Description

Aldeburgh Group Workshop

Aldeburgh is best known for its iconic Scallop Shell sculpture created by Maggi Hambling and for its connections with composer Benjamin Britten.

Aldeburgh has changed little over the years and the traditional seaside town is still very much in evidence. Fishermen continue to launch their boats from the beach and return to sell their catch from the black wooden sheds on the shore. The town thrives with a mix of old and new and there some lovely buildings and interesting architecture along the seafront. In the summer the beach comes blooms with swaths of red valerian which add colour and contrast to the fishing boats.

During this workshop we will explore the beach is greater detail and work on taking well composed images that capture the essence of this seaside town.

Starting at the town’s iconic Scallop Shell and working our way along the beach we will explore various aspects of composition including identifying subjects, finding a viewpoint, working with supporting elements, adding depth and incorporating lines, shapes, patterns and textures.

Aldeburgh beach can be a chaotic place and challenging compositionally. Sometimes a successful image is as much about what to leave out as what to include. With this in mind we will work on framing techniques and way to simplify scenes and cut out unwanted elements.

This workshop will include a series of exercises to help master these different aspects of composition, with the ultimate aim of producing a collection of images which can be combined in a montage or panel and which evokes the spirit of Aldeburgh.

My Aldeburgh Group Workshop is a 3 hour workshop and includes course notes.

Covid 19 precautions

To comply with government guidelines this workshop will take place in a small group of 5. Social distancing will be observed at all times and all  workshop notes will be sent digitally before the course. As observing images on the back of a camera will be difficult for me on the day I will be offering a critique of some of your favourites via email after the workshop.

If you would like more ideas for exploring the Suffolk Coast with your camera my book “Photographing the Suffolk Coast” can be purchased here >