Wildlife photography workshop - BASICS

Learn to create beautiful wildlife photographs. Bring your own DSLR or mirrorless camera and learn how to use the functions and settings you will need to improve your photography. Your tutor John Combes, an experienced wildlife photographer and lecturer, will teach you about the equipment and techniques used by nature photographers from the basics up, including: Camera Settings, Exposure Shutter speed for sharp pictures, Pleasing composition. After the indoor session you will get a chance to practice what you have learned by taking photographs around Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve (near Ringwood) before returning to the classroom to take part in an informal and constructive review of the images at the end of the day.

Please note: This workshop is unsuitable for compact cameras/phones.

Is this course for me?

This course has been created to help new photographers "break away" from their cameras automatic settings and gain the familiarity and confidence to take control of their camera. It may be taken as a stand-alone course or as an introduction to either one or both of John’s consecutively running photography workshops on bird and macro photography.

When and where?

Saturday 7th June 2025 9:45am to 4:15pm

Blashford Lakes is situated to the north of Ringwood.

Before booking, please ensure you read the Course Booking - Terms and conditions

What do I need to bring?

• DSLR camera or ‘bridge’ camera
• A camera support (e.g. tripod/beanbag).
• An empty memory card in your camera
• A spare, fully charged battery
• Teas, coffees and biscuits are provided but please bring your own lunch.

Tutor - John Combes

John has been interested in nature and photography for over 40 years. A business studies lecturer for 31 years, since taking early retirement he was then self-employed as a wildlife photographer and lecturer for 20 years, concentrating on giving presentations to local clubs and societies as well as running photographic workshops/courses. He does his own wildlife sound recording and music production as part of his presentations. Early interests in nature photography were concentrated on close-up work with insects and flowers, but he now covers all aspects of UK wildlife as well as landscapes. Visits to the Canary Islands and Cyprus have added to his range of talks but he mainly concentrates on nature in the local area with the New Forest and Purbeck Coast providing a constant source of inspiration. He now uses both Micro 4/3 (Panasonic Lumix G9, Olympus OM1) and Full frame (Canon R6, R5) cameras and sees the benefits of both systems.