Photography in France – “a wonderful and relaxing holiday”

Carol Jones from North Wales recently traveled to a photographic holiday in Dordogne, France. Travelling solo she had an amazing 8 day holiday that exceeded her expectation. A combination of an experienced and helpful instructor, stunning locations and the state of the art technology allowed her photography skills to flourish, her great shots featured in this post only support this!

Carol stayed in en-suite room in a traditional 17th century building:

What was your accommodation like?
The accommodation was excellent – private, en-suite room decorated and furnished to a high standard. Free run of the rest of the house including sun terrace and garden. Full use of my own workstation, available 24/7 for editing my photos. Full use of a small studio for macro/tabletop/portraiture photography. The meals were fantastic; practically ANYTHING I fancied for breakfast; lunch either at the accommodation or at a cafe if we were out taking photos. A wonderful, four course, freshly prepared evening meal.

What did you learn on your course and what was your favourite technique?

The photography was well organised and consisted of sunrise, day, sunset and night-time shoots but you were only expected to do as much or as little as you felt up to. If you had any specific requests, Paul would arrange it. I learnt to simplify my photo taking; I loved the ‘dutching’ technique. I was really nervous about street photography but both Paul and Pam were encouraging and motivating. I also learnt a useful processing work-flow which has changed the way I process completely (for the better). Another fantastic aspect of the course was that we were ‘expected’ to process at least two photos from each shoot. This was so motivating and it is something I will continue to do at home.

What was your instructor like?
Both Paul and Pam were wonderful hosts; Paul for his knowledge and support for the photography and Pam for the effort she put into making the stay enjoyable. I have to say that they both worked as a team and NOTHING was too much trouble for either of them. I really don’t know how they did it – they didn’t stop from morning ’til night!

Paul, the course instructor, has worked as a professional photographer for the last 18 years and before this he was also the chairman of his local Photography Society. He provides his students with engaging group and one-to-one tuition to ensure that that stay is productive and valuable. Pam, Paul’s wife, has a background in education and is a fantastic cook.

What was the highlight of your course and why?
Definitely for me it was the ‘Tour de France’ day. We had a fantastic day photographing the tour on route and then went into Bergerac to enjoy the atmosphere, take more photos and enjoy a lovely meal at one of the outdoor restaurants.

Would you recommend this photography course to others?
That would be a resounding ‘YES’ . From the minute my plane landed, I didn’t have to think about a thing only enjoying myself; Pam and Paul took care of absolutely everything else. A wonderful, relaxing holiday. A BIG BIG thank you.

Like the sound of Caroline’s holiday? Find more details here.