Nikon School Adventures - Sunrise, Sunset & Coastlines

Course Contents

No matter what your interest or level in photography there is something for everyone to photograph in North Devon. This is a great opportunity to learn how to shoot great coastal seascape images on location with Nikon School. We will guide you through the correct camera settings to make the most of the beautiful surroundings; covering techniques such as long exposures, using filters, image composition, bracketing and focusing techniques to ensure you get pin sharp amazing images. From our hotel base we will spend the time chasing the best light and weather and exploring all the great locations along the coast. If we have the correct weather conditions, we may even be able to teach sunrise and sunset photography techniques as well as long exposure night photography and Astro photography.

Most of the locations involve relatively short walks, but some will require a walk along uneven tracks and up uneven paths. Because of this, a moderate to high level of fitness will be required on this course.

Depending on the weather and light we aim to visit several locations that have been specifically chosen for spectacular photography. Please note that in the event of severe weather the locations may have to be altered at the last minute and we may return to the hotel to run image critiques and editing sessions or camera and lens Q&A's until the weather turns in our favour.

This is a photography workshop so will prioritise using the light and weather to ensure you get the best possible images. This means that mealtimes may be at odd hours and some of the days might be long, but very rewarding with the images you can shoot. We we are out on location we will endeavor to stop at a local cafe or restaurant for lunch and refreshments, however feel free to bring the included packed lunch from the hotel so you can maximise your time photographing the locations.

We have exclusive access to a lovely boutique hotel for the duration of this workshop which will be a great opportunity to meet other like minded photographers and enjoy a dinner and drink together in the evening.

Proposed Itinerary - Please note that this is subject to change in the event of adverse weather

Sunday 3rd October 5pm

Welcome meeting and introductions, followed by dinner and a hopefully a sunset and astro photography shoot

Monday 4th October

Weather permitting we will start the day with a Sunrise shoot after which we will return to the hotel for breakfast. Depending on the light and weather we will then head out to explore the fabulous locations on the North Devon coastline returning again to the hotel for dinner and potentially another sunset shoot. If the conditions permit, we may run a fire spinning photography session as well.

Tuesday 5th October

Building from the techniques and tips you have learnt so far, we will continue to explore the coastline, visiting locations that will give us the best images in the weather conditions we have to to work with. Once again we will return to the hotel for dinner and hopefully more sunset, fire spinning and astro photography depending on the weather conditions and light

Wednesday 6th October

This is our contingency day in case the weather goes against us earlier in the week. If we've already been able to photograph every location already, this is another chance to revisit some locations in different an add to our ever growing portfolio of images. Once again we will return to the hotel for dinner and hopefully more sunset, fire spinning and astro photography depending on the weather conditions and light

Thursday 7th October

This our day to bring together all the techniques we have learned during the workshop as we continue to explore the coastline and locations and put into practice the photography skills we have gained throughout the week. Once again we will return to the hotel for dinner and hopefully more sunset, fire spinning and astro photography depending on the weather conditions and light

Friday 8th October

Hopefully starting again with a Sunrise shoot, we will then return to the hotel for breakfast and an optional relaxed morning session either editing images or reviewing images from the week. Check-out is 10:30am after which we will say our farewells before our homeward journeys.

Workshop price includes:

- Training and support from Nikon School experts

- 5 nights (Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs) in a lovely hotel

- Breakfast, and evening meals (at hotel) for the duration of the course

Workshop price excludes:

- Snacks and drinks

- Parking charges away from the hotel

- Anything else not listed as included

Notes:

This is a Photographic workshop and will we prioritise the opportunity for you to shoot great images above everything. We will plan each day around the weather and light, which means that meal times may be at non standard times and we may start the the day very early and be out until late in the evening if the light and weather permits.

For the workshop, please bring:

A DSLR or Mirrorless camera plus second camera body if you have one

Batteries (and spares)

Memory cards (and spares)

Waterproof cover for camera and lenses

Study Tripod (not a travel tripod)

Lenses:

For landscape photography, lenses such as the 14-30mm, 14-24mm are ideal as are 24-70mm or the 24-120mm. A 70-200mm or 100-400mm could also be useful in certain locations. If you have ND and Grad Filters these will also be useful to help you achieve creative images. For any Astro photography the 14-30mm, 14-24mm or 20mm f/1.8 could all be useful. Although this is primarily a landscape workshop, long lenses such as 180-600mm or 400mm, 600mm or 800mm can also be used if you are interested in photographing any of the wildlife in Glencoe.

We will have a selection of mirrorless cameras and lenses available for you to borrow on the course as well as KASE ND or Grad Filters. However, If you would like to borrow any specific kit for this course please get in contact with us at [email protected] with your request. We require at least 2 weeks notice for kit requests.

Weather:

This is a coastal location and can see all the seasons in the space of a day. We would suggest you prepare for wet, windy and mild weather. Average daytime temperature will be approx 14 Celsius, but can easily feel much colder with windchill. 

Clothing:

Please bring appropriate clothing with you such as a windproof and waterproof jacket and trousers. A layered approach to clothing i.e base layer, mid layer / fleece then waterproof over jacket is the best approach as it can often get very cold even on a bright sunny day. Warm hats and gloves can be useful as are appropriate walking boots or wellies.

Accommodation

Is included in this workshop. We will be staying at a lovely boutique hotel which is well positioned for stunning photography locations on the doorstep and makes for a great base which to explore other nearby locations in Devon.

Arrival & Departure Dates:

Arrival & Departure: Please arrive promptly by 5pm for introductions and the welcome briefing on the 3rd October 2027 . The workshop will finish officially after breakfast on the morning of Friday 8th October 2027. More detailed information will be provided in the joining instructions sent out closer to the start of the workshop

Group Size:

This workshop is deliberately kept exclusive, with only 7 delegates. Allowing you to benefit from small group ratios and personalised guidance from Nikon School. 

Transport:

Is provided for the duration of the workshop. Most of the locations we will visit will be walkable, however, if we do venture further afield, we will be travelling in a couple of cars. This should allow for comfortable travel conditions and also enough space for all the camera kit.

Fitness:

Most of the photography locations are close to the roadside parking or car parks, but some involve short walks across muddy or unmade paths or cattle tracks. A few locations may require a walk along National Trust coastal paths which have varying surface conditions.  This means that a reasonable level of fitness and mobility is required for this workshop. We will be exploring each location for the best light to work with, so be prepared for a bit of walking to ensure you can get good images.

Other:

Please note that there is no parking at the hotel. It is a three minute walk to the village car park. Some of the locations we visit are National trust managed who also charge for parking

Booking this course

If you are interested in joining us on this workshop, you can either pay in full directly through the website or get in contact with us by e-mailing [email protected] to make a non-refundable £700 deposit. Full payment is needed 1 month prior to the start date of the course

Maybe you live local to North Devon or do not wish to stay at the hotel and still want to attend the course, please e-mail us and we can work out a 'tuition' only cost for the course.

If you don't drive, you can travel by train to Barnstaple and then on to Mortehoe. We will be exploring the coast in a small convey of of cars and will have a few spaces for people in these cars for the duration of the workshop.

If you have any questions about this workshop, feel free to get in touch at [email protected]