Spain and Switzerland were on my radar in 2018. They are both perfect locations as bases for landscapes photography workshops (2019). In May a 7 day trip beginning with a flight from Marrakesh into Milan found me in the southern Swiss river valleys of Valle Verzasca. A geological tour de force with some of the cleanest waters in Europe, the Valle offers a compositional masterclass in how to frame rocks and river. The B&B kindly loaned me the use of their 4×4 which was an advantage over the hourly bus service. Driving the 15 km up and down the river hugging road looking for possible photo opps became the daily routine. Once identifying some potential areas, I’d pitch up river side and explore compositional possibilities.

Whilst the rocks inherently have fascinating patterns and colours I decided to set the framework that all photographs should include water. Secondly that flow should also be an important element in framing. Working to the lighting conditions of sun and cloud, I would wait until cloud had filtered the sun before exposing. All images were taken with a tripod using a small aperture and hyper-focal distance and with Format Hitech ND/polarising filters.

October saw me flying into Santander from Marrakesh and onwards to the easterly forests of Gorbea, Iraki and Ordessa with OK car rental. Some lovely early foggy conditions in Gorbea gave way to the autumnal colours in Ordessa. I kept an open mind about what I would find on the trip, but it became apparent early on that depth would be an interesting way forward. Unlike my Andalusian gallery from 2017 which was about flattening the wooded scenes, this time I was more thoughtful about foreground background juxtaposition. Overall, the set works well with some especially interesting tree formations in an Ordessa valley.

If you are interested in joining me for these two trips in 2019 get in touch: landscapes photography workshops 2019 | darren@photomaroc.co.uk