Comments from PhotoTrek

PhotoTrek at Burley - 11th April 2010

What did you find most interesting? Pretty much everything particularly the compositional elements of the course

I enjoyed all of it

The logical progression through the instruction was great. Thinking about one aspect of improving my photography at a time and then bringing it all together towards the end really suited my learning style

I really enjoyed the day. I liked that there were two of you so I felt that I got plenty of personal attention and help with what I was trying to achieve. I took away plenty of inspiration to get out there and use my camera more and try to improve my image creation. Even though I felt I knew a bit about a couple of items of instruction (depth of feild/aperture control springs to mind) it helped clarify these in my mind and added to my existing knowledge. Oh yes and the flapjack was fantastic!

A very enjoyable and relaxed morning doing something I enjoy. It was nice to mix that experience with some professional mentoring.

What did you enjoy most and why?
The demonstration about light and how it can affect your images in such a striking manner. Considering we simply walked around a pond for a period of about 90 minutes the difference in my images from that time are quite striking.

The best thing about the experience for me was being able to take pictures at my own pace without feeling I had to consider those with me. I really enjoyed my time around the pond and the opportunity to have my images critiqued by experts, although I suspect you were both pulling your punches! The challenge to take three pictures near the logs worked well as it made you think but if anything, I felt a little rushed at that time. The coffee break was a nice touch and the flapjacks were truly nice. I do need to make more use of the histogram and discipline myself more to think about composition and lighting, all points you stressed upon us.

The format was good with instruction, a bit of technical stuff and then the opportunity to have a go at the task set.

I was a bit trepidacious to start with, especially being the only female there, but I soon relaxed as it was quite laid back. I liked the questions which made me think more about my photography than I would normally. I thought the format worked really well, a chunk of info, what to think about, go off and try it and then feed back on the pictures taken. It was also good to have Barry’s input as he had a slightly different perspective. I learnt some technical aspects I was either unsure of or didn’t know at all. I will try to use my histograms more in the future!
In one word excellent. I really enjoyed the fact that we were not rushed and were allowed the time to put the theory we learnt into practice. The location was fantastic, and the time of day was good as it allowed us to see the impact of changing light on a scene. I wanted to learn more about landscape photography, and felt that I learnt more in the 5 hours spent with Ian and Barry, than the last two years of magazine reading! I certainly intend to spend more time with my photography hobby, and I hope to rival Ian and Barry’s standard of photography!