Autumn In The Lakes - Workshop Review

The Lake District is a place that I simply love to visit with my camera and autumn can be such a wonderful time to explore this region in the north of England. In mid October, and again in early November, I hosted two workshops that focused on capturing the Windermere, Coniston and Langdale areas, with Grasmere and Rydal thrown in for good measure.

This southern/central part of the National Park offers a huge variety of wonderful vistas to shoot and no matter how many times I return there are always new images to create. The conditions between the two workshops were vasty different, with group one experiencing crisp, blue skies and strong sunlight while group two didn't catch a glimpse of the sun for the entire three days!

 One of the many joys of landscape photography is revisiting locations under differing conditions and working on adding variety to your portfolio. While I hugely enjoy discovering new locations I have always retained a deep appreciation for the places in which I am most familiar. I find that photographers tend to work harder in these situatons, as they are seeking out ways to create something that has a little of their own style and influence, rather than being drawn in to the usual compositions that they may have seen many times before. The message here is simple, in order to advance our photography we must practice our craft. Repetition leads to incremental improvements and strengthens your experience as a photographer. When revisiting a familiar location your mind is acutely tuned into the image making process. 

To encourage attendees to further tune in their minds, I asked the groups to consider the word "Resonate" when selecting scenes to capture. What is it about this particular scene that has caught your attention? Which words would you use to describe the feelings that this scene has stirred within you? How can you use your camera to record these feelings? I wanted the groups to think more deeply before pressing the shutter button. This approach is not for everyone but the more advanced photographers seemed to enjoy the additional challenge. For everyone else, well they just enjoyed taking nice pictures! 

Both groups spent three days behind their cameras and we visited a host of excellent locations. Spending quality, focused time creating images can be such a positive indulgence for your soul. The stresses of everyday life seem to vanish as you become completely immersed in nature and creativity. The fresh air and walking does you the world of good too, not to mention the cameraderie within the group. 

The photographs that follow (which have either been taken by myself or one of the attendees) will offer an insight into our time in the Lake District. Both trips were eventful and I must say a huge thank you to the amazing Coniston Mountain Rescue team who came to the assistance of Gill at Tarn Hows. 

If you would like to join me on the next trip to this part of the Lake District you can add your name here.

Our first port of call for group one was Tarn Hows on a beautifully clear day. 

Unfortunately Gill injured her ankle badly close to the shoreline and could not walk back to the carpark. Consiton Mountain Rescue arrived to help us out and attendee Steve kindly offered to take Gill to the hospital. 

Myself, Debbie, Christine, Margaret, Alex and Cliff headed to Kelly Hall Tarn to catch the late afternoon light. 

A macro lens is often useful during the middle of the day.

The Apple Pie cafe in Ambleside is renowned for this dish, it really is fantastic!