I had booked this workshop with Gill Moon almost a year following two very enjoyable workshops with her last year.
This workshop was a photo, process, print workshop where you spend a few years out shooting with a small group of other photographers with Gill providing advice. Then it’s back to Gill’s studio for processing / editing then you pick a favourite image which Gill prints so you have something in hand to bring home.
Meet time was 06:30 at Upper Hollesley Common in Suffolk which meant a 04:30 get up for me!
This year I was determined to use my macro lens and achieve some better shots than I have previously.
I arrived on time despite the slow speed limits on some nearby roads due to Sizewell constructions works.
We spent a very enjoyable few hours wandering around the common and I had the foresight to purchase and bring a kneeler beforehand. This was very useful to kneel on but also lay down on.
I used the kneeler for one of my first of many favourite shots of the morning, the harebells.
I captured a lot of images in this area as there were many harebells around, and I wanted to capture something with a wide aperture and blurry soft background.
This turned out to be my favourite shot and I really like the detail in the flower and the framing either side.
I also capture some different compositions which we also most pleasing.
Gill was a superb tour guide showing us to good spots, letting us shoot and offering help and advice by checking in on each of us.
Many of the group stopped to capture this wasp spider.
Next up was try and think about colours in background with minimal distractions and what would work well with the foreground.
I was pleased Gill reminded me of how best to achieve a blurry background which isn’t just opening up so a wide aperture but making sure there is distance between your subject and the background.
I tried this with some heather shots.
I was really enjoying myself and adopted a default f/5.6 aperture for my shots.
A fellow photographer was rather taken with pine cones and we stopped to do some close-ups.
I couldn’t quite get anything that inspired me as much as it did them.
We continued along a path and took a sideways detour into a wooded part to look at a gnarly tree trunk.
I moved around a little and quite liked this heather covered in a cob web.
I went to see what Gill was doing a she was talking to a fellow photographer about opening up the camera’s aperture to its max which for the 105mm macro is f/4, so I decided to do the same.
I must say I’m delighted with how the following shots turned out.
With some thoughtful editing, I thought to myself this is Gill’s style which was great and just the look,I’ve been wanting for ages.
“Imitation is the best form of flattery…” (Charles Caleb Colton).
Back at Gill’s studio, we all enjoyed helping and watching each other edit our shortlisted shots, and below is a post Gill put out on the socials showing our work.
Below is my printed image on the wall at home.
Below is a montage of my ‘B sides’.
We had all had a superb day out, and Gill had also really enjoyed working with us all and sharing views, knowledge and opinions on our images and prints. I highly recommend Gill to anyone wanting friendly professional advice and looking to improve their photography.
It was early-mid afternoon and I left for the long drive home.
Once again, I really enjoyed Gill’s workshop format and may well do another one next year.
Onwards and upwards…