Typical Course Content...

This is a guide only, the content can change due to weather, participants wishes and local events.

Saturday:
Arrival day: There is a short introduction outlining the week ahead, and an opportunity to determine what each guest hopes to achieve during their stay with us. We will also introduce you to your workstation, and let you explore our ancient hamlet of Les Ages. The day will end with a delicious meal followed by a chance to relax with a glass (or two!) of wine, and good company.

Sunday:
After breakfast we take a look onto the fundamentals of photography, and outline the basic structure of what makes a 'good photograph'. We compare some classic photographs from the dawn of photography, to a selection of modern digital images, and see how the technology of today follows the basic rules. We then take a trip into Brantome to practice the morning's discussion, practice the control of depth of field, composition etc. If the weather permits, (and it normally does), we have a picnic lunch in Brantome. Back at Les Ages for a relaxing afternoon, and around 5.00, we upload our shots from the day and look into basic editing in Photoshop. We then dine at around 7.00pm.

Monday: Free morning
For you to fill as you wish. Les Ages offers fantastic walking, with wonderful countryside from our doorstep. You may wish to travel further afield and visit a local Chateau, or our local caves (Grottes de Villars) etc. At 5.00pm we look at your images from the day and look into the advantages of RAW files, and their finer editing possibilities .

Tuesday:
We travel (around half hour) to a local town offering great photographic opportunities, finding locations away from the ‘tourist’ route. At 5.00pm we then look into 'Adjustment Layers', and learn how to apply and control this ‘non destructive' editing technique. We then venture to a (very) local ’time warp’ cottage, to capture images of a typical bygone Farmhouse.

Wednesday: Market day
A trip to one of the many French markets. We visit a ‘real’ French food market - not a fake watch or tee-shirt in sight! Here we try ‘street’ photography and try to capture the true atmosphere of France. In the evening, we capture the atmosphere in Brantome, with night photography.

Thursday: Free morning
You decide – in all day/out all day, or a mixture of both, it’s up to you. Again around 5.00pm we critique your day's images, and also look into macro photography. In the evening, we offer an optional 'studio model shoot’. We explain the finer points of portrait photography, and the technique of linking your camera into our studio lighting.

Friday:
We offer the option of an early morning shoot to capture the dawn light. We take you to areas that catch the rising sun, and make the most of the ‘golden hour’. Back for a hearty breakfast, then off to Brantome market to capture the vibrant colour. In the afternoon we look into printing, and you choose your top 4 images from the week for us to print.

Saturday:
Departure day.