Pete on a Landscape Retreat
- simon.pugsley
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
In this blog Pete Barcham shares his experience of a 4 day small group photographic workshop retreat in Northumberland.
As an introduction what are your main photography interests and experience?
From a young age I have been interested in landscapes and landscape photography. I put this down to the regular trips my dad took my brother and I up to the Lakes, his keen interest in photography rubbed off on me too. As I grew up I became more interested in design and architecture. This has led me to focus on photographing buildings and their surrounding landscapes.
What prompted you to look at a photography workshop away?
At the start of 2024 I wanted to develop my skills and to expand my portfolio, as a result I went on a walking tour of the Barbican in London and signed myself up to this workshop. As my photographic interests lie in landscape and architecture I was on the lookout for one that combined the two. This workshop called “Northumberland Coast and Castles” looked perfect. It was run by Gary Groucutt (who recently visited the club).
Why did you choose this specific photographer and workshop?
Put simply I chose this workshop because of the price. It was hundreds less than other similar workshops I looked at, and it included 4 nights at a hotel, all meals and transport to each location.
How many days was the workshop and were there any specific requirements in terms of gear for attending?
The workshop lasted for 4 days in November 2024. As a result warm clothes were required. As for photographic equipment it was essential to have a tripod for the sunrises/sets multiple SD cards and filters. As well as your camera.
What was the itinerary?
We took sunrise and sunsets along the Northumberland coast, in between these shoots Gary took us to several other locations, the order of each day was fluid.
As Gary has run the course for many years we went to some locations off the beaten track.
How did the group get on and what were their experience levels?
I was certainly the youngest member of the group of 5, but that was fine with me. We helped each other and Gary came up with some creative ideas, like adding torch light to shine on a shed on a sunrise shoot of Bamburgh castle.
What was your favourite shoot?
My favourite shoot was the first morning on Bamburgh beach, we all bundled into Gary’s van and ventured onto the beach, torches in hand. We spent a good amount of time there and went back to the hotel for a well-deserved breakfast. Another honourable mention goes to a shoot we did on Holy Island, it was the first time I’ve been there, and conditions were great.
What did you gain from the trip and would you do another one?
I gained an appreciation of how prepared I need to be when going out on shoots. It helps to have everything you need accessible, camera settings and filters etc. I will certainly go on another of Gary’s workshops, his Snowdonia one really appeals to me.
Do you have a social media account that you show your photos?
I do have an Instagram account, but I’m terrible at adding recent photos to it. My account is @pbarche.
Thanks to Pete for sharing his experience on this 4 day photography retreat.
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