Essential Skills for Seabird Photography

Generally, the workshop will go ahead in weather conditions up to moderate winds and occasional showers. In fact, photography in such conditions can produce good results and be a great learning curve. If the weather forecast is for worse weather, especially high winds or prolonged heavy rain, I will cancel the workshop and let everyone know with as much advance notice as possible (ideally at least 24 hours before the start time). Your fee will be refunded in full.

My background is in business and, for many years, I was a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. Alongside taking qualifications in coaching and training, I've designed and delivered numerous courses in digital marketing, as well as spending time in the 'noughties' as Visiting Lecturer in Business Planning at Sunderland Business School.

Yes, I maintain Public Liability & Product Liability Insurance which, as part of the policy, specifically covers tuition and workshops. Please note that, as is usual for outdoor activity companies, participants will need to sign an Indemnity Form prior to commencing a course.

As the workshops are outdoors, and usually in exposed countryside, the best clothing is whatever you would use for hillwalking, taking into account the time of year and weather on the day. Walking boots would my first recommendation for any of the current locations, along with some layers and a waterproof outer layer. From October to March, gloves and a hat are often worth bringing. I always suggest bringing a drink and a snack. Some locations (Bempton, Sutton Bank, and Washington Wetlands in particular) also have cafe/toilet facilities that we will visit, but feel free to bring a packed lunch. For other locations, you will need a packed lunch if it's a full day workshop.

Landscape & Woodland: A compact/bridge camera with at least 3x optical zoom is needed to get value from the workshop. If you have a tripod, please bring it. For DSLR/Mirrorless users, consider bringing primes or a zoom to cover several subjects and, if you’re interested in macro, bring that lens too. Primes or zooms over 300mm are not needed. For landscape-specific workshops, bring filters if you own them, especially if you’d like advice.

Birds & Wildlife: For mirrorless/DSLR owners, the ideal lenses are: prime lenses of 400mm+ (or a 300mm with a teleconverter); a zoom lens of at least 400mm and, ideally, 500mm+. If you have a cropped sensor or 4/3rds camera, use the multiplied focal length when referring to my numbers. For bridge camera owners, the ability to zoom (optically, not digitally) to the equivalent of 400mm+ is a must.

Creative & Abstract: Any camera, from a smartphone to a DSLR, is suitable. A macro mode or lens is helpful.

Note that many modern mirrorless/DSLRs have enough pixels to allow significant cropping, so a 400mm lens can do the job of a 600mm lens on an older body. For anyone relatively new to bird-in-flight photography, a long zoom (e.g. 100-400mm or 200-600mm) will be more useful than an 800mm prime which can be hard to pan effectively. If you have a sturdy tripod (and maybe a gimbal head), consider bringing it, although handheld often produces better results at Bempton (I keep a couple of spare tripods in the car).

Good landscape and wildlife photography locations often necessitate getting off the beaten track, so accommodating all mobility levels can be difficult. Locations are generally hill country, so your footwear and support equipment should reflect this.

Please note the following comments and contact me if you want detailed advice.

Sutton Bank/Gormire Lake. The route has steep paths between the lake and the edge, which can be muddy, so you need to be comfortable on such terrain, have reasonable fitness levels, and walking boots.

Bempton Cliffs. Most of the RSPB area here offers good, fairly level, paths, parts of which are suitable for wheelchairs. Beyond the vicinity of the visitors centre, the paths are uneven, but OK for those using walking poles or walking sticks. Some of it is passable for ruggedised wheelchairs with power or assistance. Bring good walking shoes or boots.

Arkengarthdale & Arkle Beck. Reasonably level walking over paths which are rough in places. Occasional stiles.

Washington Wetlands. Mostly tarmac paths and hides designed for accessibility, but with some steeper sections.

Muker & Swaledale. This is Dales country and the routes out of Muker feature stiles, making them impractical for wheelchairs and difficult for those with reduced mobility.

Aysgarth. There are moderately steep inclines in places, although the early parts of the path are easy-going and OK for those with poles/sticks. Stiles make it difficult for wheelchair users.