Photography workshop training Hampshire with Claire

I have been chatting to Claire for about a month now about her camera workshop and after the first chat we agreed on our “getting to know your camera” Marwell workshop. Unfortunately due to the recent storms our day got postponed but thankfully on Friday we had a much needed break between Storms Cairo and Denis and we went off to Marwell. After a real tough year Claire and her husband have booked a holiday in South Africa which includes a Safari. In preparation for this Malcolm had brought Claire a Nikon d3500 and kit lens which is where we started.

One -2- One Getting to know your camera Photography workshop training with Julian Porter

We started our day with Claire as we always do in the studio here in Southampton. We start by going through your camera in this case her Nikon D3500. The camera was equipped with an 18-55mm lens. This did bring a few limitations today because of its speed and max reach or “zoom”. This means it cannot photograph things that are not close by which is sometimes tough at Marwell.

We do of course have a Nikon D5 camera and a selection of longer faster lenses that our workshop clients Are welcome to use. Claire used her own camera with a mixture of our lenses and her lens.

During the studio part of our day we try to make you comfortable with your camera controls and of course set it up too. Claire quickly got to grips with her Camera so we headed off to Marwell just in time for lunch.

Marwell Zoo photography

We started our walk around the Zoo with the ever depleting Owl area. Marwell is always changing and updating but I was really disappointed to hear that they are getting rid of the Owls because they make for really challenging photos. A few photos with the Owls shooting through very thick cage before we moved onto the Snow leopards. Today these were amazing. Again shooting through very thick cages but with the right knowledge and a few camera tweaks this is not a problem and one of there many things we teach you. To be fair we could have stayed here all day.

This is where our day went south 🤨 Being very early in the year there was a LOT of maintenance going on. Such a shame because I think this should be reflected in the door price really.

Hide and seek

Next the otters gave us a “no show” and the monkeys too. We never lost hope and headed off for lunch.

Afterwards the aviary was close and things were looking pretty bleak. This too meant no red panda.

So we headed down to the Tigers and again they were pout in force enjoying a dry day. Claire took some amazing photos and I could hear her and Sue getting excited as she clicked away. I was constantly scouting for new spots and together we did very well indeed.

After this we got a few shots of the Amur Leopard. Again this was taken through very thick dirty glass but you would never know.

We then went to see the penguins before heading back to edit.

A great day despite few animals

All in all it was not a great day for animals at Marwell zoo. But we did have some fun and Claire was much more relaxed with her camera. Her photos just got better and better as the day went on.

To make the most out of our Photography workshop training Southampton at Marwell you need a longer lens. Ideally 200mm or longer but we can make do with shorter. We run these courses all over the place and the New forest suits much shorter lenses as does Beaulieu house and Exbury Gardens too.

We do of course have a camera and lens you can use for these days.

Beat the camera auto settings

If you have a camera that is controlling your photos then think about one of our courses. We do an evening course studio based for £99 or a full day at Marwell or the New Forest for only £250. This will get you controlling your camera properly and enjoying your photography so much more.

We offer all sorts of workshops both One-2-One and groups from specialist subjects through to getting to know your camera and would happily chat about anything in-between. We have put on workshops for lots of great local photographers as well as a few local companies looking to improve their social media presence and also we have worked for the United Nations running a workshop for them. Please get in touch if you need to chat about our workshops.

We also offer scouted days around the south coast for those looking to build a portfolio or just find the nicest places to shoot.

Find new love for your photography

We hope that you enjoy these photographs from this workshop, we are very pleased with them and we feel they show off using your cameras AV and S mode very well and also the various focus and metering modes all of which are interesting to learn about and will take your photography to a new level.

Please contact us if you are looking for a photography workshop of any-kind 02380 767084

We also do gift vouchers for these workshops