digital photography holiday retreats with photo editing
From 2016 our digital photography holiday will include a layer of extra tuition offering image manipulation tutorials.
A digital photography holiday in Morocco is a feast for the photographer. With all inclusive courses and tours throughout the year, you can develop both your skills and portfolio under the watchful eye of photographer and teacher Darren Lewey. Based in Morocco and with over 300 guests during the past 5 years, Images in the Sun has honed workshops and tours to suit both beginners and more experienced competition entry photographers. We are now launching digital post-production workshops featuring Lightroom as part of your holiday. Continue reading
In a diversion from the Essaouira based photography holidays the year’s first Morocco photography tour kicked off with Mike & Colin arriving in Morocco in early October to grab some great photos of Morocco’s Anti-Atlas. Both carrying Nikon kit Colin, Mike, Ali, Naima and myself set off in the Toyoto Prado 4×4 after a night in Marrakesh(and celebrations amongst the local ladies after Morocco’s victory in football) and headed for the Atlas mountains and Tiz’n’Test pass where we enjoyed a superb Berber omelette in one of the remotest but beautifully situated cafés you’ll ever find. Late afternoon we arrived in Taraoudant and quickly set to work in the setting afternoon sun hunting the light and finding it warmly glowing against the town’s impressive medina wall. 
Both Mike and Colin had some solid photographic holiday experience behind them but this photography tour Morocco bound was a chance to take advantage of the golden hour of light most landscape photographers set their clocks to. A few shots in the bag were supplemented by some very comfortable rooms at the guesthouse in Taraoudant. The next day after an excellent breakfast we drove about 4 hours to Tata stopping en-route at a village where we were befriended by a local chap who guided us via his moped at rapid speed around the village. It was hugely entertaining and both M & C got some portraits of local women. The route to Tata is impressive offering the emergence of Morocco’s desert. Tata itself made an impression on us for its remoteness and look of the people who are much darker than further north but it’s a town that could really do with a makeover. Still the landscape feels Saharan although there is not quite the dunes found in Merzouga further east. Rattling through the late afternoon light, down tracks in the 4×4 took us to a one wonderful spot overlooking a valley. M & C made great use of the fading light on a ridge looking down on to the desert.
Photography is all about finding the light and here in Essaouira it’s usually in abundance but on a photographic holiday you want to explore the range of photographic opportunities. Night time photography offers something completely different when street lighting is the only source of illumination. Both Jackie and Ciaran were keen in the last week of September to take some photos of Essaouira’s atmospheric backstreets and alleys. The old fortifications combined with the night time sea air are suggestive of a town unchanging and of course this is part of Essaouira’s charm. The main challenge of night time imagery is firstly to be able to see what one is doing so at the very least always take a small penlight with you. Most DSLRs have an illuminated LCD screen but that can be tricky to see when your camera is positioned at head height so a torch will help you see the camera’s screen at the back. Of course you’ll also be using a tripod and this helps both steady the camera for slow shutter speeds and also slows down your working processes which can help you think about better compositions.
Rather fittingly Cat was rather keen on the local moggies who aside from sleeping and receiving their generous fishy titbits are numerous in the streets of Essaouira. She also took a shine to Mika at Cafe SidiM’Bark. The cat calendar, which I keep threatening to subject past course attendees to, is nearing its best 10 images of feline dispositions within Essaouira. Cat is currently studying for a degree in art at Bolton University and the galleries here specialising in African art perfectly complemented her emerging photography.