This Dorset PhotographyTour is a 3-day, 2-night weekend residential workshop based in Poole and tutored by UK Landscape Photographer of the Year (LPOTY) winner, Chris Frost.
Dorset offers a veritable feast of photographic opportunity. From the rugged yet beautiful Jurassic Coastline, a UNESCO World Heritage Site stretching from Old Harry Rocks to the quintessentially English seaside resort of Lyme Regis on the Dorset/Devon border, to the iconic Corfe Castle as it rises above swirling mists and further inland to the tranquillity of its magical woodlands.
The tour will allow participants to experience a variety of locations. As well as the icons of Durdle Door, Corfe Castle, Portland Bill & Kimmeridge, we will look to get off the beaten track and visit lesser-known locations such as Mupe Bay and some of Dorset’s hidden woodlands. This variety will provide participants ample opportunities to develop their technical, compositional and artistic skills, and is suited to all levels from beginner through to the more experienced photographer.
We will depart and return to our base in Poole, keeping a flexible approach to each day’s itinerary, choosing locations that capitalise on the most favourable weather and tidal conditions – November is a fantastic time to be a landscape photographer in Dorset. Autumn brings with it an increased possibility of mornings blanketed in mist, changing foliage colours and storm driven waves ravaging the coastline. Sunrise and sunset positions will also have moved south and are perfectly aligned for the majority of locations on the predominantly south-facing Jurassic coast.
Being a long-time resident of Dorset, Chris brings a wealth of local area knowledge and will work hard to ensure you are in the best possible locations to capture dramatic and atmospheric images of this stunning County.Â
Some coastal locations will require a moderate walk over hilly and uneven terrain so good fitness levels will be required.
ITINERARY
Day 1 | Friday 15th November 2024 We will meet at our accommodation, the Premier Inn North Poole hotel, at 10:00am ready to commence our Dorset Photography tour. From there, we will head inland to capture some of Dorset’s beautiful tree-lined avenues – always a treat during the season of autumn.Â
After lunch we will make our way towards a location on the Jurassic coast, however, as there is no fixed itinerary on this tour, I will work towards ensuring we are in the best location to capitalise on prevailing weather conditions (a list of some potential locations is available below). Following sunset, we shall head back to our base to relax before eating out in a local restaurant.
Day 2 | Saturday 16th November 2024 We will aim to be out on location shooting sunrise each morning, ensuring that we are ready in position to capture the best locations pre-dawn.  Breakfast will either be taken in the hotel after sunrise or where required, on the road in the form of a packed breakfast courtesy of the hotel.  We’ll spend the day focussed on the Jurassic coast, but should conditions look favourable we will disappear into another of Dorset’s woodlands to capture them in all their autumnal splendour, before heading back to the coast for sunset.
Day 3 | Sunday 17th November 2024 Sunday will be another full day, shooting from pre-dawn through to sunset along the coast and capitalising on the day’s conditions. Once the sun has disappeared below the horizon for the day, we will return to the hotel to collect bags before heading our separate ways at the end of what will hopefully have been a successful weekend.
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LOCATIONS
Kimmeridge Bay We will start one of our mornings pre-dawn at Kimmeridge Bay shooting towards the sun as it rises beyond Clavell Tower, before moving around to face away as it rakes across Kimmeridge’s stunning rock formations. Kimmeridge Bay is an exceptional photographic location with ledges, rock pools, a small rock pier, an attractive folly, stunningly rugged coastal cliffs and even a small waterfall dropping into the bay. After the sun has fully risen, we will start our route along the coast stopping at several of the locations shown below and are dependent on the day’s weather conditions.
Corfe Castle Should we be lucky and wake to a misty morning, we will head to the icon that is Corfe Castle as our first stop. The haunting ruins of the 11th century fortification that bridges the single gap in a ten plus mile range of the Purbeck Hills, offers up some of the most striking photographic images in the South of England, particularly when spring mists shroud the surrounding countryside.Â
Lulworth Cove During our tour shall visit the horseshoe shaped Lulworth Cove, a fantastic location full of photographic opportunity and a perfect example of coastal erosion. The cove was formed approximately 10,000 years ago by the awesome powers of the sea and a river that swept down to the water’s edge; it now resembles a giant amphitheatre, steep cliff faces encircling the cove on all sides with the 100-yard entranceway being the exception; yet another marvel of the Jurassic Coast.
Durdle Door & Man O’ War Bay We will finish one of our days at Durdle Door, without doubt the jewel in Dorset’s crown and whilst it has been photographed a million times before, it is a joy to photograph here – a location difficult to tire of. It is world famous, a geological wonder and set beautifully at the end of a sweeping bay and fantastically photogenic. As a bonus, Man O’ War Cove sits on the other side of the rock spine to Durdle Door, arguably a world class location in its own right. Walking down into the deserted bay on a winter’s day really can feel like stepping into a prehistoric lost world, cliffs rising vertically, and rocks shaped like serrated teeth protecting the seaward entrance from the crashing waves.
St Catherine’s Chapel above Abbotsbury One of Dorset’s iconic scenes, St Catherine’s Chapel sits high atop a hill overlooking Chesil Beach and the Isle of Portland. This barrel-vaulted 14th century chapel was built by the monks of the nearby Abbotsbury Abbey as a place of pilgrimage and retreat and now sits as the core element of one of the south coast’s most breath-taking views.
Fleet Lagoon Sheltered from the English Channel by Chesil beach, Fleet Lagoon offers a change of pace and the opportunity to capture moored fishing craft and mirror-like reflections whilst those with a fondness for birds can look to capture native and migrating birds such as oyster catchers, little egret, dunlin, and ringed plover.
Portland Bill We’ll aim to finish another of our days at arguably one of Dorset’s strongest photographic locations, Portland Bill. Portland Bill is famed for its candy-striped lighthouse, but there is so much more on offer here. Rusty cranes, boulder strewn coves and craggy outcrops all provide beautiful foreground interest, while Pulpit Rock is a standout location in itself. Again, the sun will be setting directly behind the lighthouse, hopefully presenting us with an epic sky to finish off the day’s adventures.
Two nights double room en-suite (single occupancy) with breakfast included
My workshops fill up quickly but sometimes spots open up due to cancellations. If the workshop you are interested in is currently full and you would like to be added to the waiting list then please fill out this form.
Details
Locations
Included
Excluded
Transport
Date and Time 10am Friday 15th – 5pm Sunday 17th November 2024
Duration Three days, two Nights
Price £895Â
Workshop Leader Chris Frost
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Workshop Assistant/Driver Mal Crawford
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Maximum Workshop Attendees 6
Meeting Place 10am, Fri 15th Nov 2024 Premier Inn Poole North Cabot Lane Poole Dorset BH17 7DA
Exertion Level Easy/Medium – All locations within a mile from the car, some much closer. Uneven paths, slippery rocks near on the beach, uphill path at Durdle Door. A reasonable level of fitness and mobility is required.
Photography Locations Bat’s Head Corfe Castle Durdle Door Kimmeridge Bay Lulworth Cove Old Harry Rocks Portland Bill Swanage
Included Two nights B&B (double en-suite room on a single occupancy basis) Breakfast (Sat & Sun) Dedicated 1-2-1 professional photography tuition from Chris Frost and Mal Crawford All transport between workshop locations in a new modern, comfortable eight seater Mercedes V-Class minibus
Excluded All meals and drinks other than breakfast Travel to Dorset Travel/Camera Insurance
TRANSPORT DURING THE WORKSHOP Our mode of transport for this workshop is my personally owned brand new eight-seater Mercedes V-Class minibus. This ensures that there is plenty of space for us all including luggage, clothing, and camera equipment.
