Just a couple of things...

Sligachan II
Originally uploaded by thefatcat44

Just a brief blog to catch up on some stuff from this week.


First of all, the Macro Photography Masterclass on Monday 30th November is now fully booked. If you would like advance notice of my workshops in different areas of photography please contact me via my website at http://www.dougchinnery.co.uk/ or send me a Flickrmail, or leave a message here with your contact info.


Next, I came across a photographers website this week, the quality of whose images astounded me. I was astounded I hadn't heard of him before either. I always encourage the students on my workshops to spend time where they can learning from images created by others. This photographers name is Marc Adamus and you can see his website here - http://www.marcadamus.com/index.php


If you only have a couple of minutes go into his personal favorites gallery. It took my breath away... and made me a bit jealous of those photographers who live in the Pacific Northwest of America. I love Scotland, Wales and all the other beautiful locations of the UK but Oregon, Washington State and Montana just seems to have landscapes and light on a different level.


We have been planning our 25th wedding anniversary holiday for a couple of years now and we settled on this area. It is an expensive trip with flights, accomodation, car hire and all the rest so we have been saving a little each month for two years and have another 18 months to go. I am going to try and get three weeks over there. If I come back with just a couple of images close to Marcs, I will be a happy chappy.


I also wanted to thank the Worksop Photographic Society for being brave enough to invite me to speak to them at one of their meetings. They are an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group with some superb photographers. Ages there ranged from around 12/13 to well, shall we say over retirement age with everything in between. Men and women who obvioulsy love photography and are keen to learn and improve. I hope I wasn't too boring.


I spoke on 'Making Money from Photography' and 'Perfecting Landscapes'. They have invited me back next year. Gluttons for punishment.


If you want to improve, whatever level you feel you are at now and whatever camera you have, no matter how basic, you will find them friendly and keen to encourgage you. They have their own website at http://www.worksop-photo-society.co.uk/ and you can pop along to a meeting to join - you are sure of a warm welcome.


On a final note, I would like some feedback on the kind of workshops you may be interested in to see if I can meet what people want. Would any of the following be of interest?


1. A workshop on either the 28th, 29th or 30th December - probably landscapes out in the Hathersage area - to escape the overindulgence or to be an excuse to miss the sales?


2. A workshop on workflow - from getting it right in camera, through downloading and backing up to using Lightroom and Photoshop or Elements to process your images and how to prepare them for print, the web etc?


3. A landscape workshop for the disabled or older photographer with mobility issues? Most landscape courses involve walking possibly a bit of hill climbing and so on. I am wondering if a day where you can work from a wheelchair, your car even or where just a few steps are needed from the parking spot would be of interest?


4. A photowalk workshop. I wondered if anyone thought a good idea for a workshop would be a walk where we all travel quite light along a route and photograph as we go, combining some exercise with photography - so whatever is along the route we capture, landscapes, wildlife, architecture, people - whatever, with me giving help and instruction as we go?


I would also be interested to hear if you have ever thought, "I could do with help on...." - maybe I can develop a workshop to meet a need that is not being met at the moment.


I appreciate you taking the time to comment and look forward to hearing your thoughts.


I had some prints delivered this week - off to put them in frames now, the exciting bit! I always leave my images on the wall too long. A case of the cobblers children having no shoes. I am a photographer and yet don't rotate my images often enough. (I also have to confess, very embarrasedly, that I even have some Ikea photos on the wall in the kitchen - they were supposed to be up there just for a few weeks when we moved in and I just haven't got round to taking them down and replacing them with my own. Imagine how embarrasing it is when visitors ask if they are mine. Hangs head in shame. Now they must go!)


Happy snapping


Doug