Photographic Workshops

Guest Comments from Workshops

Here are actual comments from clients who have attended recent workshops. After each event I run, questionnaires are sent out and the replies are taken on board to hone events for the future. I have been carrying out this practice for a number of years now which has resulted in a high level of repeat bookings, hence the ‘familiar’ comments on some! here you can review the comments from the most recent workshops which are placed at the top of the page.


Also, click here to see 'Images from Workshops' taken by attendees

'One to One' - May 10

Very enjoyable, I will be doing another one as soon as I have the time & you bring the coffee & flapjacks!

I thoroughly enjoyed my day, the tuition was good, I liked being able to ask questions & get them answered in both verbally & demonstrated how to carry them out.
Once again, thanks for every thing



New Forest in Spring - May 2010

What did you find most interesting?
The insight into composition and the different places we went to.

The photo method - actually training us to look for the image we want to take and composing the image in our mind prior to getting the camera out - this was equally as good as the more technical tips which were provided throughout the day.

And the most boring?
I cannot think of anything that I found boring.

Nothing - it was a 100% fantastic day

The time seemed to be just right, I felt exhausted at the end though. There was a lot of information to process.

We were really tired but happy at the end of the day.

I prefer this format to the classroom format. I find that I learn better this way. It was also flexible to get the most out of the day.

(The instruction was) First rate

You were able to give us group tuition and also go through things with us individually.

The locations were good, not crowded, and well thought out.

Good - knowing the new forest I liked going to locations which were not over stocked with tourists.

I really enjoyed the hands on experience of the day, with someone that could share their professional experience with us. The day was structured but at the same time it was flexible to accomodate what we wanted to do, and also to get the most out of the light and animals. The flapjacks were great. I hope that I can keep remembering the advice that you have given us to create better photos. It was a great day, and I would recommend it highly. I would also like to do this again one day.

Helen and I are quite new to photography and although we have a BASIC understanding of our cameras functions we were a milliion miles away from being able to produce the shots that we came away with after this day in the new forest. The day was fantastic in terms of weather and locations. The format of the day was driven by the very small number of attendees (3 of us) and the instruction was given to account for this. The tuition was provided in easy to understand terms and was very practical and hands on. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and one which has inspired us to continue and improve our photography



'Join Me' - Bluebells - May 2010

Most interesting? Work on composition. (And blurred verticals!!!)

Patience and clear explanations were so reassuring.

Location was Superb
Stunning. So enjoyable.

I thought it was excellent, particularly as, technically, it was a "Join Me" event. I enjoy the freedom you offer where you provide some input and then give as much time as we need to practise, either with you, or a bit further along the path.

Thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Impressed by foreward planning and
organisation of the day ( obviously aware of what the location could offer -well researched/visited)

Individual help was so beneficial. I realised the importance of routine in taking a photograph, checking each shot, waiting for the
light on the subject and most important ...looking for the right composition. "Less is more" was the phrase I remember.


'Join Me' - Hengistbury Head May 2010

The evening was great

Locations? Fantastic – I’ll us it again.

Did you gain from the experience?
Yes, reminder about checking the details / distractions around the edges of compositions, better understanding of exposing to the right


A Day in Dorset with Bluebells April 2010
Fantastic

Locations (were) Stunningly beautiful and excellent for making us think about the images

Really good with plenty of interest and challenging

It was good to be able to ask daft questions without feeling foolish. You deserve a medal for patience too!

I leant about the every day routine you need to think about to get a good balanced photo. How to get the best from a frame and what aspects to take into consideration from the light to the composition.

A fantastic day with end to end learning.

I thought the day was a fantastic learning opportunity. I was suprised when we got to the first location and were told we wouldn't need the cameras. However, all became clear when Ian asked us to analyse the scene, to think about the best time of day for images and the composition of an image and, as i mentioned earlier, these times turned out to be the most informative for me. At the other locations we were left to our own devices for a short time and allowed to make our own "mistakes" then Ian stepped in and put over his point of view. I can't think of a single occasion over the whole day where i disagreed with Ians thoughts and opinions. The most important thing i learned was that "Less Is More" but there was so much information passed on that it would take far too long to list here!

Very informative

Enjoyed it all

This was an opportunity to compare and contrast my particular style and approach with an expert and others within the group, things I have learnt and will be taking away are to consider less is more, shoot pictures in apperture priority and to look at saving some images in raw files. Thanks again for a fantastic day which was both enjoyable and informative.

The format was great and i felt it was laid back enough to be flexible, which is why all the timings when to pot but that was a good thing.

The flapjack was amazing!!!....It was a great day out and is the best workshop i have attended. the technical information about raw files etc we talked about in the car i found broke the travelling up and we were learning at the same time. I learnt that less is more and to work out the photo before i look through the view finder.

Everything (was interesing) as digital was new to me

I enjoyed the workshop, though had forgotten how much you like us to work. I thought the content was good, & the company too - though guess you haven't much control over that. The only criticism, is as I mentioned above, by the end of the day the brain was so stuffed it had begun to stop retaining things. I picked up a couple of techniques / ideas that I hadn't thought of before, & your insights/experience are most helpful.

The group was the right size. I could have started earlier although I know that's not always possible for others. I learnt a lot about digital and I have a lot more to learn. It was a great fun day out and I will book again.



Jersey March 2010

I very much enjoyed the format, the group was very friendly and a nice number so that we were all able to have individual attention. I hope I have learnt to take a more considered approach to my photography and think carefully about composition and exposures. Lunch was good too!

Fantastic experience

What did you find most interesting?
All of it, but especially looking at composition, the importance of exposure and its effects.

Ian, many thanks for a great day, we learnt a lot and spent Sunday putting everything into practice.

I learnt a great deal especially about composure and lighting and thought you were easy to get on with and not arrogant and too boring like i thought it might be.

Many thanks Ian for a brilliant weekend you always exceed my expectations and very much look forward to coming on another one of your workshops in the mainland

You always exceed my expectations, you make me feel comfortable to ask questions, looking forward to the next one

I learnt a great deal especially about composure and lighting thought you were easy to get on with and not arrogant and too boring like I thought it might be.

Taking note of the way light falls at different times of the day was v useful.

Last year it was all new to me so it was good to go over again and to find that it all made better sense this year.

The 2:1 worked well for me as I go out shooting on a regular basis so it means we can check with each other about what we've learnt Ashamed to say that we both visited places we didn't even knew existed even though between us we have lived on a Island 7x9 miles for 104years!!

An extremely well presented workshop and lots of patience!!

All very enjoyable

The beach opened our eyes as first impressions was that here was not a lot to take. But your guidance and instrucion soon opened our eyes - even if we have a lot of photographs of stones in the middle of the frame!!!!!!!

The day was excellent - thank you. I do not need to add a lot, only ot say that we would like to attend further courses as the day was quite inspirational.


One to One session, February 2010


Did you gain from the experience?
Most definitely, I spent the weekend practising what I'd learned (as instructed!) and found myself being much more attentive to detail.

booked a 1:1 day with Ian following a very interesting workshop last October. This time I wanted to concentrate my mind on improving the composition of my photographs and really "see" the picture I wanted to get. Ian has a unique manner, he calmly and methodically took me through the thought process and practice of assessing the viability of a scene, choosing the best view point (or points) and making sure that the essential elements were captured. One of the main strengths of Ian's teaching skills is his technique of regularly questioning, to both assess knowledge and push his students that bit further with their thought process.
Another very important factor in Ian's workshops is that he doesn't carry any camera equipment of his own, (other than to illustrate a point - ed), the day is totally dedicated to the instruction of his pupils, something which I have really come to appreciate having attended other similar workshops.
Ian is a very knowledgeable photographer and thankfully for students like me, he's only too happy and willing to impart this knowledge to others.
Thank you, once again Ian for an excellent day.


Corfe and Kimmeridge - February 10

It was great to spend the time really getting used to the Camera. The composition exercise at Corfe was very worthwhile.

For me it was an enjoyable and profitable day. I learned much about the attention to detail required for a good standard of landscape work. I also learned bits about my own equipment which I ought to have known already and am determined to improve on this aspect as well.

Enjoyed them all, (locations) once we got up the hill!



'Join Me'- New Forest - January 10

Most interesting? The demonstration of how to get the blue of the coldness into the photos

Most interesting? Composition, especially taking time before the shot and checking the viewfinder for annoying items on the edge of the frame.

Most interesting? Listening to the others' take on a location. Interesting that we all see such different things.

Most interesting?The landscape photography and watching the way the light changed the scene

I liked the pond areas the best but I would being Pisces.

Found the whole thing very enjoyable; company was pleasant and I was pleased with the amount of time you gave us – I thought it would be more restricted. Landscape session before 9 was great, and the walk to the first lake and the pictures there also good.

Another excellent shoot with several new techniques to consider & experiment with.

Thoroughly enjoyable to look at locations with the help of a trained eye and appreciate that the camera doesn't provide the finished print. The opportunity to walk around the pond looking for pictures with the other folk was good. Coffee and flapjacks most welcome on a cold morning. There was nothing I didn't enjoy.

I really enjoyed the morning, although it was over far too quickly! Although you were there to get your own shots, you still had plenty of time to explain what you were doing, answer our questions and give us the opportunity to try the shots for ourselves. The exercise by the 2nd lake was very useful. It really made us think and assess the scene rather than just randomly start 'snapping' and it also gave an interesting insight to hear what other people saw in a scene.

Excellent, excellent morning.... And thanks to your wife for the great flapjacks - it almost worth coming on these mornings just for that!



'Join Me'- New Forest - December 09

I really enjoyed the morning. Learnt plenty, loved the location and didn't feel I couldn't ask daft questions!

I'm very impressed with your easy going, very clear, teaching style

I don't think I can fault these "Join Me" trips at all. They are exactly what I want - most importantly the right light - expert knowlege of locations, expert tuition. For my requirement - just perfect.

It did reinforce the whole thing of planning a shoot; knowing where the sun would be at what time; where it would be casting it's light etc etc. I am learning so much all of the time.




Corfe and Kimmeridge - December 09

Thanks for another stimulating and thought provoking day yesterday

I was exhausted at the end of the day but it was so worthwhile.

Did you enjoy the format? Again perfect - good group size. The structure of the sessions - theory, doing, reflection - worked well. Breaking the day into Corfe, Kimmeridge 1 and Kimmeridge 2 worked well and prevented information over load

I was able to consolidate many of the things we had covered in previous workshops and then move them on to the next level. I enjoyed thinking through the compositional aspects and listening to you talk through how you would see it - this was really helpful. The limpet pool exercise was also useful.

Overall these workshops are increasingly helping me to refine what I enjoy photographing and decide what doesn't particularly inspire me.

I really enjoyed the day - and more importantly learned a lot. Thank you again. Even the rain added a different dimension

Although I've been taught the "theory", it's so much easier to understand "in the field".

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, from a friendly greeting when I arrived, a hot drink, flapjack and a chance to meet my fellow students. We had reasonable weather for the time of year but I felt that perhaps this wasn't going to be the day I got "the shot of a lifetime". Ian explained that the day was primarily a tutorial, equipping us with the knowledge to be able to return to the location in more favourable conditions in our own time.
Ian's knowledge of landscape photography is very evident in his excellent teaching manner, whilst he asked me questions about how I was going about taking photographs, he was assessing the extent of my knowledge and building very carefully and constructively on that ensuring that I understood the terminology. Despite worsening weather, we were able to get a full day's photography in before heading back to the car for a warm drink (flapjack) and summary of the day's tuition. I thoroughly enjoyed my day, I am sure that I will benefit from Ian's advice each time I take my camera out into the landscape again and really look forward to my next workshop.



Portland Bill - November 09

Excellent locations

An excellent day (the best to date) which was greatly added to by the Force 8 winds at Portland Bill & the perfect lighting conditions we unexpectedly got. I gained a great deal from the advice given to me about composition of my photos.


Durdle Door - November 09


As this was my first workshop I was not sure what to expect, your approach suited my needs and the fact that you ensured that I understood what you were trying to teach me was excellent - thanks!

For me about right the amount of information you gave managed to stick in my head to a certain extent. Senior moments excepted!

The overall experience was far beyond my expectations - I had no clue as to what I was letting myself in for and was although I was a little shocked at the interrogation as soon as we left Ringwood, I can see why you do it! The day proved to be extremely informative your ability to pick up on the best way to get it into my head was well achieved. I had hoped to have put the knowledge to good use by now but circumstances and weather have not permitted this. I would like to thank you loads for the day and the information and practical help and hopefully I will repeat the experience in the not too far distant future.





Autumn Colours - New Forest October 09

For me the workshop was a complete success, very well organised with good planning and brilliantly excecuted. I came away with plenty of new ideas on composition and exposure and a few of my old concepts completely blown out of the water! The only short coming was my own fault - lackof familiarity with the camera, you think you know how it all works until you have a professional looking over your shoulder asking awkward questions. But never mind, I enjoyed the experience.

The student/instructor ratio was just right.

There was a lot of information to take in but anyone with some enthusiasm for the subject should be able to cope quite comfortably.

Beautiful (locations). We were spoilt for choice in the forest

The group size was perfect. If I had turned up at a workshop that was the size of that other group we saw, I would have been very disappointed

It was very good for information

I thought they (locations) were perfect for capturing the Autumn colours in the Forest. It did exactly what it said on the tin!

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and would definitely attend another one. I picked up tips on composition, learning that it is better to leave things out rather than trying to cram too much in, less is more. The group size was just right. It was nice to spend time taking photos in the Forest with like minded people, rather than dragging my partner out early in the morning when he'd much rather stay in bed! The locations were excellent. And, of course, the flap jack was delicious!


(Locations) They were great – well researched

I really appreciated the work on composing the shot, and honing in on interesting features.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day even with the somewhat damp start,it was good to see how you can be at a location and then break it down into several pieces that can offer different photographic options. The other aspect that was very useful was the idea of using different aspects of the scene as lead-ins to the picture. All in all another great day and look forward to booking another workshop in the future.



"Lake District - October 09"

Thanks again for a fantastic trip to the Lakes - exceeded all my expectations! It took my skills to a new level and I now feel in total control of my camera and the process of making great images. Also really enjoyed your company and had a good time really exploring those areas of the Lakes - Bravo! (I've made it my mission to get all my photo friends on your workshops!)


"Long Day on the Isle of Wight - September 09"

Did you enjoy the Workshop?
Yes very much indeed, the light was not brilliant but it was a great day out, I learned a lot and you and the other students were great company.

The field craft and the technical aspects of planning, location scouting was very interesting and I liked the way that you gave us little exercises.

All in all I had an excellent day out. I really like the format and one of the reasons I come on workshops is because it gives me the motivation to get up at silly-o-clock to catch the light and also the locations have been pre-scouted saving me the hassle (those two alone make it worth the fee never mind the instruction on top as well!).

I would recommend this workshop to anyone who knows their way around their camera and is interested in landscape photography. The day is friendly, motivating and informative. You have a wealth of information and experience and are great at explaining things - even at 5:00 in the morning!

I learned a lot about location scouting, the importance of light and the ideas of filling space in the image. There is one scene in particular where you were helping me on Ryde Pier. Kept all of the images where I started and then 5 images later got the composition you were coaching me for. Seeing the progression from the original to the one that "works" is great for me to see, after the event.

Looking forward to another one.

My expected period of tiredness came and went without too much difficulty, to my pleasant surprise. You are governed by the seasonal timings of dawn and dusk, so the main thing is to make sure that there is a "low-pressure" period for the batteries to recharge a bit.



"One to One"

I had a brilliant day. Ian, you were an excellent and patient teacher. I really enjoyed myself. I was so immersed in what we were doing that day-to-day life seemed a million miles away which was fantastic. The day was a good combination of teaching and practising, the locations were varied and well thought out and Ian was good company. I learnt a lot more about my camera than I'd expected to. Shot composition and seeing things differently were my favourite parts.

Heather Workshop August 2009

(What did you find boring?) I’ll get back to on this one? Still working on it? Nope still cant think of one? Ok only as its all I can think of and it wasn’t boring, it was kind of interesting to be honest, but it wasn’t me behind my camera, that was the time spent looking at how you manage your workload with lightroom

(Information provided?) You can never have to much information (unless you're from the US or a bad engineer or worse both) That said its not the amount or information its the quality and with that said you have a very good “Opinion”

What did you think of the locations? Very Good

At my level there was very little I can pick fault with. I like the way you don’t humour or patronise just because we paid you money but in the same respect you don’t overly criticise or slate just because you could. The lessons on composition were what I was after the most and I wasn’t disappointed with what I came away with. And the pearls of wisdom on images that you could easily miss when working later in the day.

Guests are asked to send in 5 images from the day:
Aha only being able to submit 5 photos ha! ha! finally found something to moan about……
Do you have any Idea how hard this is, only five out of 450 that’s just not fair…………..ok only 50 are worth a second look and probably only 10 my wife would hang on our wall but you have no idea how fussy my wife is…..I’m normally lucky to get 1 out of 50 I take that she likes..

I benefited very much from your experience not just about our kit and techniques but also about what works for you generally.

Cowes August 2009

It was a really good day out. We had great location and subjects and I learnt more about the camera (histograms), composition, timing, looking for the good shot. It was really helpful and should enable me to improve my technique.

(What did you find most boring?) I’ll get back to on this one? Still working on it? Nope still cant think of one? Ok, only as its all I can think of and it wasn’t boring, it was kind of interesting to be honest, but it wasn’t me behind my camera, this was the time spent looking at how you manage your workload with lightroom.

At my level there was very little I can pick fault with. I like the way you don’t humour or patronise just because we paid you money but in the same respect you don’t overly criticise or slate just because you could. The lessons on composition were what I was after the most and I wasn’t disappointed with what I came away with. And the pearls of wisdom on images that you could easily miss when working later in the day. Aha only being able to submit 5 photos ha! ha! finally found something to moan about……

I enjoyed the day very much & although I did not get as many good shots as I would have hoped I learnt a lot & know exactly where I was going wrong.

(I found it most interesting about) the advice given me about using a high shutter speed, exposure compensation and the review of the photos on camera on the boat back. I also found it very interesting to see your pics of the day to see what I could have done to improve my images.

(Too much or too little information?) You can never have to much information (unless your from the US or a bad engineer or worse both) That said its not the amount or information its the quality and with that said you have a very good “Opinion”

At my level there was very little I can pick fault with. I like the way you don’t humour or patronise just because we paid you money but in the same respect you don’t overly criticise or slate just because you could. The lessons on composition were what I was after the most and I wasn’t disappointed with what I came away with. And the pearls of wisdom on images that you could easily miss when working later in the day.


(Guests are asked to submit 5 images from the day after the event..)
Aha only being able to submit 5 photos ha! ha! finally found something to moan about……
Do you have any Idea how hard this is, only five out of 450 that’s just not fair…………..ok only 50 are worth a second look and probably only 10 my wife would hang on our wall but you have no idea how fussy my wife is…..I’m normally lucky to get 1 out of 50!

I found the info just right - it enabled me to concentrate on just a couple of aspects of my photography at one go and thus I learnt a lot on the day - any info that educates me & improves my photography is ok by me. Thank you for the help you gave me.

I thought the day was excellent made all the better by the weather & perfect skies - well done that man for getting it just right!!!!!!!!!! The variety of photography during the day was very good & did not in any way lead to boredom. The locations that we were taken to were spot on and gave us all the opportunity to get the best shots we could that day providing individuals techniques were up to scratch - not always the case for me. However, the best part of the day for me was that I came away knowing how to improve a few of my techniques & thus fulfilled my aim for the day - learn something to improve my photography. The things that I learnt were how to set the camera up for fast shutter speed photos, get the correct exposure compensation settings (took a bit for me to get to grips with that but with your help I sorted it in my mind eventually) and although I did not realise at the time I learnt on the return boat trip that if I had set the ISO correctly I would have got a higher f stop for faster shutter speed & would have got a lot less out of focus pics as a result - all hopefully now stored in the brain for the next shoot. The other thing that I learnt I think is to be patient to get a few good shots & not take a lot of shots that are only going to be ditched. I always think that if I do not shoot a lot I will always miss the good shot whereas I learnt it is a question of anticipating the good shot before it happens. All in all a really great day for me that gave me very good value for my money.

Jersey June 09

I learnt a lot, hopefully with your bullet points you showed us I will remember most of it. It’s given me the confidence to play with the various buttons. Taught me a lot about what makes a good landscape, not just a record snap. Hopefully one day I will take a good landscape with that wow factor. Although I was very tired before I started the course, I really did enjoy it.


I thought the workshop was excellent; you were very enthusiastic and helpful. The people on the workshop were friendly and it was nice having the social aspect too - ie chatting and eating! I have learnt about my AV settings,what the histogram means, taking parts of the whole picture, changing light conditions and when to take pictures.


Everything was interesting - it was all completely relevant to what I needed to know

Fulfilled my expectations perfectly, a really good day out and very good value (No, not a relative! – Ian)

I am feeling a lot more confident using the camera on the manual functions. Rather than thinking that picture will never work I try and remember what I’ve been taught to make it work. I also look at the composition much more critically. I enjoyed all of it.

Very glad to have revisited info you covered last time round. Needed reminding.




Thank you for such a special day on Sunday. I learnt so much.

I’ve bulleted below my responses to your questions:

I found a number of elements interesting - the histograms and learning about the technical aspects of my camera: but in particular I was interested in the composition of shots – what to look for, the process of analysing and ‘dialling out’.
I can honestly say I found nothing boring in the whole day
The timing of the day was again perfect. I learnt a lot in the time, although any longer and I may just have been on overload!

You made it a priority to assess where I was prior to that day through our phone discussion, the pre course email and discussion at the start of the day.
As a result of this you had sharp objectives and made it clear to me exactly what we were going to do and what I should expect to be able to do by the end of the session. You also gave me a clear outline of the day in terms of timings.

The pace of the day was good – there was time to learn and practise without feeling rushed but you moved it on when appropriate. You encouraged me to be independent – to have a go - and you valued my ideas so that I didn’t feel I was useless or daunted by the amount of things I didn’t know! But you didn’t allow me to rely on your knowledge too much.

At the end of each mini task you summarised the learning and involved me in that process so that I was clear what I had achieved before moving on. I think that added to the positive feel of the day.

The tasks were all different and in different contexts which enabled me to enjoy the forest as well as enjoy the learning – of course the weather added to this!

The lunchtime pub session was good – a really lovely place to eat. The laptop session consolidated learning in a different way and I was able to apply the knowledge I’d gained in the morning to a critical evaluation of some of your photos. Understanding the physics of the camera also helped me understand some of the reasons why aperture etc were important, how it related to the timing of the shutter opening etc.

You gave lots of praise where appropriate and gave constant feedback on how I was doing so that I knew exactly what I had to work on.

At the end of the day the final ‘pine tree in the hollow’ task pulled all the learning points together. This was followed by a final summary on the laptop of all I’d learned.

Finally the expectation of giving feedback and five photos provided me with a chance to reflect on my own learning.

I loved it! Thank you so much – I look forward to the next time.

Previous Workshops

The most interesting part of the day was trying to capture the image during the morning light and also photographing the ponies!

I was most impressed and really enjoyed Ian's constant, tireless advice - even in the car driving along pointing things out and prompting us to think. For me what stood out was the way Ian summed up the entire day on the way back; taking us through each scene and reminding us of the lessons learnt - that really helped reinforce the experience and knowledge gained

The information and advice got me thinking in different ways about basics which I thought I'd mastered already. It challenged me about what I'm doing, how, and importantly why - before I even approach the tripod

Learning that photography is possible in all conditions and improving my composition, using filters and exposure compensation

Tips on how to compose and frame subject matter within a shot. learning to take more time to get the shot you want instead of regretting it later. Focusing my attention on how I take photos rather than just taking them. Chatting to Ian to gain insights into the pro photographer's mind. Being next to a choppy sea at dawn was pretty amazing also.
I liked being challenged to think outside of the box, look at scenes differently and find your own point of interest.
I enjoyed having to think about composition at the lifeboat station, and also the exercise where we had to decide times of year/sunrise or sunset.

There were no moments that were boring!

It was a long day, ('A Long Day on the Isle of Wight), but it obviously needed to be to cover as much as we did. I think we were all prepared for that, so i would say it was just right for people enthusiastic to catch sun rise & sun set shots and everything in between!

Ian was instructive in a positive manner, providing guidance and constructive criticism when necessary. A very useful part was allowing the person to practice what they have been taught so as to put into practice

Your tuition is always very though and informative.

The amount of information was perfect. Ian explained photography very well indeed with good questioning to check if the person is learning!
I particularly like the way you raised questions instead of simply lecturing (this was much more interesting)

The locations were nice, especially Keyhaven.

Fantastic! Loved Portland Bill & am looking forward to going back. Durdle door was good also, but I hate hills so it lost points there!

Excellent, well researched I thought.

Great, I think the variety in locations and what they had to offer was brilliant

Perfect, the flapjacks deserve their reputation!
Satisfactory refreshments as always

It was a perfect birthday present, perfectly executed. Thanks.

Overall the workshop went very well. I learnt a lot about composition which was my weaker area. Also Ian explained very well the technical information about aperture, shutter speed and how to use them to create different effects. The most important lesson that I took away with me was to know in your mind what it is you want to photograph and to create the image mentally and then capture it using the camera

The workshop was fantastic, better than anything I had hoped for. Ian got really involved in our learning, challenging everyone to think about their photography in many new ways. You came away feeling privileged to have spent a day being taught the insiders secrets and being shown beautiful parts of the country, including Ian's own favourite locations.

I've learnt to slow down, think about what I'm doing and why - what do I want to achieve? Then using all the tools around me and on my camera to capture that in the image.

I came, uncomfortable with my level of photographic knowledge and familiarity with my new camera. I left with much more knowledge and more comfortable with my camera's settings and operation. It is only a first step and I look forward to taking more.

INSTRUCTIVE, WET AND FUN !!!!!

Both Richard (my son) and I enjoyed it despite the rain. I learnt a lot more about composition and not to rush. Many thanks again
The workshop actually exceeded my expectations by a long way. You showed a genuine interest in each shot and provided valuable critique throughout.

Taking the shot as you normally would, asking how it could be done better, and then actually re-shooting it there and then is a great way of learning. By comparing two shots its very easy to see the improvement and justify that little bit of extra effort. Practicing for a whole day really helps improve knowledge of the camera and technical ability quickly, so that it becomes almost second nature.

By offering each bit of advise as a question (rhetorical or otherwise), it provokes thought, and thinking about what you are doing more seems to be the key to improving quickly. I ended the day seeing things differently and already thinking about plans for my next shoot, which is all I could have hoped for in this kind of workshop.

The workshop was very informative and aimed at all levels. I am not one for picking up a book and learning that way, but can do that having been shown something. Having done an intensive photographic course 15 years ago and then gone digital, I had forgotten lots of thinhs learnt previously but this weekend has brought it all back, as well as the enthusiasm. I am wanting to learn more and progress my photography even further, but through the camera not on the computor.

Thanks for what I did learn, am now trying to take more time to plan my shots and work from Aperture rather than just letting the camera chose. (Sadly camera still better than me!)

Thanks for another great day yesterday, Wetherspoons was a real 'find'! Got home at about 21:30, tired and ready for a glass of wine. Hope to see you again soon and also that your trip to Spain goes well.

I leant to keep the emphasis on less is more, be more selective. Ian's tuition is great in encouraging you to find the most original way of capturing a scene and utilising what you see even if it is not at first glance an obvious choice.

I enjoyed all the exercises - the pier, lifeboat staion etc. Had to think about photos instead of snapping away. And of course the
flapjack

Ian, I had an excellent day thank you. It was well paced and interesting.