Start Date: Sun 1st Nov - 14:00 meet at hotel.
End date: Thurs 5th Nov - 10:00
Group size Max 4
Accommodation included for 4 nights, from Sun - Thurs.
Join me, Ian Middleton, for a 5-day, 4-night photography workshop & tour on the beautiful Jurassic Coast of Dorset in the UK. Stretching along Dorset and Devon, the Jurassic Coast is so-named because its landscape and geology record 185 million years of the Earth's history. The coastline is packed with fantastic photographic opportunities at anytime of the year. This workshop is ideal for beginners to intermediate photographers, but open to everyone.
The Jurassic Coast is one of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK, and a perfect place to learn photography with its jagged, rocky coastline providing many great coastal landscape features. Photograph Durdle Door rock arch amid its glistening pebble beach. Capture the lighthouse and Pulpit Rock at Portland Bill promontory surrounded by crashing waves. Shoot the beautiful half moon bay at Kimmeridge as the receding tide reveals its fascinating rocky underworld. Or trudge out early morning to the gorgeous white chalk cliff at Old Harry, equally as amazing as the White Cliffs of Dover. Also visit the lovely beach and piers of Swanage.
Autumn can be very atmospheric along the Dorset coast and thus more chance of early morning mist, which is ideal for photographing locations like Corfe Castle. The ground is still warm, but the nights are getting chilly, so ideal conditions for misty mornings. The sun has also moved more to the south, so you get better golden hour light which enhances the beautiful, rugged coastal features.
Why November is Dorset’s "Golden Month"
While most tourists have headed home, the Jurassic Coast is just waking up for photographers. November offers a unique set of conditions that you simply won't find in the summer:
Perfect Solar Alignment: In November, the sun finally reaches the ideal angle for sunrise and sunset at iconic spots like Durdle Door and Kimmeridge Bay casting a golden glow directly into the bays and rocks.
Low-Arched Golden Hour: The sun stays lower on the horizon all day, providing soft, directional light and elongated shadows that bring out the incredible textures of the limestone cliffs.
Dramatic Coastal Weather: This is the season for atmosphere. Expect moody Atlantic skies, crashing waves for long-exposure work, and the famous morning mists that surround the ruins of Corfe Castle.
Quiet Locations: We’ll have the freedom to compose our shots without dodging crowds. You’ll have the space and tranquillity to truly focus on your craft.
The first day of photography on this UK workshop will begin on Sunday afternoon once everyone has arrived and checked in. It will end after sunrise on Thursday. Accommodation is included until Thursday, but additional days can be arranged if required.
The exact itinerary could likely change around depending on the weather and conditions, but will consist of roughly the following:
* Sunrises are optional. If you decide to miss one, please let me know the night before and we will pick you up after breakfast *
Sun 1st Nov
Meet at hotel at 14:00 – check in. Sunset and Dusk shoot at Kimmeridge Bay
After settling into your hotel, we will start our photography workshop by heading to Kimmeridge Bay for a sunset shoot. This small cove and beach provides some great scenery with the clavel tower folly perched upon a hill at the edge of the bay, and the receding tide exposes some great rocky ledges.
Mon 2nd Nov
Dawn, sunrise & morning shoot at Swanage Beach & Piers, afternoon at Lulworth cove, Man o War Bay and Durdle Door
We’ll leave the hotel at 5:30am and head down to Swanage beach for a dawn and sunrise shoot. There will be opportunities to shoot from the beach, groynes and the Banjo Pier and the old pier.
We’ll have lunch at Lulworth Cove and then onto the famous Man o War Bay and rock arch of Durdle Door for an afternoon, sunset and dusk shoot.
Tues 3rd Nov
Old Harry, Portland Bill
Today we’ll get up at 5:00am and head to Old Harry cliffs for a dawn and sunrise shoot. Old Harry is a 30-minute walk from the car park along a mostly flat walking track.
Then it’s off to the southern tip of the Isle of Portland for the afternoon to photograph the crashing waves in the afternoon and then sunset and blue hour (twilight) at the famous lighthouse, one of many Trinity Lighthouses in the UK, and pulpit rock. The sea around this headland is extremely rough and provides some great photo opportunities. Here, for those who need it, I will show you how to freeze the waves as they crash against the rocks, and later as the sun goes down we’ll learn how to capture smooth, ethereal looking water effects like below.
Wed 4th Mar
Corfe Castle, Seacombe, Moor Crichel & Knowlton Church.
Today we’ll leave the hotel at 5:15am and start with a (hopefully) misty sunrise at Corfe Castle, then after breakfast in Corfe Village we can visit the castle itself.
Then, time permitting, we’ll walk out to the lovely coastal ledges at Seacombe. Seacombe is a 25-minute gentle sloping walk from the car park at Worth Matravers.
For the afternoon we’ll visit Moor Crichel tree-lined Avenue and Horton Tower followed by a sunset at the ruins of Knowlton Church.
Wed 4th Nov
Sunrise at Kimmeridge Bay.
For the last morning, we’ll return to Kimmeridge Bay for a sunrise shoot at this fabulous location.
Check out after breakfast and end of workshop.
Photography skills you can learn on this workshop
As well as being a photo tour, this is also a workshop and tuition is available to whoever may need it. Below is a list of some of the skills and techniques that I can teach you during your time with me. This list is not exhaustive, and I will also be ready to cover anything else you require.
The Jurassic Coast’s unique combination of dramatic geology, changing tides, and varied lighting conditions makes it an ideal location for developing both fundamental and advanced landscape photography skills.
Technical Skills
– The effects of shutter speed, aperture and ISO
– The exposure triangle, understanding the relationship between these three
– Use of ND grad filters and/or exposure bracketing for high-contrast scenes
– Long exposure techniques for capturing smooth water and dramatic cloud movement over the limestone cliffs
– Golden hour and blue hour timing for optimal lighting
– Using the histogram and zebra stripes to control exposure
Use of Filters
– Use of polarising filters to enhance skies, control reflections on water and wet rocks
– Use of ND grad filters to balance the contrast between the land and sky
– Long exposure techniques with an ND filter
Creative Skills
– Golden hour and blue hour timing for optimal coastal lighting conditions
– Hyperfocal point, or focus stacking for sharp foreground rocks and distant headlands
– Black and white conversion techniques that emphasize texture in the ancient rock formations
– Motion blur effects with waves crashing against the iconic limestone arches
– Minimalist compositions focusing on the clean lines of the Jurassic coastline
– Framing techniques using natural rock arches and cave openings
– Rule of thirds applied to dramatic seascapes and geological features
– Using grid tools to line up objects
Accommodation is included for four nights from Sunday to Thursday. The workshop will end on Thursday after sunrise.
If you would like to stay for extra nights then please let me know and I can arrange this too.
We will stay at the Premiere Inn or Travelodge at Poole North (best location for quicker access to morning locations).
- DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
- Tripod.
- Remote shutter release cable.
- Spare batteries.
- Battery Charger
- Memory Cards
- Lens Cloth
- Electric Plug Adapter
- Raincover (or umbrella).
Recommended
- Polarising filter
- Neutral density filter
- ND grad filters
- Head or small hand torch
(for working, and getting back to the vehicle in the dark)
Watch my Dorset videos
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Accommodation: 4 nights in a single room (I can arrange extra nights if required)
All transport on workshop days
All tuition and guidance
Free ebook guide to photography
Flights
Lunch and Dinner
Travel insurance
(Guests must ensure they have their own travel insurance)
DSLR or mirrorless users ideally (but some advanced compact or bridge SLRs may suit. Contact me to discuss whether your camera is suitable or not).
This workshop involves a fair bit of walking on grassy terrain which could likely be wet and muddy. Good sturdy, water resistant boots are advised.
Most of the locations are close to the car with the exception of:
Durdle Door, which is the most difficult part. The walk from the car park to the beach is about a 15-20 minute walk, but also quite steep as we descend from the clifftop to the beach.
Seacombe is about a 25-minute gentle sloping walk from the car park.
Old Harry Rocks is also a 30-minute walk from the car park, but flat all the way.
Corfe Castle viewpoint is right next to the parking area, and it’s a short walk, but the viewpoint is a short but steep walk up. However, we only go up to the high point if there is mist. If no mist, we photograph from a small hill lower down along the trail.
We will be based at the Premiere Inn, Poole North. You can get to Poole by train. Contact me for pick up from the train station.
If you need car hire then try:
Warm clothes. Ideally layers that can remove or put on as we’ll either be shooting before sunrise or after sunset, in the dark, when it will be colder. It will likely be windy along the coast, especially at Portland Bill. You will also need a raincoat. It is England after all!
Group bookings are available on request.
Contact me for more info
You can book online either by selecting the deposit option or paying the full price. Payment can be made either by bank transfer or by credit card using Stripe secure online payment service. Your credit card details will not be seen by me. Should you choose to save your details they will be stored on the Stripe server and not this website.
If your workshop is cancelled for any reason by me then a full refund will be given, or you will have the chance to join another group. Should you cancel for any reason after payment has been made then a full refund will be given up to one week before the workshop date, but after that a full refund will only be given if I have a minimum of three people on the date of your booking.