This workshop is led by Robert Harvey with a maximum of 6 participants and has been designed for those with limited mobility but is inclusive for those with full mobility.

Wiltshire in spring is delightful. In this workshop we will be photographing outstanding locations for bluebells and other woodland wild flowers, a white horse carved into the chalk downs, a vibrant field of oil seed rape, Salisbury Cathedral in its water-meadow setting and Stourhead gardens.

Bluebells are highly popular subjects but not easy to photograph well. We will consider how to optimise composition and what focal length of lens works best. Note that the date of this workshop has been selected to maximise the prospects of bluebell photography but their timing does vary from year to year. If they are early or late we will spend more time on other subjects.

White horses are quintessential Wiltshire and we photograph one of them from a roadside viewpoint.

One of the joys of oil seed rape is that it is in different places each year. The leader will seek a composition accessible from a roadside in the days before the workshop and take you to it.

We will be using a range of lenses (wide angle to medium telephoto) for our landscape photography.

Robert Harvey is the author of “Photographing Wiltshire” (Fotovue 2020).

Parking:

Parking in Salisbury will cost £3 (including blue badge holders).

There is an entry charge of £19 and a parking charge of £4 for Stourhead gardens unless you are a National Trust member in which case entry and parking are free.

Meeting Point:
Marlborough High Street SN8 1AA.

In central parking area opposite Waitrose.
Meet in Marlborough High Street at 9am and drive to four or five different locations during the day. Total driving distance approximately 60 miles.

Participants will be provided with directions and coordinates to each parking place at the beginning of the workshop.

Routes will involve walking on mostly level footpaths up to several hundred metres. There are a small number of steps at one location. Further details:

• Bluebells: walk up to 200m on mostly level woodland paths
• White horse/oil seed rape: roadside viewpoint, may involve walking up to 200m from parking
• Salisbury Cathedral: walk 400m in each direction on level paved paths
• Stourhead gardens: walk up to 1500m in total on paved paths. Modest gradient and a small number of steps involved.

The event will finish at Stourhead around 6pm.

Although the locations have been selected to minimise walking, they include forest paths and a few steps. Only Salisbury Cathedral viewpoint is wheelchair accessible.

Bring a packed lunch.

Equipment:

DSLR camera or equivalent plus a range of lenses, from wide angle zoom (e.g. 16-35mm on a full frame camera) to short/medium telephoto (e.g. 70-300mm on a full-frame camera). Standard Zoom lens. Fish eye lens if you have one. Tripod (essential).

Lens hood and rain sleeve in case of wet weather.

Clothing: 

Shoes for driving; stout walking shoes for outdoors.

Toilet Facilities:

Marlborough Town Council - George Lane Toilets Are Open For Business! (marlborough-tc.gov.uk)

www.yell.com/s/public+toilets-the+downs+sn10+devizes.html

Salisbury town centre

Stourhead gardens

Terms for all Participants in RPS Landscape Group Events:

Carbon offsets

Tickets for events that involve travelling include a £2 carbon offset charge that will be paid to a carefully researched and selected offsetting partner.

Joining Instructions:

Most of our events have the meeting time and place specified on the relevant event page on the RPS website (this is a link to the Landscape Group events calendar). In some cases, however, the event leader may email you shortly before the event with more detailed instructions. Please keep an eye on your incoming emails prior to an event but if you do not receive any specific instructions, then you should meet at the time and place advertised on the website.

Cancellation by You:

If you wish to cancel your booking PLEASE let the event leader / organiser know with as much notice as possible. If nothing else, this can avoid them delaying the start of the event while they wait for you.

If you have paid for an event, please note that this fee/ticket price is non-refundable unless we are able to sell your place to somebody else. You are welcome to sell your place yourself but, again, PLEASE notify the event leader / organiser in advance of any change.

Cancellation by us:

Event leaders are asked to make plans for alternative activities or locations in the case of poor weather and, in most cases, events will proceed despite poor weather unless, in the view of the event leader, the weather will lead to unacceptable safety risks or very little chance of successful photography. It is inevitable, however, that occasionally an event will be cancelled for this or another reason beyond the RPS’s control.

Occasionally an event may also be cancelled owing to lack of bookings. So if you wish to attend an event, don’t leave it till the last minute to book as it may be too late.

If an event is cancelled we will give you as much notice as we are able and any payment by you to the RPS in respect of the event offered as a full refund. In the case of events cancelled because of lack of interest we will aim to give at least three weeks’ notice wherever possible.

Please note we are NOT able to refund any associated or consequential costs including but not limited to travel, accommodation, insurance premium or other costs incurred by you in order to attend the event.

Responsibility:

You are responsible for your own health and safety and must appraise your own strength, fitness and mobility. The event leader is NOT responsible for your safety, welfare or attendant medical conditions. Strictly the event leader is there to introduce you to a location and/or to teach you particular skills.

Liability for any accident, injury, medical condition, loss or damage to property, inappropriate behavior, dress, equipment and third party liability is accepted by you when signing up for the event. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Royal Photographic Society from all claims of whatsoever nature.

Insurance:

You are advised to consider having insurance to cover: event cancellation by you or by us, accident, medical, personal equipment and public liability.

In particular you should also consider, in the case of high cost events, the likelihood and consequences of you having to cancel or not attend at the last minute because of accident, medical or other unforeseeable circumstances.

Using your data:

Your personal details (name, telephone number and email address) will be provided to the leader of the event or workshop you have booked in order to enable them to:

· send you joining instructions for the event

· contact you at short notice in case of any emergency or last-minute change to the event.

If you do not want your details to be shared with the event leader please cancel your booking immediately. You will not be eligible for a refund as this information was provided on the web page where you made your booking.

Thank you,

RPS Landscape Group Committee