Dorset Landscape Astrophotography Workshop
£295.00
Night sky landscape photography workshop suitable for most levels of photographer and based on the Dorset Coast; to include fieldwork, planning, and post-editing sessions. Please scroll down the page for further information.
Description
DORSET ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Astrophotography in Dorset
The Jurassic Coast (UNESCO)
2025 dates TBC
2025 DORSET WORKSHOP INFORMATION
PRICE
Full Price £295.00
DATES
EXERTION LEVEL
LOCATION
Dorset
United Kingdom
Landscape Photography Tuition
This workshop does not include traditional landscape photography before dark.
Nightscape Photography Tuition
This workshop includes innovative night sky photography planning, shoots and tuition; clear skies will make it possible to photograph the Milky Way.
Expertise
This workshop moves at a relaxed pace and is suitable for beginner, amateur, and intermediate photographers; although you will need to be able to operate and understand manual camera mode and related settings.
PACKAGE Includes
Transportation during workshop
Professional nightscape & astrophotography tuition and advice throughout the workshop
Digital darkroom session
Help with onward travel if required*
PACKAGE Excludes
Travel to workshop location (pick up from train stations and airports can be arranged*)
Personal travel and equipment insurance
Meals and snacks
Contact Form
2025 DORSET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
During this landscape astrophotography workshop you will learn how to photograph the night sky and Milky Way with structured night photography step-by-step field-based tuition that delivers a systematic workflow you can use every time for perfect landscape astrophotography images.
The workshop is delivered over two days/nights and also includes precise global nightscape location and photography planning tuition alongside a beginner to advanced beginners post-production workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop that teaches how to edit the night sky with a natural, not over-processed look and feel.
The course is structured at a steady pace, with the night sky tuition repeated by the group to ensure everyone has a full understanding of how the techniques are implemented to give professional standard images, every time. The course is designed for first-time nightscapers and beginners that may have undertaken some landscape astrophotography but need help with technique, planning, and post-production.
Photographers attending the course will need an understanding of manual camera settings as a pre-requisite (ISO/Shutter Speed/Aperture). Aside from the aforementioned, the workshop is open to all levels of photography, moving all participants through the fieldwork, planning, and post-editing in unison.
Ollie’s South West England (Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall) landscape astrophotography workshops are always planned around dates where optimum visibility of the Milky Way Centre (Galactic Core) is possible, often meaning late, but rewarding nights.
DORSET LANDSCAPE ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP STRUCTURE
June fieldwork times = 22:00 – 02:30
June post-production session times = 15:00 – 20:00
Fieldwork, planning, and post-editing sessions are all incorporated over the two days/nights in two 4/5-hour sessions. This is a tried and tested method that allows people to retain all the information instead of an overload delivered in one day.
The group is in regular contact on the run-up to the workshop, and the actual night of the fieldwork is only decided the day prior, and the workshop can be reversed with the post-production taking place on the first day. In this instance, the group work on structured example files for the post-production session similar to what will be photographed on the second night.
Running the workshops in this way maximises the chance of the group getting a clear night as there are two to choose from and this method has led to the workshops being highly successful, though it means attendees need to be flexible from 15:00 on day one, to 02:30 on day two.
Fieldwork Equipment
Full frame, crop sensor, and micro four thirds can be used, alongside larger format cameras; however, as technology and therefore techniques and workflows advance, it is recommended the camera body has an absolute minimum ISO of 6400, with 12800/25600 and above preferred.
- Camera body
- Wide lens (fast if possible but F4 can be used if the camera has high ISO capabilities)
- Tripod
- Remote timer or long exposure bulb control built-in on the timer
- Spare camera battery
- Head torch with a red mode (this is not for night vision, it makes it easier to work as a group, and stops us blinding one another)
- Warm clothes and layers, wind proofs if possible
Post-production & Planning Necessities
The planning and post-production are absolutely critical elements of nightscape photography, hence they have been included in Ollie’s group workshops since 2014. For those that don’t use Adobe and using other post-production software suites, it will be up to you to transfer the workflow to your chosen software suite; the second phase of the workflow requires software with layers (ie Photoshop or similar).
- Lightroom (please make sure this is Lightroom Classic)
- Photoshop (or another suite with layer options)
- A laptop running the above ideally with a minimum of 8GB Ram
- This part of the workshop can be undertaken with no laptop and note writing, though following on a laptop is recommended
Recommended apps that will be taught and demonstrated:
- Photopills (paid one-time subscription)
- Stellarium (free on desktop), free mobile version, the full mobile version now costs a fee
- Starwalk 2, Sky Guide or similar “what’s in the sky mobile/tablet application”
ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL
For those wishing to drive home or live locally, please keep in mind potential finish times and re-start times for the alternative session.
Accommodation is not included in the workshop fee for this workshop.
A holiday cottage or quiet, remote Airbnb is recommended with an 11:00/12:00checkout due to fieldwork potentially being the night before checkout; many photographers also use the Weymouth Premier Inn due to it having 12:00 checkout times. Ollie also recommends White Stones Studios on Portland (ask for Dave).
Transport may be able to be provided for the fieldwork and post-production sessions from accommodation in Weymouth/Portland for those using the train/bus to arrive in Dorset; please contact Ollie to discuss further.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Group emails are set up once the group is fully booked, as an ice breaker, and also to serve as a Q&A platform.
There may also be the opportunity to shoot the iconic Portland Bill Lighthouse at night before we turn our attention toward landscape astrophotography and general nightscape techniques. Other popular Dorset photographic locations may also be used for fieldwork depending on the weather and sometimes the location is changed up and down the coast; editing sessions will take place on the Isle of Portland.
April – June fieldwork tends to take place on the Isle of Portland/Lulworth/Durdle Door
July – September workshops often use Winspit Quarry, Anvil Point, St Aldhelms Head
(Locations change to work with Milky Way orientation, all explained in the planning session).
Please note 50% of the payment serves as a non refundable deposit, 100% becomes non refundable if canceled within 90 days prior to the workshop start dates (both terms with the exception of COVID lockdowns and other unforeseen requirements forcing cancellation).
For advanced beginner to intermediate astrophotography courses, please see Ollie’s Canary Island workshops.
Please contact Ollie for further info.
BOOK YOUR PLACE
If there are spaces left, you can book your place on this photography tour below.
If you have any questions please click here to contact Ollie Taylor.
Additional information
| Group Courses | Full Price |
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