Description

 
SORRY, SOLD OUT. To go on the shortlist to hear of cancellations, or to hear of future tours with Valda and I ahead of my main mailing list, please email me using THIS LINK

The West Coast of Ireland is a very special place. Facing resolutely into the Atlantic, with nothing between it and the New World, it has been sculpted by millennia of Atlantic storms and the hands of the Gaelic people who live there. If you love the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebridean Islands, such as Harris & Lewis, then you will adore the landscape of Connemara. There are many similarities in the mountains and loughs (as lochs are called in Ireland), in the wide white sandy beaches and wild reed filled bogs. The people are friendly, the pace of life so slow and the land sparsely populated. To arrive here is to feel like going back in time.

Here are two short videos which give you a great feel for the landscapes we will experience while we are there. Just imagine what we can do with our cameras in this landscape…

 

Valda and I have chosen to base this six day tour at The Leenane Hotel, as the perfect location to explore the jewels of Connemara . You can check the website HERE. All the rooms are single occupancy, one a bed and breakfast basis, with views of Killarney Harbour, Irelands only fjord. The hotel has been here, with one of the finest hotel views in Ireland, for over 300 years.
 

 
We are purposefully keeping the group small, limiting it strictly to just ten places, so that everyone gets lots of personal attention from Valda and I. We will be having two nine seater mini buses too, so loads of space for everyone to spread out as we explore the area. The price is £1375 per person. Dates are 23 – 28th October 2017. Included – 5 nights Bed & Breakfast, single occupancy hotel accommodation, all transport on location (including airport transfers in Ireland if your flights coincide with ours), tuition from Doug & Valda. Not included – Flights, meals not mentioned, Insurance. If you wish to pay in full now, please use the ‘add to cart’ button above and pay with PayPal. However, to pay a non-refundable deposit now to secure your place a balance a month before the tour please EMAIL ME USING THIS LINK and we will organise this for you to pay by cheque or BACs (preferred). We can also arrange for you to pay us in interest free monthly payments to spread the cost, please just tell us you would like to do this in the email, and we will organise it for you.
 

 
Valda and I will be flying from Luton airport into Knock airport which is just 40 miles from our hotel. If you wish to coordinate your flight into Knock airport you can join us for the drive to the hotel. (details on flight numbers, timing etc will be provided after booking) Otherwise the tour starts at the hotel, if you prefer to make your own way there.
 

 
Our days will be spent out with our cameras exploring the beaches, rocks, hills, bogs and villages. We will use morning and evening light along with working through the day and making the very best of the weather conditions to explore and capture the essence of the locations. Because you will be travelling with Valda and I you know that rather than making representative images we prefer to capture the spirit, emotion and sense of place using alternative techniques such as multiple exposures and intentional camera movement – to make more abstract, expressionistic work. But we are still happy to help you work on ‘classic’ techniques too, if you would like this. We also like to spend some time looking at your work and discussing it in a constructive way as we believe this can be a great way to help us all improve in our skills and vision, so some time on the tour will be set aside to do this. Participation is optional, of course. If the weather is too bad for a few hours at any point, we can always retire indoors and Valda and I will use the time constructively to show you how we process our creative images in Lightroom and Photoshop to further enhance your skills.
 

 
We are looking forward to a relaxed, fun and creative week in this wonderful location and hope you can join us with a small group of like-minded people to really immerse ourselves in the landscape, making our art and good conversation.

The price is £1375 per person. Dates are 23 – 28th October 2017. Included – 5 nights Bed & Breakfast, single occupancy hotel accommodation, all transport on location (including airport transfers in Ireland if your flights coincide with ours), tuition from Doug & Valda. Not included – Flights, meals not mentioned, Insurance. If you wish to pay in full now, please use the ‘add to cart’ button above and pay with PayPal. However, to pay a non-refundable deposit now to secure your place a balance a month before the tour please EMAIL ME USING THIS LINK and we will organise this for you to pay by cheque or BACs (preferred). We can also arrange for you to pay us in interest free monthly payments to spread the cost, please just tell us you would like to do this in the email, and we will organise it for you.
 
To see my full terms and conditions CLICK HERE
 

If you would like to know a little more about Connemara and see some images of the landscape you can check THIS SITE

IMPORTANT NOTE ON EQUIPMENT – The ability of cameras to make multiple exposure images, like those Valda and I make, vary enormously. The only bodies which currently have the full range of blend modes to do exactly what we do are the Canon 5d mksIII and IV, the 5dR, 7D mk2 and latest 1DS. Some Olympus cameras have a Bright blending mode (please check your cameras manual), as does the Pentax 645z. The Nikon D500 and D5 now have the full range of blending modes, similar to the Canons noted above. You will need to check the manual for your camera to see if it offers multiple exposures. It is impossible for us to keep up with every make and model release. Most cameras (but please note, some CANNOT) can take two frames but they cannot blend them, but you can still make creative images using this facility. Whatever you camera is capable of, we will show you how to get the very best from whatever it is able to do. ALL cameras which enable you to control shutter speed and aperture are able to make intentional camera movement images. You will need neutral density filters to do this though. We will provide much more detailed information in the tour notes after you book.