Devon landscape photography workshops (beginners)
Weekend residential photography courses for beginner photographers
Course dates & availability
​Fri 25th April (eve) to Sun 27th April 2025
(SPACES)
Your training at a glance
Course name: Residential photography workshops for beginner photographers
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Location: Mazzard Farm, Ottery St Mary, East Devon
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Course description: Looking to improve your photography skills? Join me for a weekend photography workshop at Mazzard Farm, located in the stunning East Devon countryside. This residential workshop is perfect for beginners looking to move beyond taking simple snapshots and capture beautiful landscape photos. With a small group of up to six students, you'll receive personalized instruction over two days. We'll cover everything from composition and lighting to editing and post-processing. Plus, we'll venture out into the surrounding area to put your new skills to the test and capture stunning shots of the East Devon coast and countryside (weather permitting, of course!).
Course length: Friday evening to Sunday late afternoon (you can also stay Sunday night if you wish)
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Who is it for? Beginner photographers
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What you'll need: Any compact, bridge, mirrorless or DSLR
camera (any camera with manual settings)
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Your trainer: Professional Devon photographer, Gary Holpin Photography
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Price: £399 residential, £219 non-residential (pay just £139 deposit to secure your place)
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What's included? 3 nights accommodation, 15 hours of training over 2 days, some meals and drinks, course pack, free follow-ups with tutor.
Why book a photography workshop with me?
Award winning accomodation
All photography workshops are based at the award winning Mazzard Farm,, located deep in the East Devon countryside. You'll stay in one of a handful of high quality & comfortable cottages, clustered around a pretty courtyard, and set in 17 acres of woodland, orchards & gardens.
Exceptional training
If you're thinking of joining me for a weekend immersed in photography, here are just a few reasons to choose me as your trainer:
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I make technical concepts easy to understand
As I am self taught, I know how confusing the technical aspects of photography can be. I know how to make complicated concepts easy to understand.
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I'm a Devon specialist
I know Devon like the back of my hand. so If you join me on a weekend workshop, as well as helping you to improve your skills, I will also introduce you to some beautiful and photogenic locations.
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My enthusiasm for photography
Feedback from previous students has often pointed out that my enthusiasm not only makes the training more enjoyable, but it also helped them to learn more effectively..
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I consistently get great reviews
My students consistently give me glowing five star reviews. You can read some of my five star reviews on Google.
Beautiful locations
One of the best things about being a Devon photographer is having the excuse to get out and enjoy so much beautiful scenery (you can read about my photography journey here). On my photography workshops I will make sure that I take you to some beautiful locations, so that as well as learning photography, you can also enjoy some of the natural beauty of Devon.
A bit more detail
Group size
Accommodation
Transport
Transport from local rail station (Honiton) may be available on request. Transport during the training (to photo shoots at the local coast) can usually be accommodated by sharing cars.
Groups are limited to a maximum of six students
Accommodation is in a in self contained holiday cottage.You may need to share the cottage with one other person of the same sex (with your own bedroom, but sharing other facilities).
Refreshments
A welcome meal on the Friday evening is included in the fee. A breakfast hamper and tea and coffee making facilities are also provided. You will need to arrange your own refreshments for the remainder of the weekend, but we can provide plenty of ideas of options, and often students get together to eat as a group.
Training
Training time is normally 9.30 am until
5.00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the time is yours to explore the local area, or chill in your comfortable cottage accommodation.
Payment
A £139 deposit is required at the time of booking in order to secure your place. The balance is due 28 days before the date of the course. Please see our cancellation policy (in the FAQ's) and consider taking out travel insurance.
Weekend itinerary & what you'll learn
FRIDAY
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Late afternoon: Arrive at Mazzard Farm & check into your cottage
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Evening (around 7 pm): Meet and greet meal at a local Ottery St Mary pub
SATURDAY
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9.30 am: Training session at Mazzard Farm
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1.30 pm: Location shoot at Sidmouth, including the Clock Tower challenge!
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3.30 pm: Back to Mazzard Farm to review and discuss your photos
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5.00pm: Finish for the day
What you'll learn
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What makes a great photo?
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Improving your composition
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Ideas to get creative
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How your camera works
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Understanding on screen info
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Moving off automatic mode
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Checking exposure
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How to focus properly
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Important camera settings
SUNDAY
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9.30 am: Training session at Mazzard Farm
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1.30 pm: Location shoot (Beer)
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3.30 pm: Back to Mazzard Farm to review and discuss your photos
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5.00 pm: Prize awarded for the best photo of the weekend & finish
What you'll learn
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It's all about light
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A bit about kit
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Creative use of shutter speed
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Techniques for difficult light
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Introduction to editing in Lightroom
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Apps to help photo planning
Photography courses by Devon photographer, Gary Holpin photography
Photography courses by Devon photographer, Gary Holpin photography
Photography courses by Devon photographer, Gary Holpin photography
Photography courses by Devon photographer, Gary Holpin photography
Student feedback
"If you want to spend a weekend improving your photography skills in the beautiful South Devon country side, you will not go far wrong in booking with Gary. All in all I found the course to be great value for money and felt that I came away a much better photographer."
"Delighted with the photos we took on a weekend course with Gary on the East Devon coast. His relaxed, interactive teaching style and ability to impart knowledge meant we came away with more than we thought possible in such a short time."
"Gary, your knowledge and enthusiasm is fantastic, you're inspiring and my knowledge and confidence have both increased"
"I love your professional, but informal style. I've learned loads which I can apply to my photography and I'm already delighted with some of my photos from the weekend."
"Excellent course, great pace and thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Really liked Gary's relaxed and easy going style"
"The training was the right balance of theory and time out in the field. The combination of both really helped to put the theory into practice and see where things worked and didn't work. Thank you, Gary for two enjoyable days."
"Gary is passionate & knowledgeable. I felt I could ask him anything and he has a relaxed and informal style"
"Really well paced. Gary gives full consideration to individual learning needs"
"The level of training was perfect & Gary's knowledge & patience was endless!"
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What camera is required?For courses involving mobile phones, all you will need is and smartphone with a camera. For camera training courses, generally any camera which has some level of manual control (usually a dial on the top which has modes such as 'A, P, M' etc is sufficient - which is almost all compact, bridge, mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
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What prior experience is required?For all courses which state they are for beginners, no prior experience is required, just a suitable camera and the enthusiasm to learn. Courses for improvers require you to have a grasp of the basics (basic use of the camera, composition etc)
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How do I know if I'm a beginner or an improving photographer?There's no hard and fast rule, but I would say that an improving photographer: - Knows the basics of how to operate their camera - Understands at least a little about exposure, aperture, shutter speed and perhaps has a little experience with Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual - May understand a little about composition In general terms, an improving photographer should need less coaching in the basics of how to operate their camera, but may need more coaching in how to take great photos with it!
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Where do you offer your training?I'm based in Honiton, and If you're happy to come to my home, that's great. If not then that isn't a problem as I'm happy to travel a reasonable distance to provide you with training (up to 20 minutes / 10 miles from Honiton is free; after that I charge reasonable travel costs). If you are outside of my free travel area, you're welcome to come to Honiton, or we can arrange a venue half way such as a pub or café.
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Is there an age limit for courses?No, but any child under 18 would need to be accompanied and supervised by an adult.
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Are refreshments included?Meals are not provided for 1-2-1 courses.
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Is transport required?On courses which include an outdoor shoot, some travel may be required. I can usually offer transport to locations.
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What equipment do I need?For all beginner level courses, the only essential requirement is to have a suitable camera (along with a charged battery and memory card). A waterproof bag to protect your camera is also advisable. Courses for improving photographers may need some additional equipment such as a suitable tripod and ND filters.
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Do I need insurance?My business is covered by public liability insurance, and my equipment is insured. I would strongly encourage you to consider insurance for your equipment. In addition, for residential workshops I would also strongly encourage you to buy travel insurance, as your fee may be lost if you have to cancel. This is so that courses don't become unviable due to last minute cancellations, and whilst you are able to insure for a financial loss, we are not.
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What if the weather is bad?We can do outdoor shooting in most weather, but not in persistent rain. For most day courses, we can just agree an alternative date. For residential workshops, I will do my best to structure the learning so that we can make the most of any dry weather during the weekend.
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What should I wear?Most courses involve some element of outdoor work, and so you will need to have clothing suitable for the season and the likely weather. As a minimum you will need stout shoes suitable for uneven ground, and a waterproof coat.
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What if I need to cancel?For one-to-one courses, please do let me know as soon as possible if you need to cancel, but there is no financial penalty to doing so. I cannot give refunds, but I am happy to rearrange a mutually agreeable alternative date. For residential workshops, 28 days notice is required for a refund to be possible, and so it is strongly advised that you take out travel insurance in order to minimise any financial loss. It we can fill your place, we may be able to offer you an alternative course date but this cannot be guaranteed.
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Which locations will we go to?For courses which have an outdoor shoot included, locations will depend on where we are holding the course. Locations can be discussed and agreed ahead of training sessions.
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What are your payment terms and conditions?For all 1-2-1 courses, full payment is due at the time of booking and no refunds can be given. If you wish to move the date then please give as much notice as possible, and another mutually agreeable date can be found. Payment is required by BACS (bank transfer) and details will be provided on your invoice.
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What travel costs do you charge?I include up to 20 minutes travel time each way and 10 miles each way for free (so a 20 minute / 10 mile radius of Honiton). Anything above this I charge 50p per mile of additional distance and £40 per hour of additional travel time. This applies from Honiton to your home, and any travel for an outdoor shoot. There is always the option for you to come to Honiton, or for us to meet at a halfway point if you would like to minimise these additional costs.
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What if I want to share the cost of the training with a friend?You can share the cost of the course with friends (up to a maximum of six people in total) although I will need to add an additional £50 fee per person.
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Why do you ask for full payment up-front?Unfortunately I have had a number of occasions where a date for training has been agreed with the client and they have cancelled at very short notice. In these circumstances it is too late for me to find other work for this day, and so I end up not earning anything. As a small business this is not sustainable, and so I made the decision to ask for full payment up-front. Once payment has been made, if you need to move your training date (even at short notice) then I am happy to try and accommodate your needs, but would obviously prefer as much notice as possible so that I don't end up with empty days when I don't earn. Thanks for your understanding.
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