Minimalistics

Copper Coast Workshops…

Since I started my photoblog, I’ve been asked about photo-workshops. So this is a bit of blatant advertising about the workshops, the newly launched photographic-breaks in Ireland and a slightly longer one in France – and how I got myself into them…

By the turn of the millennium, twenty-five years of non-stop photography and photo-editing had had left me creatively jaded and cross-eyed; so I sold my lovely Mamiya RZ67 medium format gear and took a photographic sabbatical. Three years later I felt the urge to start photographing again, and bought a digital SLR camera. At that time I was running the Irish Image Collection, a specialist photo-agency representing about eighty-five photographers, both professional and amateur.  Photography was moving quickly to digital, some of my photographers were attracted by it and seized the new format with alacrity, others seemed intimidated by digital’s apparent complex technical requirements. As a result of an increasing number of requests for advice and help, I set up Copper Coast Workshops in the spring of 2005.

Most photographers who attend the scheduled workshops fall into one of three categories. Absolute novices whose results just don’t match their expectations. Relatively experienced, but equally frustrated amateur photographers who have the same problem. Or those who were used to film and want to make the switch to digital, but find it a little daunting.

Over the course of a weekend, I advise, teach and de-mystify the subject. I help them to decide where they want to go photographically – and how to achieve it – and sometimes advise on equipment. On occasion it’s been known for them to produce a masterpiece over the weekend, but it’s not my main aim – which is to show them how to produce masterpieces in their own time after the workshops are over. These workshops are scheduled twice monthly from mid-April to September, and are kept to a maximum of three guests so that I can work easily on a one-to-one basis, with the participants. In addition, there are “Refresher Workshops” that re-visit the basics of photography covered in the beginners workshops along with a brief introduction to composition. We round this off with a series photographic projects designed to encourage photographers to consider what they’re shooting more thoroughly, hone their photographic skills and enhance their visualisation abilities.

In this, the sixth year of Copper Coast Workshops, we have introduced “short photographic breaks”, for experienced and advanced photographers who want explore and shoot in the south-east of Ireland, talk photography and share knowledge, ideas and experience. The residential breaks are available for groups of two or three, on request, during midweek or weekends when there are no scheduled workshops taking place. The location of Radharc Álainn is superb, situated in the beautiful landscape that helped to establish County Waterford’s Copper Coast, as Ireland’s first Geopark  (near the second headland on the above image). Full details of all the workshops can be found on the Copper Coast website here.

In addition I have also organised an Autumn (Fall) workshop for advanced photographers in the Languedoc-Roussillion district in the South of France. The eight-day photographic vacation covers an extensive and varied range of locations and subjects that will exhilarate accomplished landscape photographers. It is scheduled to run from Saturday, October 2 to Saturday, October 9 and it’s based in Kirstan Apple’s 18th century water mill near St. Jean du Gard, a traditional French village at the foot of the Cevennes Mountains. Places are limited and the itinerary, prices and other details can be seen here.

Thank you for reading this, and I really would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in any of our activities.

George