Detailed course itinerary
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, a photography course capturing dramatic seascapes, long sandy beaches, sand dunes, mountains, pine forests, lakes and stunning sunsets promises a unique learning experience that will stay with you long after the holiday is over.
This weekend photography course is based in the village of Vieux Boucau Les Bains in Les Landes; a stunning coastal area that lies at the foot of the Pyrenees between Biarritz and Bordeaux.
Learn photography and take home the pictures from this stunning coastal area that you really want people to see.
Suitability
- Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced
- Minimum age 18
- Courses have a maximum of 4 persons in each group, singles are welcome
Start Days
- Courses start Saturday for 2 days (Saturday & Sunday)
- Please note that you will need to book accommodation in or around the village of Vieux Boucau Les Bains to arrive Friday as Saturday is an early start for the course (you can add our recommended accommodation that starts on Friday night for a rate of 77 Euros per room per night - see the accommodation section below for more details, or you can choose to book the course only and add your own choice of accommodation)
Typical Photography Course Itinerary
Day 1 – Beaches and Dunes
- Your course starts early after breakfast with a visit to the beaches, sand dunes and small fishing boats on the lake for your first photography lessons
- After 2 hours of shooting you’ll return to your photography instructors office for downloads & tuition on how to edit your shots in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS3
- You will then have a few hours break to relax over lunch, you’ll get back in the 4x4 van to visit another location for a late afternoon shoot
Day 2 – Forests and Lakes
- After a short drive, you’ll shoot nearby lakes, jetties, boats, submerged posts and forest paths
- You’ll then head back to the office for editing until lunchtime
- Your photography instructor will finish the trip with a final evaluation of your work and leave you with some advice to help you continue to improve your photography skills back home
What Will I Learn?
As you are learning in a small group, you’ll have expert guidance and tuition will be adapted to each client’s needs
- You will understand composition and exposure
- Working in manual and lens choice
- How to use the state of the art digital workstations (one for each guest)
- Tuition in downloading and editing your images using Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Lightroom
Your Photography Tutor
- Passionate about photography since receiving his first camera as a small boy, your tutor studied photography in the UK in the early 1990's
- Having assisted several fashion, commercial and marine photographers, he uprooted and moved to the south of France in 1998, finally fulfilling his dream of photographing the ocean and the people whose lives revolve around it
- In addition to running photography courses, your tutor works in the area providing photography for stock agencies, magazines, surf and dive brands, environmental charities and ad agencies, working in and around the ocean to create his trademark dramatic images
- Your tutor is keen to share his expertise and in a small group of no more than 4 people, everyone will be assured personal attention that meets their individual photography needs without being bogged down in jargon
Optional Hotel Recommendation & Airport Transfer
- Your photographer recommends a 2 star hotel with swimming pool for this course which is situated just 500 metres from the photographers office
- If you book the optional accommodation you will be met at the airport by your photography tutor for a complimentary transfer to the hotel
- Your instructor will meet all guests at this hotel on the first evening to discuss the course content and to ensure it meets each guests needs
Optional Hotel Description
The Hotel de la Pomme de Pins is a 30 roomed hotel in Vieux-Boucau-Les-Bains; a large village with many amenities including banks, cashpoints, restaurants, bars, doctors and chemists. Your 2 star hotel is next to the beach, close to the lake, and only 600 metres from the village centre. Rooms are spacious, friendly and comfortable and all rooms have en suite facilities, TV, telephone and mini bar. Facilities include a covered swimming pool, bar, restaurant and car parking.
Optional Hotel Booking Instructions
- We can guarantee availability in the optional accommodation as rooms are held for guests on the photography course
- If you wish to add this optional accommodation to your holiday course, please book your place on the photography course online and then email us , live chat or call us to add on your accommodation
- Rooms are priced at a maximum of 77 Euros per room per night (single, twin or doubles) including breakfast so please budget extra for this
- Rooms will be available from the Friday afternoon before your course starts and you will check-out the Monday morning after your course ends
- It may be possible to add extra nights but please budget for up to 120 Euros per room per night as we can only guarantee accommodation availability and rates for 77 Euros during the course dates, to request extra nights please email
Booking Your Own Accommodation
- If you choose not to book the recommended accommodation and if you stay more than 5km from the recommended hotel location, you will need to ensure you make your own way to the hotel each morning to start your course
- If your hotel is close by then your photographer will pick you up at your own choice of hotel each day, please confirm the details of your accommodation with the photographer at the time of paying your balance
Weather Conditions and Itinerary
- Your tutor will alter the itinerary if the weather doesn’t offer the best conditions for photographing the area
Logistics
- Although you will be travelling in a large, comfortable air-conditioned vehicle, to ensure that the maximum time is spent on site journeys are kept as short as possible with several destinations being only a few minutes drive away and the furthest being under an hour (slightly more if you head up to the mountains)
- In the event of bad weather, you may have to travel a little further in order to make the most of the day
- If it is necessary to leave the road to go through the forest, you will keep to specific tracks that in no way harm the environment or wildlife
- Please note that there will be a certain amount of walking, both in sand and through the forests, to get to some of the chosen locations, so an elementary level of fitness is required
- Those with reduced mobility are welcomed on the course; however any special individual needs would need to be discussed in advance of booking by emailing to ensure that we can meet your requirements
Learn how to become the photographer you always wanted to be and take home a new skill that will stay with you long after the photography holiday is over.
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