Photography News Issue 29

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Photography News Issue 29 absolutephoto.com

Holidays are great – everyone knows that – but photo holidays are even better! After all, who wants to spend all day by a package holiday pool when they could be splashing the cash on a proper shooting experience. Book the right photo break and you’ll find photographic holidays and training experiences can be amazing fun, and there are courses and trips to suit all tastes and wallets. Here you’ll find a few of the best in the UK and abroad...

Greece PhotoWorkshops Aimed at photographers with a passion for travel and sophisticated living, a photo tour with the excellent Greece Photo Workshops will see you returning not only fulfilled by an unforgettable photographic holiday, but also having experienced a little of Greece’s heart and soul. The company’s ethos, is that the best way to discover and experience a location is through its locals: “Our experienced photographers aspire to bring together like-minded people eager to explore and truly experience, amazing, rarely seen places in Greece, while learning or further polishing their skills in photography. Overall, though, our photography principle is the basic rule of the arts: first, feel; then, create.” Always choosing destinations they knowwell, Greece Photo Workshop’s’ 2015 calendar includes the Cycladic island, Tinos, the surprising medieval island of Chios, the deep blue Amorgos, the uncanny stone built Mani and the magnificent Athens. As part of a fully organised photography package guests can expect traditional Greek hospitality in a homely environment and a high standard of service; authentic, sophisticated accommodation, local cuisine, comfortable transportation by car or van and training and direction from inspired and skilled photographers. Workshops cater for all skill levels, and groups, usually 6-10, are small to ensure all the contact time you need. Want something more bespoke? Greece Photo Workshops also provides tailor-made photography vacations for the ultimate personal photography experience upon request. You can check out the company’s website, or find them on facebook at greecephotoworkshops.

TAKE A ONCE-IN-A- LIFETIME TOUR

World Photo Adventure World Photo Adventure (WPA) offers excursions, courses and workshops in the UK, Africa, Europe and Asia. Packages range from two-day ‘streets of London’ workshops to week-plus photo safaris in the Masai Mara with pro-spec telephoto lenses free to use. Attendee numbers for each course are kept low to allow lots of one-to-one contact and training, but also the freedom to enjoy your trip as a life experience, not just a holiday. Tuition is open to all skill levels and there’s Lightroom tuition on offer alongside the expert shooting advice available. WPA’s founder, Wilf James, told us: “Our courses are diverse, so there really is something for everyone; there’s everything from ‘get to know your camera’ days to hot-air balloon rides, photographing the ancient temples in Myanmar.” Wilf’s tuition comes from a lifetime behind the camera, beginning his career working in a photography shop in Sussex, where he explained to customers how their new camera equipment worked. He then started working freelance, often for the Brighton Tourist board shooting “everything from hotels, politicians, stage shows, and celebrities – a great learning ground”. “Participating in a WPA course or holiday,” he says, “gives clients the opportunity to interact with other photographers as well as their tutors, and the camaraderie they’ll feel is joined by an ability to see anew. Guests realise great images can be had in their local gardens, in nearby cityscapes and landscapes, and suddenly, they feel like they’re seeing with fresh eyes.”

SHOOT IN HISTORIC GREECE

worldphotoadventure.com hello@worldphotoadventure.com 01306 230004

Greecephotoworkshops.com info@greecephotoworkshops.com 0030 6944 588 344

Lights Over Lapland Based in Sweden andoperating in the beautiful Abisko National Park, Lights Over Lapland specialises in trips and workshops shooting the amazing but elusive Northern Lights. Well, elusive isn’t quite the right word here, as the park’s micro-climate provides the highest chance of seeing auroral activity, and therefore the best opportunity for shooting. Lights Over Lapland is the brainchild of Chad Blakley, once a wedding photographer who escaped the ‘bridezillas’ of New Orleans to set the company up with hiswife and co-founder Linnea. The first of its kind in theAbisko area, it offers a rangeof trips to suit all skill sets. For instance, beginners and those who just want to experience the lights can enjoy a single evening’s shooting with cameras and other kit provided. All trips are conducted by world-class photographers from the UK, and groups are kept to a maximum of ten, so there’s plenty of opportunity to learn and receive one- to-one guidance on tricky subjects such as focusing and exposing in low light. For more serious enthusiasts, there are week- long expeditions (full board accommodation). Chad says that “even those with no low-light and astro photography experience will have a complete understanding by the end of theweek – and a portfolio of amazing shots to prove it.” Again, camera gear and winter clothing can be provided, and you can also create your own customisable aurora holiday. Chad says the company has never had a week’s tour that lacked auroral activity and feedback for the trips is amazingly positive – they’re ranked highest in the Abisko National Park on Tripadvisor. You can also check out Lights’ Facebook page to see how many people have been blown away by their trip.

Infocus Insurance Of course, now you’ve picked a photo holiday, you don’t want the fickle finger of fate ruining it. So it’s a good idea to get some insurance for your gear. But insurance comes inmany forms, so, just like picking a holiday, or a new piece of kit, it’s important to find the package that best suits your needs. Insurance products can be a bit like raincoats; a cheap versionwill be okay in light showers, but you can buy better packages with superior protection. Typically, off-the-shelf travel insurance products classify camera equipment as ‘valuables’ and provide very limited cover (for instance £250 per item, which doesn’t go far). Cover can be further limited by leaving gear unattended in your hotel or car. Worse still you may only be able to claim for second-hand values. All that, plus the excess, means travel insurance products are not the place to obtain meaningful protection for your gear. You might also consider business travel insurance, but when it comes to cameras and lenses, it’s still not the best way to insure high-value kit, and while home ‘all risks’ insurance can cover more than travel, compare it to the cost and protection of specialist policies and youmay be surprised. Specialist camera insurance is certainly the way to go then, offering much wider cover than travel or home products. For example, Infocus Insurance offers cover for business and leisure purposes, and there’s no requirement to specify individual items under £5,000 in value. Nor are there worldwide territorial limits, and far fewer restrictions like the extension of cover to equipment left in unattended vehicles. Make sure you give them a call for more details on how to stay protected.

SHOOT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

GET YOURKIT COVERED TODAY!

infocusinsurance.co.uk info@infocusinsurance.co.uk 0161 925 5051

lightsoverlapland.com info@lightsoverlapland.com 0046 0760 754300