Photography workshop in the UK
Spring in Cornwall
Capture the beauty of spring in Cornwall
Breathtaking coastal views and an enchanting countryside, in the season when the cliffs are in flower.
Join Francesco Gola and Alessio Andreani in this new adventure and capture the essence of Cornwall. In spring the sea thrift flowers along the cliff edge, above granite, arches and a sea that is never quite still.
The workshop is designed to take you to the most spectacular places and to grow your photography through a mindful approach to composition. We want to sharpen your awareness and your creativity, so that you go home with stunning pictures and with techniques and knowledge that keep your passion going.
A photo usually shows what a place looked like. Here we try to capture what it felt like.
Welcome to Cornwall
Schedule
We meet at Bristol Airport at 11am on Tuesday 20th April, and from there we drive to our house in Newquay, our base for the whole week.
From arrival to departure we chase the light of sunrise and sunset at the most beautiful locations of Cornwall, including Land's End, Godrevy Lighthouse, Kynance Cove, Bedruthan Steps, Trevose Head and many more.
In between there is time for theory, post-production and some rest in great company.
Every day we choose the best locations based on the weather, and you take part in the planning. It is how you learn location management, a key skill for any landscape photographer.
The group is small, so you get personal attention: you can work with the instructors in every shooting session.
The last shooting day is Sunday 25th April. We spend the last night in the house and leave at 7am on Monday 26th, to be at Bristol Airport by 11am: book your flight home no earlier than Monday afternoon.
What you will learn
- Scouting and planning: reading maps, tides and forecasts
- Weather: reading the clouds, and making the most of what the day gives
- Composition, and the discipline of seeing the frame before shooting
- Exposure with the histogram, in light that changes fast
- Filters: graduated, polariser, ND
- Advanced long exposure
- Post-production, on your own files, during the week
- Image review, one to one
No day-by-day itinerary.
A rhythm.
We don't publish a fixed day-by-day programme, because the weather decides where we should be. What stays the same every day is the shape below. What changes is where we point the cameras, and we choose that together the evening before.
Dry
No rain in the forecast. We shoot both ends of the day, and give the middle to the villages, the old mines and the coast road.
- SunriseLow light along the stacks, the tide going out
- BreakfastWe go through the morning's files together
- TheoryThe topics of the week, at the table
- On the roadA tin mine, a harbour village, a garden above the sea
- Forecast and planningWe choose the spots together
- SunsetEarly on location, side by side, ready for the right moment
Stormy
Showers passing through. Not a day to stay in: wet rock holds the light, and the sky gives ten good minutes to whoever is already there.
- Sunrise under cloudThe colour arrives before the sun does
- BreakfastDry the gear, look at the files
- TheoryExposure when the light will not hold
- On the road, out of the rainA good pub, a fishing village, time together
- Weather checkRadar in hand: where will the gap be?
- Sunset where it opensTen good minutes are worth the whole day
Wet
Wind and rain with no break. The day moves indoors and to the sheltered coast, and the desk work improves everything else.
- A later startNo sunrise to chase: breakfast and some rest
- Theory, long sessionFilters, long exposure, protecting the camera
- Post-production, forecast or planningYour own files, one by one
- On the roadOut of the weather: a village, a museum, a pub
- Out if it breaksOtherwise dinner, and an early night
What you will photograph
Getting there
The meeting point is Bristol Airport (BRS), at 11am on Tuesday 20th April. We say goodbye there on Monday 26th, by 11am.
Bristol has flights from all over Europe and daily regional flights within the UK. You can also get there by car or by train from London.
Bristol is a wonderful city: you might stay an extra night to explore it. If you need help planning your trip, we are here for you.
Your teachers
Francesco Gola
Seascape photographer, educator and engineer
Ambassador for ZEISS, NiSi, BenQ, Calibrite, The Heat Company and f-stop. He works with companies, websites and magazines to spread photographic culture in Italy and around the world.
About me
Alessio Andreani
NiSi ambassador
His work has been published by The Times, Digital Photographer Magazine, Traveler, N-Photo, Digital Photo and many others.
Website
What’s included
- Tuition by two professional photographers
- A single room with private bathroom, 6 nights
- Transport in Cornwall, fuel and tolls
- Photographic and logistic planning
- Fun 🙂
Not included
- Your trip to and from Bristol
- Food and drinks
- Travel and medical insurance
- Anything not listed under Included
- Weather control 😉
Sold out
This date is full. Leave your name and email: you will be the first to know when the next edition opens.
Next edition
Leave your name and email: you will hear first when a new date opens.
You're on the list. See you out there!
Good to know
Accommodation
A typical house in Newquay, in the heart of Cornwall and close to our shooting locations. Each of you has a single room with a private bathroom, and the house is where we relax and do post-production together.
Food and drinks
Food and drinks, breakfast included, are not part of the fee. We chase the best light every day, so we often rely on restaurants, bistros and cafés along the coast to get the timing right. The house also lets us cook together!
Fitness level
No special fitness is required: only short walks, 15 minutes at most, sometimes on uneven ground. If you have any limitation or doubt, just ask and we will explain every detail.
Experience required
The workshop suits both beginners and experienced photographers. We suggest a good knowledge of your camera and of the basics of shutter speed and aperture. We do post-production with simple software such as Adobe Lightroom.
Photographic equipment
We suggest a mirrorless or DSLR camera (a film camera too, if you wish), a wide-angle lens, a tripod, a remote shutter release and photographic filters.
Thanks to my sponsors I can lend you filters and tripods. For any question, just write to us.
Weather
The workshop is in an unsettled season on purpose, for a better chance of interesting light. We cannot control the weather, but we can adapt to it: with heavy rain the workshop goes on, with more time for theory and post-production.
April in Cornwall can give you all four seasons in one day: waterproofs are not optional.
Payments and cancellation
A 30% deposit confirms your booking. The balance is due 90 days before the workshop.
If you cancel and we fill your place, we refund what you paid for the tuition, minus a €300 service charge. If you cancel and your place is not filled, the penalty is a share of the full workshop fee: 50% within 60 days of the workshop, 100% within 29 days.
The deposit is not refundable, because it books essential services such as transport and accommodation.
Workshop partners
