North Tyneside Photography Workshop

Even the weather could not discourage our workshop participants yesterday, with Jeff, Steve, Pam, Greg, Ritchie, David and myself spending a most enjoyable day photographing the North Tyneside Coast.

The image included here was one that I captured on St Mary's Island, and is a classic example of the kind of image that is possible to capture in even the worst of conditions.

If you would like to join me along the North Tyneside Coast in May during late spring, with hopefully better weather than yesterday, please click here.

The Spirit of Cumbria is here!

I have great pleasure in announcing that my 4th book, The Spirit of Cumbria, has now been released and can be purchased from Amazon.

Cumbria is home to the deepest and largest lakes as well as the highest peaks to be found in the country. These all fall within the boundaries of perhaps the most famous of all of the English National Parks – The Lake District.

However, there is much more than the Lake District National Park to explore here. The Howgills and the northern Pennines afford commanding views across the county to the visitor originating from the east, whilst the distant form of the fells and peaks, for any visitor heading from the north or south, offers a more subtle introduction to the region. The Irish Sea borders the west of the county with the nearest neighbours being the Isle of Man and Scotland, whose uplands can be viewed rising from across the peaceful Solway Firth.

Overall Cumbria offers some of the most stunning scenery in Britain. Jason Friend has travelled the length and breadth of the county to reveal in more than 60 classic images the true spirit of Cumbria.

But don't just take the publishers word for it! You can see it for yourself for only £4.99 - Click here to order it from Amazon!

Snow comes to Northumberland - Ingram Valley Workshop rescheduled

The last week has seen Northumberland receiving a few days of snow and whilst it has not been covered like some other areas in the country, I have decided to reschedule the forthcoming Ingram Workshop for the 22nd March.

This decision has been purely made due to safety issues regarding the access of the valley and also the terrain that we will be covering on the workshop.

If you would like to join me on the early spring photography working in the Ingram Valley, please click here.

North Tyneside Workshop nearly full!

I am pleased to announce that the North Tyneside Photography Workshop on the 20th February is nearly full and that there are currently only 2 places left. If you are considering joining me on my own home patch, I recommend that you book your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!

I am also thrilled to announce that fellow North East photographer David Taylor will be joining me on the day to share some of his photographic experience so this workshop really does look like it is going to be a enjoyable and memorable day!

If you simply can't wait that long for the North Tyneside Workshop, there are plenty of places left on the forthcoming Ingram Valley, Northumberland Photography Workshop on Sunday 8th February. It looks like it will be a small group so everyone will get plenty of '1 on 1' time with myself.

Fingers crossed and we will even get the chance to shoot some classic winter landscapes. Let me show you why most photographers just love photographing snow.

I know I do!

Edinburgh Vampire

The start of 2009 has seen myself once again north of the border continuing work on a book to be released later this year.

There is a very special twist to this forthcoming publication as all of the images have been captured during the hours of darkness.

I must admit I am finding it a bit strange waiting for the sun to set before I can start my photography sessions. Also, in my opinion, there is only a small pocket of time during which the city can be successfully photographed. So I find myself running around a predetermined route, tripod in hand, capturing as many images as possible in approximately an hour.

The above image of Edinburgh Grassmarket was a 20 second exposure shot on my 5D and then cropped to a panoramic.

South Tyneside Workshop

Yesterday I had the pleasure of the company of Jeff and Steve during our first workshop of 2009. For once the weather was on our side and as you can see from the photo of the workshop participants, the picturesque Souter Lighthouse looked stunning against the backdrop of a deep blue sky!

Jeff and Steve set me the challenge of creating a HDR image from a sequence of exposures. Coastal shots are not ideal for combining exposures as the movement of the waves (and also in this case the movement of the clouds) will simply make the image look slightly unrealistic. So for this shot I decided to process a single RAW file twice - once for highlights and another for the shadows. Which I then combined before converting the image to black and white.

I will openly admit that it is not one of my greatest images but I do like the composition and I will definitely be returning to Marsden Bay at sunrise (and low tide!) in the near future.

A great day was enjoyed by all and I would like to thank Jeff and Steve for their company and sense of humour! If you would like to join me on my next workshop along the South Tyneside Coast, we will be running another workshop there on the 19th April.

Christmas Gift Ideas

Do you still need to find a present for someone who loves the great outdoors? Or maybe you know someone who loves to travel and would appreciate a piece of the world in their own living room? Look no further! Be inspired by a visit to our photography print collection at www.jasonfriendprints.com - The online image gallery dedicated to the work of award winning photographer Jason Friend.

Perhaps you know someone who is having a new camera for Christmas, and would love to learn how to get the most from both their camera and their own photographic ability. Perhaps you should take a look at our range of photography workshops? A workshop gift voucher makes an ideal present for the budding photographer!