Fun and Friendly Photography! Walks, workshops, tours.

Guaranteed departure.

Join us on this magical 8-𝐝𝐚𝐲/7-𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 tour to explore the picturesque Lake District in colourful autumn with a small group (maximum of 5-6 participants only) guided by a professional photographer, and 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!

As a bonus - as if the amazing scenery isn't enough! - The best filter company in the business, Kase Filters, is kindly sponsoring our workshop & will be providing multiple sets of their Pro filters just for us - so you can get the most out of this amazing workshop!

𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲:
𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏 – Journey to The Lakes
We’ll collect you from central London & begin the journey to our lovely accommodation in central Keswick.

We'll aim to check in and freshen up, then, if time permitting, head to our first sunset opportunity at the spectacular Castlerigg Stone Circle.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐 – Ullswater
We’ll begin our first morning with sunrise at the iconic Duke of Portland boathouse, looking down Ullswater towards the distant fells. From there, we’ll pay a visit to Hallin Fell with a gorgeous view down two valleys, with Beda Fell in all its autumnal glory dividing them. During the day, we will visit the powerful Aira Force, the most famous of the Lakes’ waterfalls, falling 70ft below a slate bridge into a rock pool & surrounded by Victorian landscaping.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟑 – Derwent Water
Crow Park will start our day with sunrise, looking down Derwent Water with Borrowdale Valley and the surrounding Fells beyond. Nearby is Isthmus Bay, where you will find the remains of some concrete jetties looking towards the Cumbrian Mountains. Other options for later in the day are Ashness Jetty or Tewet Tarn.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟒 – Buttermere
This morning, we will head for Buttermere and once again put those Kase ND filters to work capturing the famous lone tree with tranquil views across the lake, followed by a short journey up the lake, where we will have views of Char Hut and the autumn colours on the mosaic slopes of Haystacks. Later in the day, we will explore the Southern shore of Crummock Water with several composition options of rocks or trees to choose from.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟓 – Great Langdale
We’ll start the day at the River Brathay near Elterwater hoping for a touch of mist at sunrise with a couple of oak trees and a small copse reflecting in the calm water. Later, we will head down the Great Langdale Valley towards Side Pike & Blea Tarn both of which have gorgeous views of the Langdale Pikes.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟔 - Lowther Castle
Our last full day will see us exploring another great attraction in the morning, and our afternoon will be spent visiting Lowther Castle or a similar attraction.

Day 7 - We'll look at returning to locations suitable for the weather on the day, with the intent of capturing better shots or images with different conditions.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 8 – Return Journey
For our final day in the stunning Lake District, we will begin with a visit to Tewet Tarn, or even Castlerigg Stone Circle, for sunrise with views towards Blencathra and Skiddaw fells. We'll then say goodbye to Keswick & journey back to London with full memory cards and many happy memories.

Grey Seal Pups: Norfolk Coast Wildlife Workshop

Price: £1,295pp (own room, self-catering cottage). En-suite +£200.

Guaranteed Departure!
Photograph newborn Grey Seal pups at the height of pupping season on the Norfolk coast, home to over 40% of the world's grey seal population. Five days across multiple beaches, always at a safe respectful distance from the colony.
It's not just seals. We'll build in sunset sessions at Happisburgh Lighthouse, seascapes using the coast's sea defences as strong long-exposure subjects, and Norfolk's windmills for classic golden-hour landscape shots, so you'll come away with a varied portfolio, not just wildlife frames.

Fitness Level: Easy to Moderate (beach walks generally under a mile, flat or gently rolling terrain)

What's Included:

• Expert Photography Guide (Dion Hitchcock)
• Return Transport from London
• Self-Catering Cottage (own room; en-suite +£200)
• Supplementary Telephoto Lenses & Camera Bodies to try
• Multiple Beach & Landscape Sessions
• Small Tour Size (max 5 participants)
• Full Financial Protection

Join us on an amazing day to photograph the world's most iconic prehistoric monument, Stonehenge, at golden hour & sunset!

We'll spend several hours on site, making the most of what nature has to offer as the light changes.

We'll be shooting from the north and east aspects of Stonehenge, which is the most attractive side and also perfect in winter as the sun sets in a south-westerly direction, thus giving us our best chances of colour in the sky!

Please note: Entry into Stonehenge itself isn't included (as not all participants wish to go in for closer shots). For those wishing to, the entry price is currently around £25, and you can book online through English Heritage (our ETA at Stonehenge is 1:30 PM). Message me if you require more details.

Situated on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, the early henge was built around 5,000 years ago & the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period, ~ 2,500 BC, with final modifications estimated to have been made around 1,500 BC. Stonehenge consists of an outer circle of 30 standing stones called "sarsens", which surround five huge stone arches in a horseshoe shape. There were also two circles made of smaller "bluestones" – one inside the outer circle & one inside the horseshoe – as well as four "station stones" positioned outside the central monument.

Don't have a telephoto lens & want to take some close-up pics like the sample shots? We've got you covered, as we'll have multiple camera setups and lenses available to borrow if requested (please let me know when booking). Just make sure you bring a spare blank SD card.

Recommended equipment:

• Walk around/kit lens (eg 18-55mm, 24-70mm, 18-105mm)
• Zoom lens – Recommended for close-ups on stones (eg 70-200mm, 70-300mm)
• Note – The focal length (full frame equivalent) sample images were taken between 35mm (long exposure shot), 70mm (all of Stonehenge), and 200mm (close-up of the stones).
• For those paying the extra for entry, a wide-angle lens is highly recommended. ie 16-35mm, 18-55mm, etc.
• Tripod – Recommended.
• Shutter trigger (wired (preferred), wireless/phone) – recommended for long exposures above 30 seconds for most cameras.
• ND Filters – optional (for any long exposures)

Included:

• Travel to and from central London (from Starbucks, Unit 1A Euston Tower, NW1 3DP), in our comfortable 8-seat vehicle
• Photographic tuition
• Camera and lens setups to borrow if required (bring a spare, blank SD card)
• Battery charging facilities if required (bring your USB or wall plug charger)

Not included:
Food and drink (tearoom & facilities available at Stonehenge on arrival)
Entrance within Stonehenge (we'll be photographing from the boundary at sunset as public access within the grounds closes)

Important Note: Please dress for the weather (and then bring extra!). Multiple layers, a hat, and gloves are strongly recommended. Also, bring a waterproof jacket/umbrella just in case, and wear appropriate footwear for walking. Stonehenge is on an exposed open plain with no cover, so bring an extra layer to protect from the wind. DRESS WARM!

Where we'll meet:
We'll meet at Starbucks Coffee, Unit 1A Euston Tower Podium, Regents Place, London NW1 3DP, at 11:00 am & and we'll talk about what to expect on the day and go through previous photos and discuss settings, composition, etc.
We'll be leaving Starbucks at 11:20 AM & expect to return to London around 7:00-8:00 PM (depending on traffic, of course).

Please make sure you check TFL to arrive at the meeting point on time as we will have to leave exactly at 11:20 am sharp. Unfortunately, refunds will not be given if you are late, hence our meeting time is a full 20 minutes before our departure. Please be sure you can attend before RSVPing yes, as refunds can only be given if your place is taken by another participant. Thank you.

Please note: This is a MAILING LIST ONLY, NOT AN EVENT.

This is for people who wish to be contacted when we run Astro events (as per feedback, as Meetup's email communication has been sketchy at best for years).

We'll announce our multi-day Astro tours and occasional single-night events here first, then via the usual Meetup announcement.

The Milky Way season runs from late February to early September each year.

We're going to be holding several astrophotography events during the year, so we're putting together an email list of those people interested so we can contact you directly (as many people miss the Meetup messages & emails) and offer you early access to book places at the events.

We'll photograph the Milky Way at various locations throughout the year, teach you how to take star trails and capture special events such as meteor showers and supermoons.

How it will work:
We'll likely let you know the prospective date(s) a couple of weeks in advance. Two days before the event, we'll update and confirm once we have the short-term weather forecasts. Due to weather conditions, some events may be scheduled or cancelled at short notice. Weather forecasting just isn't that good yet, I'm afraid!

We'll provide the transport to the chosen location(s) up to 2 hours away. To reduce time stuck in London traffic, the meeting point will be at our studio in West Acton, a 3-5 minute walk from West Acton tube station (Central Line) and North Ealing tube station (Piccadilly Line). Street parking is available.

Equipment:

• With a tripod and cable release, anyone can take star trails and meteor shower photos with a standard camera and lens.
• For single-shot Milky Way photos, we recommend lenses with an aperture f/2.8 or lower, with a focal length of 24mm or lower. (Edit: a 35mm f/1.8 is also a great lens if you're able to use post-processing software to stitch photos together)
• Using either the high ISO technique or a star tracker allows "slower" lenses to be used, ie a minimum aperture of f/4 or f/5.6
• As usual, we'll have a few dedicated setups and lenses to borrow between the group – just bring an extra SD card.

We look forward to exploring the night skies with you!

Note: This listing is not an event in itself (ignore time & date). The £2 payment will put you on our astrophotography list and allow us to email you announcing upcoming Astro events prior to them being published on the Meetup group listing. We've done this as people often miss/ignore Meetup announcement emails.

Kind regards,
Dion