths and tracks. One more thing: bring an open mind and be prepared to question some of the aspects of photography that we often take for granted…
When you book a workshop, it would be good to have a few details about your photographic experience, a realistic appraisal of your photographic skills and a brief idea of what you would like to achieve over the course of the weekend. This will help us to tailor the sessions to match your expectations.
