Hidden Lincolnshire Single Day Photography Workshop
Developing visual storytelling & project based photography
Price: £165 per person (including pre & post workshop online sessions)
On Location Dates: 10th September 2023
Meet Location: Gibraltar Point NNR
Time: 7am - 3pm
Hidden Lincolnshire Single Day Workshop
Coastal dune systems, wildlife, history & heritage and expansive landscapes.
The rolling landscape of the Lincolnshire Wolds, the tidal mudflats and dune systems of the coast in this often-overlooked area are a real patchwork of variety and inspiration for the photographer and visual storyteller.
The little villages and churches littered across this huge county, often best known as 'Bomber County' are an absolute treasure trove of photographic inspiration and delight.
This is a wonderful area of countryside with some of the most beautiful, unspoilt scenery in the East Midlands. There are rolling hills and hidden valleys, gentle streams and nestling villages.
In 1949 it was decided that unspoilt areas of the countryside should be protected for future generations as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). In 2000 the importance of AONBs was re-emphasised, acknowledging that they, with the National Parks, form Britain's finest countryside.
Most of the Lincolnshire Wolds was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1973 following considerable local campaigning. This designation means the landscape is some of Britain's finest countryside. It is a living, working landscape, with woodland, grassland and abandoned chalk pits providing important habitats for rare flowers and wildlife.
The Lincolnshire Wolds lie in the north-eastern quarter of the county of Lincolnshire, mid-way between Lincoln and the coast, surrounded by the relatively flat fens, coastal marsh and the Lincoln Clay Vale. The Wolds is the highest land in eastern England between Kent and Yorkshire – there are fine views to the Pennines in the west, and the coast to the east. The AONB comprises an area of 558 km² (216 miles²), while the wider Lincolnshire Wolds Character/Natural Area incorporates the two neighbouring areas of the 'Spilsby Crescent' to the south and the remaining chalk uplands to the north
Across the course of the day we will be starting at the coastal wildlife haven of Gibraltar Point south of Skegness. It's vast, unspoilt sandy beaches and tidal mudflats seem to go on for ever until the horizon meets the sky in the shimmering distance. The beach area backed by an expansive and varied dune system and the transitional zone is a vibrant ecosystem abundant with wildlife including seals, migrating and indigenous birds and a huge variety of fauna and flora. Gibraltar Point will give us a chance to explore photographs for our project across all scales, styles and varying degrees of minimalism. The dune, the wildlife and the intertidal zone will certainly not leave anyone short of inspiration as we start to develop our ideas and tell our own visual story of this unique and important place.
Gibraltar Point is a dynamic stretch of unspoilt coastline running southwards from the edge of Skegness to the mouth of the Wash. Known for its impressive views and sheer scale and diversity of wildlife, Gibraltar Point is worth visiting in different seasons to fully appreciate its landscape.
From Gibraltar Point we will move inland to explore the impressive ruins, earthworks and wild landscape around Bolingbrook Castle near Spilsby. The remains of a 13th century hexagonal castle, birthplace in 1367 of the future King Henry IV, with adjacent earthworks. Besieged and taken by Cromwell's Parliamentarians in 1643. During the Civil War (1642–8), the castle became a defensible base for a Royalist garrison and was besieged by Parliamentarian forces in 1643. The Royalists surrendered that winter, and the entire castle was destroyed.
The surrounding moat has been subject to a heritage funded project to reverse its decline and allow it to thrive and flourish as a habitat for wildlife. The surrounding landscape and moat area at Bolingbrook are now home to many fascinating species such as the Great Crested Newt, Common Toads and in and around the nearby Sow Dale nature reserve (meadows and woodlands) badgers are regular in the Dale and there is a varied bird fauna. Kestrel, sparrowhawk, barn and tawny owls, snipe, and green and great spotted woodpeckers are all resident. Blackcap, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, and spotted flycatcher are occasional summer visitors. The common grassland butterflies are usually abundant.
We will finish our day back on the coast exploring the area of Saltfleetby / Theddlethorpe and Rimac nature reserves these little havens of coastal dune systems, rolling unspoilt beaches and wildlife will allow us to complete our creative story of the day in some style.
By the end of a busy and creatively fulfilling day you'll have developed an eye for visual storytelling and have the images in the bag for your projects.
WHAT IS A PROJECT?
“A piece of planned work or an activity that is finished over a period of time and
intended to achieve a particular purpose”. Cambridge Dictionary
What Are Our Objectives?
1. To produce a finished photographic mini project within the workshop timescale
2. To make, rather than to take, photographic pictures
3. To think conceptually about your aims and outcomes
“In photography of serious ambition, the photographer’s subject is almost never
simply the subject matter”. Peter Fraser
Hidden Lincolnshire - Developing Compelling Visual Storytelling
We will be exploring some of the ideas and approaches to help develop personal strategies for producing
photographic projects. As photographers we are all accustomed to the producing images, but many of us are
less familiar, and may find hard to rationalise, the concept of a photographic project. The project is in
essence an extended, but connected, body of work, where we are able to shape the possibilities of why and
how we can develop a series of photographs.
A project can feel somewhat nebulous and abstract, without a firm idea of the what, why and how. Many
photographers are often left scratching around for project ideas that can sometimes fail to materialise. Our locations are complex, busy, small, large and evocative of the areas history and heritage that will ask us to focus our attention on developing a coherent visual story through the piecing together of our work rather than purely focusing on single images.
Our day brief essentially asks that we, ‘playfully’, develop a given concept from inception through to
completion. From our pre workshop online session through the days practical picture making to the post workshop online session; we will explore, reflect and refine our practical work throughout the workshop, by beginning
to recognise how some key practitioners throughout the history of photography, have developed their
photographic picture-making and project objectives. Most importantly, The workshop will be practice based,
that is, pictures made. It will be an opportunity to do as Todd Hido suggests, which is; “Slow down and think
about your craft”. The photographer John Blakemore eloquently reflects the ethos of the workshop;
“At the conclusion of any extended piece of work, one inevitably questions
the results. What have I learned during this journey? What has this intense period
of activity been about?”
THE WHAT?
The workshop will help develop your understanding, ability and confidence to conceive of and to make, a
series/set of photographs that are bound by the explorative nature of your project. You will learn to
understand better the intentions of your body of work. It will also ask of you to consider how a picture ‘looks’,
that is, the possibilities of framing, what photographer Larry Fink describes as “that little instantaneous
nuance and movement”. Photographing is the art of selection and arrangement combined.
“You can’t wait until you have a great idea, because it’s not a great idea until you get into it.” John Szarkowski
THE WHO?
The workshop is for anyone working digitally or analogue, with a camera or with a smartphone. It is for
anyone who wants to consider and to understand better how to develop their creative photographic potential.
The workshop is for anyone who wishes to explore and reconnect with their passion for making photographs,
and to help develop personal creativity through defining and working on a photographic project.
This workshop is for anyone who works with the medium using any process or combination of processes.
Essentially, it is about the possibility of the photographic picture and personal commitment. This is also for
anyone who might work, in video, audio or the written word. This introduction to photographic based projects
will allow you to bring your work together, and to reflect upon your picture-making and visual story telling as
you shape your own photographic project around this unique location.
THE HOW?
The workshop will be practical in its main focus but also utilise different models of learning including:
• Scheduled pre online group session to understand the nature of project working.
• A full extended day dedicated practical on location in Sheffield creating our projects.
• Group online video/audio discussions sessions led by Rob where we will discuss your personal
approaches to project development.
• Live discussion in the post session to collaborate and learn from tutors, but importantly for peers to consider
alternative viewpoints and potential outputs for our work.
• Structured feedback both group based and individually throughout.
• Collaborative working to further develop ideas around your project-based work.
THE COMPLETION
On completion of the workshop each participant will receive a summary of their development. Each
participant can (if requested) be issued with a digital credential to demonstrate workshop participation which
can then be added to and shown on digital cv's, social media and on the learners LinkedIn profile, for
example, if they have one.
On Completion You will be able to:
1. Acknowledge some ideas related to photographic projects.
2. Recognise some key photographers and their approaches to the series or project.
3. Explore strategic approaches to working in a project manner.
4. Apply knowledge and strategies in creating personal photographic projects.
5. Demonstrate an explorative mindset around a project and alternative viewpoints.
6. To reflect, explain and critique your own images and project ideas.
7. Embrace a playful approach to developing projects.
8. Critically reflect on your final project body of work.
9. Reflect on the impact of working with attention over a given period and how this has affected
creative understanding and development.
Our final output from the workshop will be to present a 'portfolio site' of our mini project with accompanying words and any additional media we choose to embellish our project with.
This new and exciting workshop is a practical on location single day workshop with the addition of the pre and post online components that will be delivered via our
dedicated online learning platform, video live group sessions and innovative collaboration tools where we will facilitate an engaging, positive, and challenging learning environment for all participants.
“One cannot photograph experience, but to have lived it can change and develop habitual
ways of seeing and of knowing." John Blakemore
This workshop is highly practical and participatory and will develop an effective toolkit with which you can frame your approach to photography and working in series' moving forward.
Fitness Level / Terrain / Equipment:
1. You don't need to be an athlete, we will be walking dunes, beaches and rolling hills but not too far and remember..... it's not a race.
2. There will be some short hill climbs around the Castle / nature reserves
3. Terrain and surfaces will be mixed so wear appropriate and day comfortable footwear
4. The weather might be changeable so bring appropriate clothing
5. Ensure you bring water for the day although there are shops / cafes in the villages
6. We will be walking alongside the coast, be sure to be aware of water safety and your environment when photographing
7. Ensure you have enough spare batteries and camera memory cards for a full day
8. Remember your camera equipment you may wish to use such as lenses, filters and tripod
9. The cars will be close by for bags so you don't need to carry all your kit all day
Equally though you could pack a small day kit bag with a mixed focal range and work hand held, it's about feeling comfortable and immersed in your picture making / visual storytelling and not worrying about bags being too heavy and cumbersome.
What's Included:
1. All tuition on workshop
2. Pre & Post online sessions to develop your project
3. All access to online portal for pre and post workshop sessions
What's Not:
1. Travel / transport to and on workshop
2. Meals - please bring packed lunches
3. Travel, equipment, and personal insurances
4. Any parking charges at our locations
To sign up for this new workshop click the 'book now' button below. Then select the appropriate workshop and date from the bookings page.
We guarantee this course will both enable and empower every attendee moving forward with their photography and personal creative journey no matter your previous level of experience.
WORKSHOP DATES: 10th September 2023
Course price: £165 per person
The workshop will be operated under the current Covid guidelines for everyone's safety, we are actively testing twice weekly to ensure we are Covid free on the delivery date and we are fully vaccinated.
"I loved every aspect of the workshop; it has made me look at my photography in a whole new light. I feel confident to explore ideas and develop a project from the ground up right through to completion. The locations chosen are both inspiring and challenging at the same time, enough to really get me deep into exploring a place and trying to tell my story of the place."
"It has made my completely rethink photobooks and how I will approach my projects and books in the future"
"I like and appreciate that Rob is very clear in what he says and has a very easy and relaxed manner. At no time was I made to feel that I wasn't an equal member of the group and my opinions/contributions were as valuable as everyone else's. This is a skill not all trainers possess."
