Experience Black and White Film and Darkroom Course

The photo is of one of the Peak District locations, a few miles from home, that I used for the recent 2 day Experience Black and White course. It was a private course for Trevor from Sheffield who wanted to experience using a film camera for the first time to take landscapes on black and white film. I lent him a Nikon FM2 with a zoom lens and gave him 2 rolls of Ilford FP4 film. Most of the first day was spent getting used to the switch from digital to film and taking photographs. 

We were back to base by 3pm. Then after a tea-break it was into the darkroom to process the film and hang it up to dry in the drying cabinet.

Day 2 started in the darkroom with making up 3 dishes of chemicals for making prints (developer-stop bath-fixer). Then the film from the day before was cut up and we made a contact print (the equivalent of thumbnails in digital-speak! This is a print of all of the negatives on a film at the actual size of the negative, no enlargement). From this we could choose which negatives to print. Since Trevor hadn't been in a darkroom before I was explaining everything as we went along. Next came a demonstration by me of the printing technique that everyone should be using in the darkroom, called Split-Grade Printing, the technique specifically designed by Ilford to work with the Ilford Multigrade RC paper that we used. It's the easiest way to make good quality prints without the need for lots of work in the darkroom. Then the rest of the day was spent with Trevor making 14 x 11 inch prints from his film. We managed to make 5 prints before time ran out. The final washing of the prints takes just 5 minutes or so and I have an Ilford 1250 dryer which dries them in about 20 seconds. We were soon finished and admiring results from the 2 days. He had some excellent prints to mount and frame for the walls of his home as well as now having first hand experience of the entire film camera and darkroom process.

If this sounds of interest contact me and we can talk through the options. The course is usually 2 days but can be done in 1 day with 1 location, 1 film and making just 1 or 2 prints.

See www.darkroomdave.com for videos and illustrated articles of some of the techniques that will be covered, all free, no subscription.

From White Peak Walk to Darkroom Course

Yesterday Jan and I walked from Elton near Wirksworth to Robin Hoods Stride, Lathkill Dale from Youlgreave to Middleton, Long Dale and Grattan Dale back to Elton. About 11 miles in total in 5 hours.

I didn't take the camera as my bad back needs looking after. Lots of photos that I would have taken if I had one though, so will go back another time for photos.

Grattan Dale was interesting. About a foot or so of water in the bottom of the dale as the trail follows the river. No trail in places made it interesting. Mostly dry and sunny, just a few spots of rain around lunch time.

Today I'm running a darkroom course for Warren from Hong Kong, his second course with me. Starting anytime now.

Tomorrow I walk to the Gallery in the Gardens in Buxton for a day running the Gallery. Trying to improve fitness for walking from Shap to Danby Wiske along Wainwright Coast to Coast from Tuesday to Saturday next week with good friend Al from Gloucester.

Landscape Photography Course - Northumberland in April

There are still 2 places available on the Landscape Photography course that we are running in Northumberland in April. The dates are Monday 16th to Wednesday 18th April. We meet at the Cobbled Yard Hotel in Berwick on Tweed (TD15 1DJ).

Day 1 is spent in Berwick and the coast to the north (just in Scotland), including Coldingham Bay and the pretty fishing villages of Eyemouth and St Abbs.

Day 2 will be on the island of Lindisfarne with castle, lime kilns, harbour and boats, priory, sand dunes, etc.

Day 3 is around Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh castles and the coast around them, which includes sand dunes, rocky pools and round boulders on the shoreline.

There will also be time for night photography around the old town of Berwick on one or two of the evenings.

The group will be limited to just 5 people with 2 tutors, me and my wife Jan. Suitable for digital and film camera users. The cost is £375 for 3 days tuition in lots of stunning locations and we do all the driving once you arrive.

See my web site for more details: www.davebutcher.co.uk

Berwick upon Tweed in Winter

We came up to Berwick yesterday in the snow and ice. Took 6 hours instead of 4 because of difficulty getting out of Peak District (snow storms and sheet ice on roads), big detour and traffic jams.

We are here planning the landscape photography course that we are running here in April 2012. It will be 1 day around Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh castles, 1 day in Berwick, Eyemouth and St Abbs, and 1 day in the Cheviot or Lammermuir hills.

Good day today, cold and clear. Big waves on the coast at Eyemouth and St Abbs, good for pics. Light went early though, by 3.30pm it was the start of night photography! Main bridge in Berwick looks great with Christmas lights and It's a full mooooon.

Tomorrow we're in the hills, hopefully. They are snow covered so should be good if clear. Will return home via Newcastle for some night shots; I have had a few requests at recent shows for shots from here.

As luck would have it, we found a Wetherspoons pub in Berwick. Just finished dinner and on to 2nd pint. Ruddles bitter and this one, Goodwill Bitter, were both cloudy but tasted fine. Looks like they're rushing them through!

Off to take more night shots soon then back to Travelodge on the north side of Berwick. Jan dozing after large Merlot, will have to wake her carefully!

Artist & Designer's Fair, Buxton

We are doing our 15th and last show of 2011 this weekend. This is the Artist & Designer's Fair in Buxton Pavilion Gardens, 10am to 4.30pm, free entry.

We have lots of original prints at half-price as well as posters from £5, books at £5 plus lots of other prints from £15 to £180.

If you are interested in a course for next year why not come along for a chat about our new locations in Northumberland (April) and Glen Coe (September) as well as the old favourites of the Peak District, Lake District and Yorkshire Dales around Grassington.

At Last - a Newsletter!

It's been a long time coming but finally I have produced another newsletter; the first since July and the 3rd for 2011. Apologies if you've been holding your breath waiting for it!

It outlines next years shows, the 2012 courses (new locations of Northumberland and Glen Coe as well as the old favourites of the Peaks, Lakes and Yorkshire Dales), new pictures, a few seasonal photo tips, news of past and future photo trips, and lots of other items.

Hope it was worth the wait. One of these days I will get organised and set a routine that lets me do one a month, as I originally thought I would, but for now just consider them as limited editions!

Here is the link again.

Lake District Photography Course - Day 1

We had a day of 2 halves, as they say. Quite a lively bunch for this course we spent the first day in Eskdale with dull weather in the morning; perfect for water shots. The rain here in the last week had provided plenty of water for photographs. From the 60 foot waterfall to smaller falls and rapids, they were all in good form.

After a short lunch break at the Brook House Inn in Boot we drove over the Hardknott Pass where it was brightening up as the minutes passed. Then down to the old Roman Fort where we had some really good light off and on. The best was yet to come at a little tarn on the moors.

Now off to dinner at the Woolpack Inn and possibly the odd pint.

Forecast is good for next 2 days. Always easier to run courses in nice weather.

Yorkshire Dales Photo Course

We are in Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales ready to run course at the weekend. With weeks of dry weather needed to check out rivers and waterfalls, as well as where to park the car at each location.

It rained this evening so looks like weather has broken.

They have given us a room with a 4-poster bed, at the Black Horse. Perhaps they think we are on our honeymoon. Just 35 years late!

Weekend of Courses

We just had another busy weekend with landscape photography courses on Friday and Saturday and a darkroom printing course on Sunday. The two photo courses were full, with 5 on each 1 day course to keep Jan and I busy. It was dry the whole weekend and the Friday forecast was reasonable for the afternoon - sun from 1pm. Well, we didn't have any sun but the mist gave us a lot of atmosphere.

Friday started, for Peter, John, Abi, Anya and Geoff (on his 13th course with us) at Pilsbury Castle for some misty shots along the valley as well as a very shapely tree and limestone outcrop. Then on to Chelmorton Low for shots of the dry stone walls and the village from the hillside. Unfortunately, the church steeple was cloaked in scaffolding and green sheeting, not that photogenic. We lunched in the Church Inn just below the hill, always a reliable stop for us. After lunch it was a short drive to Monsal Head for views over the viaduct and then down to the waterfalls at the weir. They were in spectacular form with loads of water from the recent rain.

Saturday was almost entirely a ladies day, with Abi back again for her second day, Margaret, Sally and Rachel. Rob made up the group. We first went to Castle Naze for some big views, bit grey though but with a few patches of muted sunshine lifting the shots across the valley. Then down to the Goyt for a 25 foot waterfall and a river and packhorse bridge. Unlike July and September there were no midges here. Lunch was at the Rose and Crown at Allgreave. We are always well looked after here by the new landlord and landlady. The last location was 3 Shire Heads. This needs a walk of 1.5 miles each way but it is worth it. The waterfalls are always great and often spectacular. They didn't disappoint there was lots of water everywhere.

Sunday was a 1-to-1 printing workshop with Alan from Kent who came on a 3 day landscape course in Eskdale in March, now 2 weeks into his retirement from the Met. It was good to see him again. We managed 6 large prints which is about the most we could reasonably expect and all good shots. Also managed to set Alan up with a darkroom as I had arranged for someone to drop off their complete darkroom while we were printing. They just wanted it to go to a good home so no charge. Alan's little car was pretty full as he drove away!

All 3 days were very enjoyable with easy going folk, lots of jokes, wisecracks and interesting stories. Lots of good pictures were taken, mostly digital, and printed too.

Damp Last Course Day in Lakes

The day started wet but the forecast was better for later in the day so I gave a demo of Photoshop Elements and ran through the workflow that I use from scan to final file saving. It was still raining so I ran through some prints of Yosemite and assorted cities, hopefully a bit more inspiration and generated some interesting points.

It was approaching 11am and brightening up - the rain had eased. We loaded up the car and drove to Drigg beach for some rock pool, sea, sand pattern and various other subjects. All were soon engrossed, the sky started to brighten, no direct sun though.

Next stop was Saltcoats and a half mile walk to Ravenglass village. Here it was photos of the salt flats and the shapely estuary with the village and Black Combe hill in the background. Quite nice light for some good shots. A short walk later we were in the Ratty Arms for a late lunch.

It was too late to go to St Bees Head so we returned to Boot village and the waterfalls behind the Mill. They were in full flow and very impressive. The rocks low down were wet and slippery so all shots were taken from above, surprising what a little bit of zoom can do to help in these situations..
That was it - 4pm and the end of a very enjoyable course, now in bright sunshine and blue sky. We are looking forward to seeing the photos from our 4 intrepid photographers; Chris, Yann, Alastair and John.

Jolly Nice Day in the Lake District

Day 2 of the landscape photography course in the English Lake District. Today was spent in Eskdale. The forecast was for good weather in the morning and rain after lunch. We started with Stanley Ghyll Force waterfall to avoid the crowds. The rocks were a bit slippery but with a bit of care good shots were taken.

From here we returned to the car and made for the Hardknott Pass as the sun was shining. Then we walked up the steep slope towards Border End to a small pool of water that reflects Coniston Old Man across the valley on a good day. Unfortunately, Coniston stayed in the clouds but it was still a good view and made for some interesting shots. Then down to the Pass and some shots to the valley below, very nice light in the valley.

It was closing in a bit so we drove back to the Hardknott Roman Fort which dates back to about 120AD. Lots of pattern pictures with the remains of the walls and nice views to Eskdale below and cloud-capped Scafell in the other direction.

It was lunch time so we went down to the Brook House Inn in Boot where we had a hearty lunch. There was some brightness now so we went to Devoke Water for tarn and boathouse images.

We finished the day with shots of the River Esk in Boot. Not a lot of light but this added to the shots for Alastair, Yann and Chris who all wanted to try Neutral Density filters in order to use very long exposure times. Yann was using a 10 stop ND filter to give 30 to 60 second exposures for 'milky water'. Very interesting effects.

Tonight we returned to the Brook House for dinner, and very nice it was too. The Darkest Ennerdale beer was good while it lasted. Then it was a walk along the road for 7 minutes in very light drizzle.

It was a good day and all took good photos of quite varied subjects. Tomorrow we go to the coast near Ravenglass. Dave

Landscape Photography With Lots of Atmosphere

What a damp day! Heavy rain this morning so photography was done from underneath umbrellas around Wast Water. An early extended lunch at the Strands Hotel in Nether Wasdale followed. Then after a quick vote we resumed our day in Wasdale by returning to Wasdale Head for Ritsons Force waterfalls. They were spectacular, so much water. I was wishing I hadn't left my camera in the b&b as there were some unusual shots with so much water.

It stopped raining at the falls and we took lots of waterfall shots and some landscapes across the valley on our return to the car. We stopped part way down Wasdale for the last shots of the day. The return of the rain at 5.30pm prompted us to finish.

For those interested I am now using Opera Mini software for blogging. It actually works unlike the Blackberry browser.

Lake District Photography Course

We are in the Lake District for a landscape photography course, finishing Sunday afternoon. There is no mobile signal but the Stanley House b&b that we stay in provides free wifi which let's me blog and send emails. It was a lovely day today as we drove up but forecast not good for Friday and Sunday. Still weather often very localised so fingers crossed it will be good between showers rather than persistent rain. The waterfalls will be great, that's for sure.

We had the welcome meet tonight and I gave out the Ilford and Harman freebies, my photo and Photoshop crib sheet and then gave a talk illustrated with 40 prints, mostly from the Lake District and including quite a few from the locations that we will be visiting.

Back home the builders are making good progress. They expect to finish within 2 weeks. Still lots of plastering needed in main gallery plus new floor, heating and electrics. We will be relieved when it is finished. Doesn't help that the plasterers have just gone on holiday! Dave

Lake District Landscape Photography Course - Last Place

The last Lake District Landscape Photography course is just over a week away and there is just 1 place left. We are based in Eskdale and also visit Wasdale and the nearby coast. It is suitable for people of any ability and with any camera, digital or film. There will be 5 students and 2 tutors for the full 3 days of the course. Accommodation is included and a partner or spouse is welcome to come too for a small additional charge and they are welcome to join us for the evenings. Either book through the web site or contact me for a chat if you need more detail. Dave

New Web Gallery of Photos from Courses

We now have a new gallery on my web site for displaying photographs taken on my courses. Up until recently I had added them to this blog but very quickly they become difficult to find. The new system uses a combination of my web site and Flickr.

The way it works is that there is a new web page for course photos, both those taken on courses and candid action shots taken by Jan, my wife. One image is displayed for each person and moving the mouse over each image displays information about the person and the course. Clicking any image takes you to my new courses page on Flickr. This is just for images taken on my courses. There are none of my pictures here - I have enough coverage on my 6 web sites and this blog!

Take a look and I hope you enjoy them.

If you have been on a course and would like some of the images taken on the course with me to appear on this new system then do please send me some. They don't need to be huge files, no more than 500kb each is fine. Send by email or disc, whatever is easiest for you.

Lake District Course Part 2

In case you are confused about the blog entry earlier today saying we are in the Lakes getting ready for a course tomorrow I thought I should make a correction. That was written on Saturday night but the wifi in the b&b only allowed me to receive and not to send; I think the signal was a bit weak in our bedroom. I saved it and it only went live when I published it this morning.

Mark, John and Anna won the 1 day course by entering the competition in Black + White Photography magazine, which I ran in conjunction with Ilford / Harman. The competition is actually a prize draw, so all who enter have the same chance of winning. We had a good day on Sunday in Eskdale. The rivers were in full spate; I've never seen so much water coming over Stanley Ghyll Force. It was a raging torrent. Good for pictures but reduced viewpoints because lots of usual camera positions under water. Rocks at River Esk bridge mostly under water but still some with interesting shapes above water line. Jolly nice lunch at the Brook House Inn then up to Hardknott Pass for some big views in sunshine, then it closed in for a bit so we went to the Roman Fort on the way back to Boot. Good views here but the big peaks were in the clouds. We finished the day with the impressive falls near to Boot Mill. Pictures to follow I'm sure.

Course Picture Gallery

I have received quite a few photographs taken on courses that we have run and was dropping them onto a blog here in the past, but they tend to get lost before too long. I had a chat with my web man a couple of weeks ago and he agreed to change it. I now have a Flickr gallery specifically for pictures taken on my courses. There is a selection on my web site and links to the full set of Flickr galleries. It is not fully loaded with pictures yet but we hope to sort in the next couple of weeks. Dave Butcher

Lake District Course

We are in Stanley House in Boot ready to run a 1 day course tomorrow for the 3 winners of the course I ran in B+W Photography magazine in March.

There has been heavy rain here in the last few days, while a hundred-odd miles further south, in the Peak District, we have been basking in the sun in temps up to 26C.

We will stay in Eskdale and do waterfalls, the River Esk, the Roman Fort and Hardknott Pass so hope it clears for tomorrow afternoon.

Saw Harry Berger (owner of Stanley House and the Woolpack) tonight at the Woolpack where we went for our meal. He looks great but his right arm is in a sling after being shot while in his car in Seascale by Derek Bird (who shot dead 12 people and injured many more) 5 weeks ago. Sounds like he has some pretty major surgery ahead of him and a recovery taking years not months. He is keeping very upbeat despite his injuries and we will be keeping our fingers and everything else crossed that all goes well for him over the coming months.


Dave

Landscape Photography Courses

If you are thinking of coming on a landscape photography courses there are still places available on the 1 day course in the Peak District on Friday 9th July.Looks like there will be less than 5 people so you will have more attention than on previous courses this year, still with 2 tutors. It is £150 and we do all the driving. Lots of good locations to visit. Lots of guidance on the artistic side of composition as well as help with camera settings, both digital and film. Any ability level catered for.

There are also places on the Lake District 3 day course meeting at the end of September with photography on 1st to 3rd October in Eskdale, Wasdale and Ravenglass/St Bees Head on the coast. We also find time to have a session on editing digital images with Photoshop, if this interests you. It also covers image quality which applies to both film and digital. We stay in a  very comfortable bed and breakfast, included in the price, in the village of Boot. All individual en-suite rooms, no sharing! Spouses welcome, we do all of the driving so they can have the car during the day to go off sightseeing and we can meet up again for dinner. The cost is £550 including b&b and transport during the course.

Contact me if you are interested in any of these courses.
Dave Butcher

Competition Winners Selected

The prize draw has been done for the competition that I ran in B+W Photography magazine with Harman / Ilford providing product prizes too.

All winners won a place on a special landscape photography course with me in Eskdale in the Lake District on 11th July.

1st prize and £250 Harman / Ilford products: Mark Thompson from Macclesfield.
2nd prize and £150 Harman / Ilford products: John Duder from Walsall
3rd prize and £100 Harman / Ilford products: Anna Allen from Cambridge

The competition was a prize draw so photographic competence was not considered so all entrants had an equal chance of winning.
The winners pictures will also be displayed on my main web site and in B+W photo magazine and will probably be displayed on the Harman / Ilford stand at Focus on Imaging at the NEC in March.
Pretty good exposure you and your work for a free competition!