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Sunrise, Dalkey Island
Ready to improve your photography skills? I offer courses for both beginners and improvers. Workshops are run over a weekend and are limited to just 6 participants. This means you'll be assured the individual attention you need to get the most from the experience.
Testimonial:
"Just a short note to say how much I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 day course for beginners and as you had assured me prior to the course, it was indeed tailored for beginners. That being said, I was amazed with the amount of knowledge and new found skills I came away with, especially as one of the more 'mature' participants on the course.
Key to my enjoyment during this learning process, was the way you 'brought alive' the subject and to enable everyone to grasp an understanding of what was being taught and also the fact that you found time to assist each of us as individuals throughout the 2 days."
— Rosaline Cahill, Northern Ireland
Dublin Workshop
| Cork Workshop
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Gift Certificates Available! Makes for a wonderful gift for the person who has everything!
If you're not sure what dates will work for your loved one, click below to buy a gift certificate for the full value of a group workshop.
Want to learn more? Details can be found below, or to book now simply click the link next to the dates that suit you. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me on 01 685 3000.
Testimonial:
"The course was brilliant and greatly exceeded my expectations... I learned so much during the weekend. At last I understand the true potential of my digital SLR.
I found your critical appraisal of my photographs invaluable. It was a privilege to have such an artist review ones own work. I now find myself looking at photographs in a much more critical way.
Your one-to-one instructions during the photo-shoots was brilliant. I have some stunning photographs which always remind me of one of the best weekends I have had in a very long time."
— Paul Byrne, Dublin
My goal is for you to have a great time, get some fantastic photographs and go home having learned how to make better images for yourself.
I offer two levels of course - beginners and improvers.
Beginners courses are designed for the beginner who has a digital SLR (or any digital camera which has manual controls - call me if you're not sure if your camera is suitable). You're just setting out on your photographic journey and are looking for direction on how to use your camera both technically and artistically.
Improvers courses are designed for the more advanced user - perhaps you've already taken my beginners class and are looking for more, or maybe you've been developing your skills on your own and want that extra push to take your photography to the next level. Familiarity with basic photographic theory (exposure, aperture and shutter speeds, etc.) are assumed at this level and we will focus on more advanced technical topics such as the use of filters, high dynamic range imagery, etc. We will also go more in-depth into the post-processing workflow.
In either case, class size is limited to 6 students, so everyone is guaranteed plenty of personal attention.
Testimonial:
"Thank you so much for your patience and humour during the workshop. The experience was thoroughly enjoyable and I really feel like I have finally got a handle on issues which have been confusing me for years!"
— Clodagh Gleeson, Dublin
The goal of the workshop is to teach you the fundamentals of photography - both art and craft.
The craft of photography is about making good exposures (neither under- or over-exposed), having appropriate depth-of-field so your subjects are in focus and maximising image quality by using a tripod.
The art is about understanding composition and the use of light, along with how to use the technical settings under your control for different creative uses.
To achieve this, we will start on the first morning by going out and taking some images on location. The fundamentals above will be introduced and we'll try our hand at applying them for the first time.
Following this shoot, we will head indoors for some refreshments and a chance to review the images that have been taken. The lessons of the morning will be reinforced by seeing how they have helped your images. Where the images weren't successful, we'll put the mistakes to good use and learn from them.
After a break for lunch, we will continue in the afternoon with a demonstration of how basic image editing with both free and industry-standard tools can improve your results, without harming the integrity of your images.
The evening shoot will allow us to put the lessons learned througout the day into use, and solidify the fundamental concepts. Likewise with the morning shoot the following day.
Following on from the second day's morning shoot, we will once again have an indoor session to review any outstanding issues you would like clarification on, as well as further practice in basic post-processing techniques.
Testimonial:
"Thanks for a great workshop. I got a really good grounding that will enable me to use the camera to greater effect and to develop my skills. You're a good teacher and your enthusiasm and passion for photography is matched by your competence and ease with the technology."
— Mary Rafferty, Dublin
Image copyright: Denise Lynch
In the Field:
In the Studio:
The goal of the Improvers workshop is to expand on the fundamentals and go into more detail on the more esoteric and technically challenging aspects of photography. Things like:
We will also go into more detail on the postprocessing workflow and discuss printing in detail.
The general format of the workshop will follow that of the Beginners course - shooting in the morning and evening with a studio/critique session in the middle of the day.
Accommodation is not provided. Here is some information to help you make your booking.
The Dublin workshop takes place in the Dun Laoghaire area, on the seafront. Usually the indoor portions of the workshop are held in a conference room at the Kingston Hotel, so that would be a logical choice for accommodation.
For the Cork workshop, from April to October, accommodation can be had at the Gougane Barra Hotel. This is the preferred location as it is right at the location where we'll be shooting. Mention you're booking for one of my workshops to receive a preferential rate.
Between October and April, Findus House is your best bet. Mary and Michael will make you feel very much at home.
In order to take best advantage of the light, the workshop will run from 7am to 6.30pm on Saturday, and 7am to 2pm on Sunday. That means a long first day, and a shorter second day.
During the Winter months, the start and finish times will be scheduled around sunrise and sunset, with the Sunday end time adjusting accordingly.
Dublin contains some of the most beautiful coastline on the entire East Coast. We will take full advantage of that fact by photographing in and around Killiney Bay.
Testimonial:
"I'm writing to thank you for a marvelous two days... I can say without any hesitation that the workshop exceeded my expectations... You brought such an enthusiasm to the workshop and this obviously comes from your great love of your work."
— Philip McKeever, Dublin
The beautiful Gougane Barra valley will form the core of our photo shoots. From a tranquil lake to dramatic mountains to secluded forest there is plenty of variety to explore your new-found skill for photography.
Accommodation nearby is available if needed. The workshop will finish at about 2pm on Sunday, allowing plenty of time for you to get home that evening.
Testimonial:
"Many thanks for the workshop over the weekend. It was extremely enjoyable and very interesting to see how I could achieve something with my camera which I have always wanted to do but never knew how. Please keep me informed of events as I really enjoyed the weekend and would love to learn more."
— Vincent Walshe, Cork
Dublin Workshop
| Cork Workshop
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Gift Certificates Available! Makes for a wonderful gift for the person who has everything!
If you have questions or would like to discuss alternative arrangements, you can email me or call me on 01 685 3000. I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Sunset, Ballingeary
Testimonial:
"Thank you for your excellent course in digital SLR photography. I can't wait to start using what I've learned!"
— Anne Cardiff, Wexford