Beginners Photography Holiday
Duration
4 days - Available all year around
Cost
Price on request
Group & party rates
2 - 14 participants
Beginners Photography Holiday
Learn how to use your camera to its full potential during a private group or individual photography holiday, held in a relaxing atmosphere on the stunning Dingle Peninsula. Starting at the very beginning we’ll cover the basics and move along, session by session and day by day, right up to the end of the final session when you’re fully comfortable away from your automatic camera settings and making your own decisions about your photography. With ongoing group, 1 to 1 sessions and demonstrations, held at a variety of amazing locations around the Dingle Peninsula, you’ll experience a wide range of interesting subjects and stunning views.
Programme
The first session begins around 4 hours before dusk when we’ll meet in Dingle. We’ll take a relaxed tour that provides the first opportunity to take in the dramatic and rocky coastline during an informal photo shoot, in which we’ll begin to discuss the basic elements of photography.
Following a short break, we’ll continue learning the basics during an evening tour around Slea Head and finish up with sunset and dusk
9.30 am -13.30 pm. We look at our creative controls and how to obtain a correct exposure, we’ll move on to cover ISO and look at the different automatic and manual exposure modes.
1.30 pm. Break for lunch & rest
The evening session begins around 4 hours before dusk, where we continue to explore our creative controls with focusing and depth of field. We’ll examine the effects of using different focal lengths and look at some different types of lenses.
Towards sunset and dusk the beaches and rocky foreshore around Slea Head and Dunquin are our destinations as we experiment with various filters and practice long exposure and low light photography through to last light.
9.30 am – 13.30 pm. As we become more comfortable with our camera controls, we’ll begin to look at composition, direction of light, visualising and planning our photography.
1.30 pm. Break for lunch & rest
The evening session begins around 4 hours before dusk, when we’ll take a relaxing tour on the Dingle Peninsula, visiting a number of fresh and new locations to practice composition and planning. Towards the end of the evening we’ll bring everything we’ve covered together during our final evening visit on The Slea Head Drive
Optional dawn, sunrise and early morning tour, before breakfast, or if you prefer a later start we’ll begin when you’re ready.
10.00 am – 1.30 pm. We’ll spend the morning looking through the images we’ve captured during the holiday and take a look at a few different image editors both paid & free to learn ways we can improve our images with post processing.
Key things to know:
- Available all year around for individual and group bookings
- Accommodation is not included
- Suitable for DSLR, Mirrorless and any camera with manual control
- Learn how to take creative control of your camera
- Practical demonstrations during group sessions as well as 1-to-1 tuition and support
- Range of filters, holders, and tripods available for everyone to use
- Exact times of sessions can be confirmed on booking due to varying sunrise and sunset times
What photography skills and elements are covered?
- Aperture, Shutter speed, and ISO
- Exposure and metering
- Different lenses and lens choices
- Focusing and depth of field
- Using a tripod
- Manual focus
- White Balance, RAW and JPG Images
- Composition, balance and visual flow
- Visualising and Planning
- Filters for landscape photography
- Low Light and Long Exposure Photography
Further Information
- Just let us know your group size and preferred dates, and we can confirm the availability
- From April to September we may be able to arrange 3 nights accommodation at An Portan Guest House in Dunquin with a single or double room including breakfast, please contact us for price info and reservation.
- Dates and accommodation at An Portan Guesthouse are subject to availability, so please book early!
- Get in Touch to find out more!
EXCELLENT Based on 72 reviews Posted on Allen B18. September, 2023.Verified Wonderful tour of some unique and photogenic spots. George knows some great spots and is easy to talk to about cameras and technique. We were looking for some off the beaten path spots and we found them.Posted on Thom B10. August, 2023.Verified Great Custom Tour This review is long overdue. We booked a private, extended, all day custom tour with George last summer and it was great for me an my partner. He handled picking out all the stops, made changes based on the weather, and successfully avoided all the tour bus crowds. It was quite nice not having to worry about planning and driving all the day long, and he took us to some very nice photo spots we likely would not have found. He was a great, friendly tour guide, knowledgeable photographer and safe driver on those tiny winding roads. Would definitely recommend booking a tour with him!Posted on Mary Clare G11. July, 2023.Verified Engagement & Couples Photoshoot - June 2023 We booked the engagement & couples photoshoot with George and had the best experience! Our photos turned out absolutely beautiful. During the photo tour we also got to see some of the most scenic parts of Dingle, George really knew all of the best places to go. We highly recommend this George & Dingle Darkroom!Posted on Kelli B14. June, 2023.Verified Memorable Experience! George was not only incredibly passionate about his hometown, he was very knowledgeable on all of the unique photo spots to capture a memorable experience! His knowledge of technique and technical aspects really shined as he helped me with both. It was a great learning experience!Posted on Tammy V17. May, 2023.Verified Do it!!! George is awesome and brought that special/personal touch to our experience driving us around Slea Head Drive and used his years of experience to show us great views and tidbits of information along the way. My family really enjoyed the whole experience and we are very grateful we found George!! He was very helpful with explaining how to use our cell phones to take better pictures. He took many great pictures of our family with the beautiful scenary that we will treasure forever.Posted on David U10. April, 2023.Verified Great Experience! Even though the afternoon was rainy and grey, George did an excellent job of not only helping me to understand my camera more, but also took me to the most beautiful areas around Dingle. He asked me ahead of time what kind of camera I had and with just a few knowledgeable questions, completely planned our time for maximum results. No matter what your photography skills are, I feel that any time spent with George is well worth it!Posted on heatherceline1. March, 2023.Verified Great teacher George was professional and patient. He met me at my (low) skill level and improved my use of my cell phone. I also learned about composition and depth- of- field and took not-so-bad photos by the end of the day. Recommend!Posted on SANGLIM3. September, 2022.Verified A terrific experience indeed! Having been to Ireland once and knowing the many opportunities I would have to take landscape photos again, I was seeking out an expert who could guide me around the Dingle peninsula and offer professional input that might improve confidence and get more from my camera. My experience with George at Dingle Darkroom couldn't have been better. Exactly what I wanted to improve my photography skills and learn more about the area. George had a curriculum in mind, he immediately began to access my photography knowledge, and then appropriately offered suggestions both for how to take and where to take photos. I feel more confident about taking and sharing my photos and look forward to my next adventure in Ireland with George leading the way.Posted on Stephanie19. June, 2022.Verified Scenic photography tour Slea Head George was an excellent guide who gave my two daughters immense knowledge about their cameras and how to capture excellent quality photos. In addition to helping the girls with their cameras he gave us a lot of great information on other sites to see while staying in Dingle.Posted on Amy M14. June, 2022.Verified Fantastic way to see Dingle area while learning how to take great photos! What a great way to learn more about photography and the area. George was a patient, thorough teacher who ensures that everyone gets the experience they want, all while sharing his Irish hospitality.