Photo Tour to England and Wales
September 4 - 14, 2024
England and Wales offers some of the best travel photography in the world. Medieval castles, spellbinding cathedrals, gorgeous landscapes, quaint villages, narrow gauge railroads, and superb nature photography will keep you engaged every moment of the trip. Join Jim for this extraordinary experience. You will have the chance to practice HDR, vertical panoramas, focus stacking, and some of the Photoshop techniques Jim will share with you to embellish your images to perfection. Think of this as a learning vacation, both photographically and historically. Reach back in time as far as 5000 years when you photograph Stonehenge, and then capture beautiful lighting at twilight on streets built in the Middle Ages. This is a tour you won't want to miss!
What you will learn on this photo tour:
How to do hand held HDR
How to photograph birds in flight
Eliminating keystoning from architecture shots
How to use stacking in Photoshop to eliminate people
Overcoming the limitations of optics to increase DOF
Creating vertical panoramas for large interiors
Understanding white balance for night photography
Using neutral density filters for moving water
Determing exposure for painting with light at night
Understanding the times to use manual exposure mode
ITINERARY
Day 1, September 4, Wednesday
Arrive in London, England on this day and take a taxi (or Uber or the Tube) to our hotel. Rest from the long flight, and we meet for the first time as a group in the lobby of the hotel for dinner at 6pm. Jim will go over the tour and answer any questions about the itinerary and/or photography. Before we eat we’ll take amazing pictures of the Tower Bridge at twilight, one of the classic shots of London and England. Overnight London.
Day 2, September 5, Thursday
We spend today exploring some of London’s best photogenic spots. These include the interior of the Natural History Museum, Leadenhall Market, the Queen’s House in Greenwich, and the wonderful architecture of the financial district. Overnight London.
Day 3, September 6, Friday
We drive west out of London after breakfast and head north toward the medieval town of Ely. Here we photograph the third largest cathedral in England, the 11th century Ely Cathedral. Jim will explain how to take vertical panoramas of the incredible interior. We then head toward York, where the old town is picture perfect everywhere you look. Besides the dramatic cathedral, we photograph the narrow streets, quaint shops, and medieval architecture. Truly great photography! Overnight York.
Day 4, September 7, Saturday
After exploring York in the early morning when there are no people about, we have breakfast and then visit the National Railways Museum to photograph some of the most amazing trains ever built. We also take advantage of an elevated walkway to take a telephoto shot of the old town and the cathedral.
We then head north to Whitby. The highlight of this coastal town is the dramatic, imposing ruins of the Whitby Abbey. This structure began as a 7th century Christian monastery that later was converted to a Benedictine abbey. It is stunning in low angled light, and you’ll be able to take fabulous shots from any angle. Other photogenic subjects include the 12th century Chruch of St. Mary with its beautiful graveyard, the harbor with colorful fishing boats, and various elevated views of the town. Overnight Whitby.
Day 5, September 8, Sunday
We arise early this morning to photograph sunrise light on Whitby Abbey as it reflects in a pond. It's a classic shot. Even if it's overcast, the imposing ruins are stunning. After breakfast, we head south and in a short time we stop to photograph Castle Howard. It is not a fortified structure, so in reality it is considered a 'country house'. This enormous home (possibly two million square feet) sits on 9000 acres and began construction in 1699. Amazing photography!
The spectacular architectural design and sheer magnitude of the estate makes great photographs. We then head south and west and stop in Warrington for lunch and to photograph the impressive Town Hall with its outrageously ornate gate. We arrive in Conwy, Wales late in the day to photograph the impressive 13th century castle at twilight right from our hotel's parking lot. The castle was built during the conquest of Wales by King Edward I. Overnight Conwy.
Day 6, September 9, Monday
We drive south this morning and stop to photograph a classic Welch scene in Llanwrst. A teahouse there is entirely covered in ivy, and in September autumn colors should be starting. This is followed by a quaint village just a couple of miles away in Betws-y-coed. A half hour away, just for fun, we stop in a town with an impossibly long name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! We then drive south along the coast to an elevated bridge to photograph a narrow gauge train. A short drive from there takes us to Abrerystwyth where we overnight.
Day 7, September 10, Tuesday
After breakfast we drive to a nearby village where we park at the bottom of the Cynghordy Viaduct. The massive trestle was completed in 1868. It is one thousand feet long, 109 feet high, and it has 18 impressive arches.
If the group wants to walk a well-worn trail from the parking area, an elevated vantage point high above the trestle can be seen that encompasses the entire surrounding landscape. Otherwise, we can photograph the trestle from the parking area. The beautiful countryside of green hills and forest make the scene look like a painting.
Our next stop is a farm where daily food is dispensed to hundreds of red kites, and the birds show off their aerobatics as they feed. Miraculously, they avoid mid-air collisions! In the late afternoon, we head toward Carreg Cannon Castle which is situated on a mountain top and makes a stunning shot in low angled sunlight. We overnight in nearby Carmarthen.
Day 8, September 11, Wednesday
After breakfast this morning we drive due west to the coastal town of St. David's. The beautiful cathedral here can be photographed from an elevated vantage that makes for a great shot. Another viewpoint allows you to use ancient grave stones in the foreground. This is followed by a visit to Laugharme Castle ruin which is incredibly imposing and makes for a stunning shot. We then head east and stop in Merthyr Mawr village to photograph traditional, colorful houses that average 400 years old. Then on to Cardiff to visit the incredible 11th century castle built over a 3rd century Roman fort. Overnight Cardiff.
Day 9, September 12, Thursday
After breakfast, we drive to fairytale-like 19th century Gothic revival castle with conical architectural features and a particularly beautiful interior. This is another place to use the vertical pano technique. From here we visit the splendid ruins of Tintern Abbey founded in 1131 by Cistercian monks. It is a masterpiece of British Gothic architecture, but its slide to ruin and decay dates from King Henry VIII's Reformation in 1535. We then drive a short distance to Bath and overnight a block from the famous Bath Abbey.
Day 10, September 13, Friday
We rise early this morning to photograph the Bath Abbey at dawn. The illumination on the buildings are beautiful, and there are many compositions with no traffic or pedestrians to interfere with our pictures. After breakfast, we photograph the interior of the Abbey with its exceptional unique and beautiful ceiling design. Next door are the Roman baths, preserved beautiful even after 2000 years have passed since they were used. We then head to one
of the most well-known icons of Great Britain, Stonehenge. We photograph the remarkable megalithic site that dates from 3000 to 2000 BC. We then head to the English village, Bourton-on-the-water, to capture an intriguing miniature village that was built almost 100 years ago. Photographing the buildings, which are only about 3 feet high, is like shooting from a drone . . . but with your feet on the ground! We then make a short stop in Bibury for a telephoto shot compressing a row of quaint stone houses. Overnight at an airport hotel near Heathrow airport.
Day 11, September 14, Saturday
After breakfast we transfer to the airport (code LHR) for our return flight home, knowing we've captured beautiful and iconic shots of two of Europe's best photogenic locations.
Tour cost: $5950. Includes 10 night's lodging based on double occupancy, all ground transportation, welcome dinner and farewell dinner, all breakfasts, all entrance fees, fee for raptor shoot, fee for the feeding of the red kites, photo instruction, and critiques on demand.
Not included: International airfare to and from London, transfer from airport to hotel and return, all lunches, 8 dinners, items of a personal nature, trip cancellation insurance, medical evacuation insurance, and alcohol.
Single supplement (to have your own room): $1650