May 2009 I turned 40, and my fiancee treated me to a Joe Cornish Master class. This was the first workshop I had been on, and when she asked me if I would like to do it for my birthday you can guess I jumped at the chance. As an extra bonus we also had renowned wildlife photographer, Chris Weston join us.
After meeting at Joe's Gallery, we headed off towards Hazel Head Woods, not far from Hornby, in North Yorkshire, where we had lunch while learning valuable techniques, dike what settings we should use, especially f-stops, ISO settings and composition.
After lunch, and our initial verbal tuition, we got down to the nitty gritty. Although there were eleven of us in the group, we all got one-to-one guidance from both Joe and Chris.
A few of the great things we were taught was the use of filters, lead in lines and how to look through the view-finder properly before finally pressing the shutter release to get 'that shot'. I still use a lot, if not all the techniques I learned from this workshop every time I am out with my camera.
Another great tip is that when you find a location you like, and if you can, go back to it on a regular basis as you will always find something different. The photo to the left was taken on another visit to Hazel Woods, and it is something I didn't spot , even though I knew the stream was there and I had photographed it from different angles, while on the workshop.
Unfortunately, rain stopped play for a while, so we headed off to a local country pub where Joe went through our photographs, giving more helpful advice along the way.
Eventually the rain stopped, and we set off once again. Our next destination was Sutton Bank, not far from Thirsk, where there are some fantastic view to be seen
By the time we got to Sutton Bank and Joe shared some more excellent advice with us, the sun was getting ready to set. This is where Joe came into his element, since he is well know for photographing landscapes in fading light. We spent a good three to four hours on Sutton Bank, and as the sun began to set you could here nothing but the firing of cameras.
If you enjoy landscape photography, or even just thinking of getting into it, I highly recommend you join one of Joe's workshops - you will learn a lot and will be pleased with the outcome.
