4 day relaxing photography workshops in the beautiful Lake District
Workshop Series: Lake District (max 3 or 4 people per course)
LD 23-1 Sun 10 September - Weds 13 September 2023
Summary (a full 4 day residential photo holiday)
A full 4 day photographic experience - Run at a slower pace for a relaxing time away with your camera.
The Lake District is a beautiful location for photographers. This workshop is aimed at those who don't want to get up at crazy times, standing in the cold. On this workshop you will meet at breakfast and we will finish each day at around 5pm, leaving time for a little relaxation and some image checking before dinner.
Chris will take you to the perfect locations at the right time of each day and will assist you in finding the most engaging composition and making your best shots in each location.
The focus of this course is on taking photographs, including the opportunity to shoot an early and a late shot. Chris will work with you at your own pace, helping you get more from your camera as you also develop key composition skills.
In the evenings, there will be the opportunity to discuss your best (or most challenging) shot of the day in our fun and friendly critique sessions.
This workshop will give you the opportunity to hone your photographic skills whilst learning new techniques and tips on composition in the field as part of a small group (max 3 or 4 people per course).
Cost (4 day course)
£1,595 per photographer (see 'What's included' & 'What's not included', below). Includes all travel during the course.
A £600 deposit* is due at time of booking due to Chris Ceaser Photography.
Non-photography partners are welcome, see double occupancy prices above. Please ask for details!
What's included?
Your Lake District Workshop Includes:
- 3 nights’ lodging at The Swan in beautiful Grasmere. The Swan At grasmere
All bedrooms have private, en-suite bathroom.
Full Cumbrian breakfast is included with lots of options. - All travel throughout the duration of the course. Chris wil be your chauffeur!
- 2 or 3 locations per day and a chance to shoot before breakfast and a little later in the day on a couple of the days.
- Personal instruction by Chris in the field, including on the spot critiques and advice.
- 3 friendly group critique sessions, in which the shots you take during the workshop are discussed by Chris.
- You will also have the opportunity to have 1 photo from the course printed by Chris at a special price using Chris's fine art papers from Canson Infinity, as used throughout his gallery.
You will be staying at The Swan At Grasmere
What’s not included?
The following is not Included but we are happy to advise you on options, where appropriate:
- Travel to the hotel - We can provide advice on the options available – please ask. (A lift may be offered from a local station - ask Chris)
- Meals/drinks - Lunch/drinks are up to you – we normally stop at a cafe/pub for a break at lunchtime!
- Dinner. There are lots of great places to eat in Grasmere covering a range of tastes. You are welcome to do your own thing at the end of the day's shooting, but you are always welcome to join Chris at dinner!
- Insurances for you and your kit. Please contact Chris to discuss this if you do not have adequate insurances. Cover is available form just £7.
Itinerary
Sunday
The course begins over a coffee at the hotel at 10am – meet the group, get the cars parked up and chat about the days ahead.
The rest of the day will be spent out in the beautiful Lakes landscape, shooting the wonderful scenery. Chris has an extensive knowledge of the Lakes and you can expect to visit soem beautiful locations.
We will finish with a late afternoon shoot before heading back for a scrumptious dinner at one of Grasmere's eateries, unless you fancy some free time to yourself!
Monday to Wednesday.
The Day
Your day will begin at breakfast, join the group and chat about the day ahead with Chris.
Locations will vary depending on the weather/light.
We shoot through the day, stopping for coffees and comfort breaks along the way. We woudl expect to head back around 5pm so you can have a little personal time before meeting up for dinner somewhere.
- Chris will also run a critique session at the end of each day, normally before dinner. This will feature the Photographer’s own work and Chris will give constructive feedback on the chosen images from each day.
- Other field sessions with Chris will be available during each day. The emphasis of the course will be on taking photographs and having a great time away with your camera!
- If you wish to have your shots critiqued in the evening, please bring your laptop or anything you can show your images on. The shot can be straight from your camera or one that you have processed. We limit the critique sessions to two or three shots per day, per Photographer, to ensure that the discussions are useful. You may choose to submit a shot you are particularly happy with, or one that you would like help to improve.
- Chris will run a session on post-production techniques using Lightroom, back at the hotel at some stage during the course. The timing of this will be confirmed on the day as it may depend on conditions – if the light is good, we shoot! - but we will fit this important session in so you can see how to use simple editing to improve your images.
Critique sessions will be held back at the hotel before dinner and should last around 30 minutes.
The course ends at 5pm on the final day.
Cancellation & Insurances
- All deposits* are non-refundable
- Chris Ceaser Photography does not offer cancellation refunds. Please take out adequate insurance to cover cancellations due to ill health, jury service etc. Please ask for recommendations and see below.
Insurances and refunds:
YOU are responsible for your own insurances. This needs to cover you and your kit for things such as emergency illness whilst away, theft of your kit, inability to travel due to illness etc. Should you not be able to travel at the time of the course you will need to claim on your own insurance. Chris will provide you with an invoice and a letter confirming you did not attend. There is NO refund should you cancel after paying your deposits and balances. This is why you need your own insurances in place.
WE are covered under our own EVENT INSURANCE in the case that Chris cannot attend (due to illness, etc).
Our event insurance is quite comprehensive, but it does NOT cover things such as rainy weather, overcast weather etc. In these cases the course goes ahead, just like a normal booked holiday would. Make sure you or any operator you may use has such EVENT insurances in place or you may risk losing your money. You still need your OWN insurances in place to cover you and your kit (policies can cost as little as £9 for £5000 cover). Contact Chris on 07920 044094 to chat about insurances. You may already have such insurances in place, with your bank for example, but please check the policies cover you in case of illness or theft of kit either abroad or at home.
Chris runs his courses on a personal basis and normally provides all tuition etc personally. However, Chris Ceaser Photography reserves the right to replace instructors in the event of illness, emergency or death.
Terms & Conditions
We insist that you purchase travel insurance for your workshop. This can protect you in case of an unforeseen situation that would require a last minute cancellation (jury service, illness etc, to both you and your tutor). Your gear will also be covered!
The workshops include: bed, breakfast and lodging in your own em-suite room, all field sessions including transport and seminars/critiques which include thoughtful, personalised instruction from Chris.
Not included: Transportation to and from Hotel, lunches, dinners or drinks (Chris may offer a lift from a station (York/Doncaster for example) - contact for details)
The Hotel
We will be staying at The Swan at Grasmere, in the heart of the Lake District
You will stay in your own room with private facilities. The swan offers great food and drink and you will have your own lovely room with en-suite facilities.
Check out the hotel website - The Swan At Grasmere
Is this Workshop suitable for you?
The emphasis of this workshop is on having a fun time with your camera and learning at your own pace as part of a small, friendly group. No early starts, no cold weather (you may have to give me some leeway on that comment), just a nice time and some great photographs to take home!
Are you comfortable with your camera and its settings?
Yes - The workshop will help you develop your technical & compositional skills and allow you to develop your own photographic style.
No - Please contact Chris on +44 7920 044094 to discuss – a short pre-workshop session may be arranged to give you the confidence to join this Workshop.
Are you comfortable using Lee Filters?
Yes - The workshop will help you build on your experience to date, introducing you to new filters / techniques.
No - Chris has filters available to borrow during the workshop and will teach you how to use them effectively. Please contact him on +44 7920 044094 to discuss, prior to booking.
Do you have Lightroom on your laptop? (NB. It is NOT essential to bring a laptop)
Yes - The workshop will help you build on your editing/workflow experience to date – Chris will demonstrate his own workflow/editing techniques with lots of pro tips to help you improve.
No - Free trial periods are available on Adobe’s website.
Please contact Chris on +44 7920 044094 to discuss, prior to booking.
Requirements
All Photographers must bring:
- A digital SLR camera & lenses
- Filters, if you have them – if not, please let Chris know so that he can arrange for you to borrow them
- A laptop computer with lightroom if you want to work on your own images during rest periods.
- A sturdy tripod
- Suitable clothing
- A moderate level of fitness – there will be lots of walking on the flat/slight inclines (no mountain climbing!!) with the odd little bridge to cross.
Just call Chris if you would like to chat, the workshop really is suited to everyone, even the most humble beginner :)
Remember – places are limited.
A maximum of 4 Photographers join each Workshop, so please book early to secure your place on this fantastic trip!
Testimonials
‘This residential photography workshop was superb. Chris was friendly, approachable and patient, demonstrating an outstanding knowledge of the image making process itself and the locations we visited. We always seemed to be in the right place at the right time! The small group of just 4 people allowed Chris to work with us all whilst we were out in the field, providing a 'critique' on certain shots as we were actually making them. He worked with each of us at our own level and his advice on how to break down the composition of a particular scene was extremely insightful. All things considered I felt that the course offered excellent value for money, with the emphasis firmly on making quality images! If you are looking to spend time away with your camera as part of a small, friendly group then I would highly recommend one of Chris's workshops.’ Philip Thake.
"This was a fantastic course for the aspiring landscape photographer. Having met Chris before and seen his work, I had high hopes that it would be worthwhile, and I’m pleased to report that it far exceeded my expectations. Chris patiently took us through the whole process, from setting up our camera equipment, through image composition and capture right through to editing our masterpieces on Photoshop Elements. My knowledge of Photoshop Elements has improved enormously, now that Chris has explained a logical editing process, and to see the finished results when he printed them out was a proud moment. Chris is a patient teacher and spent the whole time ensuring that we understood everything, happily answering questions on any aspect needing clarification. The small group number was an enormous benefit, and often it felt like having 1:1 tuition, unlike other courses I have attended with more participants. The three days were packed full of opportunities to learn, and looking back I am amazed at what we fitted in and delighted with the results achieved. Oh, I almost forgot - it was great fun too! I look forward to attending another of his courses in the future and developing my skills further. Many thanks Chris!" - Graeme Reynolds
This course exceeded my expectations. Chris is enthusiastic and inspiring and goes the extra mile in all respects. Over the three days we visited a range of superb locations and covered the complete process from composition and camera settings through to editing and creating a finished print, with personal guidance and insight from Chris at every stage. I had been struggling for some months to produce any work that I was happy with – my ambition was just to take at least one shot that I would be proud to hang on my wall. In the end I came away with a dozen that I would be happy to see on anybody’s wall. The hotel was excellent, the dawn shoots were magical and it was really enjoyable to share the experience with two fellow enthusiasts - John Fallows