For full information on workshops, please visit our dedicated photography workshop site:
THE WORKSHOP
Photography has very little to do with taking pictures - that is just a consequence of the action of pressing a button. At its best, photography should be a thought process, an emotional activity where we have a conceptual plan - we are not just snapping. Beyond our settings, there should be reason, beyond our composition there should be an idea.
My workshops explore these concepts - there is a lot to be said for standing and staring for a while, closing our eyes and breathing in, feeling the wind on our face - these things hint at what we should capture, why we should capture. A filter is a tool, nothing more.
Centred around the Pays Bigouden country of Finistère, over the years I have come to know every beach and cove and cliff along a fifty kilometer stretch of beautiful and rugged coastline - our canvas. We will explore this terrain and use ideas and techniques to find a different way of expressing what’s in front of us. Inevitably we may capture what others have already done, but that is not our intention - our intention is not to replicate, but to initiate our own grasp of the moment - not some derivative we have seen elsewhere.
ABOUT ME
I started taking photos at 13, first camera at 16, processing and printing my own work at the same age. After school, I went to art college to train as a wildlife artist, and then briefly headed to London before returning to the provinces and setting up my own graphic design agency. It was during this time that photography became a key part of my creative armoury again, and eventually took over completely.
I am best known for my photojournalism, having travelled extensively, living and working in Afghanistan during the conflict for a year. But I have worked across multiple genres, and each must inform the others. When I photographed the violent destruction of the Paris riots, I employed concepts and techniques that I developed whilst shooting fine art seascapes - techniques that I first developed on the canals and rivers of Paris.
I am a strong believer in the power of constructivism and self-development, and these things are enhanced by working across multiple genres and skills. I have written four books, and also directed for T.V. alongside my photography. I wrote over a hundred articles about photography for the British photographic press, being lead columnist for Professional Photographer Magazine for many years.
THE LOCATION
A beautifully renovated longère, a couple of kilometres from the coast in Finistère South. Local landmarks include the 13 kilometres of La Torche, an unspoiled white sandy beach that stretches as far as the eye can see, and Pointe du Raz, a violent headland surrounded by treacherous currents - the most westerly point in France jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean.
You will sample the best in local French cuisine, from the famous Breton Crêpes, wonderful wines and the legendary sea food of the Atlantic coast. Or if like me you are a vegetarian, we can cater for your all needs.
FROM THIS...
TO THIS.
