Bossiney Haven and Benoath Cove

iPhone AutoStitch made on location

 Benoath Cove is tucked around a headland from it's main access at Bossiney Haven. It's beach is usually under the waves, but on a low spring tide rocky cave pierced cliffs are like heaven to me! I was there in mid-March on one of the lowest tides of the year which gave me four hours to explore and photograph. This blog post represents my sketchbook or work-in-progress as I haven't made a finished image at the time of posting; that will have to wait until a rainy day. However my working practice includes making iPhone photo-constructions on location and I like to process my RAW images asap and then make quick, automated, photomerges from the jpegs produced.

Quick automated photomerge in Photoshop CC 2015. Making a sketch like this helps me to progress the image later on; I'm immediately wanting to lengthen the exposure of many of the darker frames to expand the overall tonal range and I also need to delicately bring out the water drips which give a sense of both the dampness and of time passing.

Old path to Benoath Cove

Signal Cave iPhone AutoStitch

I timed my visit to Benoath so that I was there two hours before low tide and took the less used, old path, down to the beach. This path isn't way-marked and I wouldn't recommend it; the first part was covered in brambles which are only bearable in the winter when they've died back and heavy jeans are worn, the second part, the decent down the cliff, is treacherous as most of it is on a steep ledge with only a rail to keep you from plunging to the beach. The last section has no handrail and just an old fishing rope, tied to the end of the rail, to help you over the steep, wet, smooth, slippery rocks onto to equally difficult beach below. I had been on the beach in the past but it was disorientating with the sea still so far in, so it took a few minutes of clambering up and down the so far accessible rocky beach, before I could find the cave I was looking for. I refer to this cave as Signal Cave because you can actually make a mobile phone call inside. I even received a text right at the very back which has to be at least 30 metre from the opening.
My reason for getting into the cave as soon as possible after the receding tide was aesthetic, the wet walls and dripping ceiling make for a far more dramatic image. This particular cave is my current favourite and I could easily have spent all four hours here, as it has three distinct entrances which all join together far into the the cliff. It takes me approximately an hour to shoot the frames for a single constructed photograph so four hours was never going to be enough on this beach as it was visually so generous.

iPhone AutoStitch

 It takes me approximately an hour to shoot the frames for a single constructed photograph so four hours was never going to be enough on this beach as it was visually so generous. These last two iPhone AutoStich images will have to wait to photographed properly! The first I entered with only a few minutes before low tide, which was lapping at it's mouth, and I had to force myself to leave it for another day (I know how obsessive I can be to perfect the image, I knew I would be so absorbed in my work that time would disappear and I could be cut off, inside the cave!). 

iPhone AutoStitch

Photographic Workshops in Devon, Spring 2016
Digital Camera Skills - 10am-5pm £50
A practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition. Numbers limited to a hand-full. I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75
Course Description pdf
Wednesday 23rd March in Bideford Click to Book

Family Photo Workshop - get to know your camera - £30 per adult (maximum 2 accompanied children free)
A practical workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality. This is a 3 hours contact time with 2 hours in the middle for taking photographs and having lunch.
Thursday 31th March in Bideford, (10am-3pm) Click to Book

iPhoneography Workshop - £25
A practical workshop to learn how to use your iPhone's camera to take professional looking photographs and enhance those images on the go. Suitable for anyone with an iPhone. You will need to install a few cheap photo apps in advance which I'll advise on when booking!
Wednesday 16th March in Barnstaple (9.30am-12.30pm) Click to Book

New Photo Workshops

Photographic Workshops in Devon and South West, Summer 2015
Some new workshops this summer and some new evening start times.

Introduction to digital photography - £50
A practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition. Numbers limited to a hand-full. Also offered on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75
Course Description pdf
Friday 12th June in Bideford, (10am-5pm) Click to Book

Half Day Intro to digital photography - £25
A 'sit around the table' workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality.
Course Description pdf
Monday 22nd June in Bideford, (6pm-9pm) Click to Book

iPhoneography Workshop - £25
A practical workshop to learn how to use your iPhone's camera to take professional looking photographs and enhance those images on the go. Suitable for anyone with an iPhone. You will need to install a few cheap photo apps in advance which I'll advise on when booking!
Monday 8th June in Barnstaple, (6pm-9pm) Click to Book

Victorian Selfie - £25
Make a Victorian portrait with an 8x10 inch camera from the 1880’s and learn the basics of monochrome using black and white paper and photographic chemicals in a darkened room. You’ll even get to take a picture home with you for your new profile!
Saturday 13th June, Ilfracombe Museum 11am–4pm, £25
Book through Ilfracombe Museum: 01271 863541 info.ilfracombemuseum@gmail.com

SmartPhone Photography - £25
A practical workshop to learn how to use your Smartphone's camera (Android, Windows or Apple) to take professional looking photographs and enhance those images on the go. Suitable for anyone with a SmartPhone. You will need to install a few cheap photo apps in advance which I'll advise on when booking!
3 hour workshop TBA Click to express your interest

Sea Caves, Shipwrecks and the Rocky Shore (10am - 5pm) - £50
An introduction to Dave Green's own photography. Spend a day with Dave experiencing the secret coast, hidden at the far ends of a sandy beach, full of caves and shipwrecks. Learn how to make the best of your own camera under demanding landscape and lighting.
Course Description pdf
Saturday 4th July in Bude, (10am-6pm) Click to Book

Family Photo Workshop - get to know your camera - £30 per adult (maximum 2 accompanied children free)
A practical workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality. This workshop is 3x hours taught time and 2x hours photographing/lunch/free time
3 hour workshop TBA Click to express your interest

Photographing your own Artwork - £60 with lunch, tea and coffee provided!
I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of photographing 2D artwork, jewellery and ceramics and I'm willing to pass this on to artists eager to improve their own image making camera skills. Although this workshop is for a small group (max 4) I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £125
Course Description pdf
Monday 29th June in Bideford (11am-6pm) Click to reserve a place

Introduction to Photoshop (11am–6pm) - £75 with lunch, tea and coffee provided!
Opening an image file and adjusting levels, contrast, brightness and colour balance. Rotating, resizing and cropping an image. Placing an image or images into a new file. Using layers and history. Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4). I also offer it on a 1:1 basis in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £175
TBA Click to express your interest

Workshop gift vouchers are always available for that special present for those people with new cameras so that they'll get to know them better!
Buy a £25 gift certificate
Buy a £50 gift certificate

Ghost Ship, Bideford Quay - commission for The Rose Salterne

Ghost Ship, Bideford Quay

A new JD Wetherspoon pub, The Rose Salterne, opens it's doors on Tuesday 23rd July on historic Bridgeland Street. I was commissioned to make a new constructed photograph for the premises based on my 'Ghostcard' series of images. Above is the finished, 2 metre wide picture, based around a Victorian photograph from the Beaford Old Archive. The buildings of the historic photograph are little changed but the width of Bideford Quay is now approximately three times as wide.

Victorian? photograph of Bideford Quay, photographer unknown, with permission of Beaford Old Archive

The original image, above, would have been photographed from the Bideford Long Bridge, I think the darkened edge of the bottom right hand corner could be part of the bridge. Unfortunately to have followed suit and photographed from exactly the same place I would have most of the image obscured by road signs. The new image was shot a few feet closer and was constructed from up to 347 frames, perhaps 200 of these were stitched together in the final photograph. The photographs were taken between 11am and 11.30am over two days; the first a showery Saturday when lots of people were in town, and the second a sunny mid-week day which gave me a better sky and evenly exposed road and stone floor.

In this close-up you can see where the edge of Bideford Quay used to be as the cycle hangs precariously over the edge.

In my Ghostcard images my intention is to form a relationship between the present and the past. In the close-up above, the present day man driving a disability scooter seems to veer to the right to avoid the Victorian ship. Cars and cyclists drive and ride around the girls dancing on the original quay. In the close-up below Andrew Powell, local historian dressed in Elizabethan costume, addresses a group of Mark Horton's archaeology students from Bristol University; he appears to be telling them all about this ancient ship.

Andrew Powell, author of Grenville and the Lost Colony

I am always interested in taking on a commission, please email me at info@greengallery.co.uk or phone 01237 477789.

Photographic Workshops in Devon, Summer 2013

Introduction to digital photography - £50
A practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition. Numbers limited to a hand-full. I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75
Sunday 4th August in Appledore (10am - 5pm) Click to reserve a place
Tuesday 13th August in Bideford (10am - 5pm) Click to reserve a place
Saturday 17th August in Barnstaple (11am - 6pm) Click to reserve a place
Thursday 29th August in South Molton (9.30am - 4.30pm) Click to reserve a place

Half Day Intro to digital photography - £25
A 'sit around the table' workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality.
Monday 26th August in Appledore 10.30am - 1.30pm Click to reserve a place
Friday 13th September in Exeter 10am - 1pm Click to reserve a place

Sea Caves, Shipwrecks and the Rocky Shore - £50
An introduction to Dave Green's own photography. Spend a day with Dave experiencing the secret coast, hidden at the far ends of a sandy beach, full of caves and shipwrecks. Learn how to make the best of your own camera under demanding landscape and lighting.
Friday 9th August, starting at Bude 10am-5pm Click to reserve a place
Saturday 24th August, starting at Bude 10am-5pm Click to reserve a place
Sunday 8th September, starting at Bude 10am-5pm Click to reserve a place
Course Description pdf available soon

Photographing your own Artwork 11am - 6pm - £50
I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of photographing 2D artwork, jewellery and ceramics and I'm willing to pass this on to artists eager to improve their own image making camera skills. Although this workshop is for a small group (max 5) I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £100
Course Description pdf
Monday 12th August in Bideford Click to reserve a place
Saturday 7th September in Bideford Click to reserve a place

Introduction to Photoshop - £50
Opening an image file and adjusting levels, contrast, brightness and colour balance. Rotating, resizing and cropping an image. Placing an image or images into a new file. Using layers and history. Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4). I also offer it on a 1:1 basis in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £150
Saturday 28th September (11am-6pm) in Bideford Click to reserve a place

Intermediate Photoshop - £50
Using tools, masks and filters to manipulate your image. Tools used in this session are: marquee, move, lasso, magic wand, eraser, paint bucket, eyedropper, hand and zoom. Making a contact sheet and using batch production. Adding type to your image. Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4). I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for £150, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £175
TBA October 2013 in Bideford - enquiries welcome click here

Workshop gift vouchers are always available for that special present for those people with new cameras so that they'll get to know them better!
Buy a £25 gift certificate
Buy a £50 gift certificate

More workshops will be added later, please let me know by email if there's a photographic workshop you would like that I don't offer at the moment and if there's a location that I don't offer.

Sea Caves, Shipwrecks and the Rocky Shore

On Thursday 5th July, somewhere on the North Devon Coast, 10am - 5pm I'm offering a new workshop 'Sea Caves, Shipwrecks and the Rocky Shore'. I'll be introducing the handful of participants to my own photography. They'll get the opportunity to experience the secret coast, hidden at the far ends of a sandy beach, full of caves and shipwrecks. And learn how to make the best of their own camera under demanding landscape and lighting.

5th of July is a spring tide, an extreme high and low; low tide being approximately 2pm. This will give us the chance to really explore parts of the rocky shore that is usually under 25 feet of water! - all for only £50 !!

Here's a list of the other photographic workshops I'm offering this summer:

Introduction to digital photography 10am - 5pm (unless stated otherwise)- £50
A practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition. Numbers limited to a hand-full. I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75
Course Description pdf
Thursday 31st May in South Molton
Thursday 7th June in Appledore (during the Arts Festival)
Saturday 9th June in Appledore (during the Arts Festival)
Thursday 28th June in Barnstaple (11am - 6pm)
Thursday 19th July in Exeter (11am - 5pm) + tour of exhibition
Friday 27th July in Exeter (11am - 6pm)
Saturday 28th July in Bideford
Saturday 18th August in Bideford

Half Day Intro to digital photography - £25
A 'sit around the table' workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality.
Wednesday 13th June in Bideford 1.30pm - 4.00pm
Tuesday 10th July in Barnstaple 3.00pm - 5.30pm

Photographing your own Artwork 11am - 6pm - £50
I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of photographing 2D artwork, jewellery and ceramics and I'm willing to pass this on to artists eager to improve their own image making camera skills. Although this workshop is for a small group (max 5) I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £100
Course Description pdf
Saturday 23rd June in Bideford
Monday 2nd July in Bideford

Introduction to Photoshop 11am – 6pm - £50
Opening an image file and adjusting levels, contrast, brightness and colour balance. Rotating, resizing and cropping an image. Placing an image or images into a new file. Using layers and history. Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4). I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for £150, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £175
Sunday 24th June in Bideford

Intermediate Photoshop 11am – 6pm - £50
Using tools, masks and filters to manipulate your image. Tools used in this session are: marquee, move, lasso, magic wand, eraser, paint bucket, eyedropper, hand and zoom. Making a contact sheet and using batch production. Adding type to your image. Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4). I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for £150, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £175
TBA July/August in Bideford - enquiries welcome

Winter Workshops

Photographic Workshops in Devon, Winter 2012

Painting with Light on Westward Ho! Beach

Email info@greengallery.co.uk to reserve a place on a workshop

Introduction to digital photography 10am - 5pm - £50
A practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition. Numbers limited to a hand-full.
Saturday 7th January in Bideford
Tuesday 24th January in Bideford
Saturday 28th January in Barnstaple

Half Day Intro to digital photography 2.30pm - 5pm - £25
A 'sit around the table' workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality.
Wednesday 11th January in Bideford
Monday 16th January in Barnstaple
Saturday 21st January in Bideford

Painting with Light 6pm - 9.00pm - £25
An evening workshop celebrating the dark nights of the Winter. You'll learn how to make 'long exposure' photographs using coloured lights, flames, sparklers and hand-held flash.
Sunday 8th January - Northam Burrows
Sunday 12th February - Northam Burrows

Photographing your own Artwork 10am - 5pm - £50
I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of photographing 2D artwork, jewellery and ceramics and I'm willing to pass this on to artists eager to improve their own image making camera skills. Although this workshop is for a small group (max 5) I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for the same price.
Wednesday 18th January in Bideford

Introduction to Photoshop 10am – 5pm - £50
Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4).
Saturday 14th January in Bideford

Workshop gift vouchers are always available for that special present for those people with new cameras so that they'll get to know them better!

More workshops will be added later, please let me know by email if there's a photographic workshop you would like that I don't offer at the moment and if there's a location that I don't offer.

Some recent comments about my workshops:

"I've had a quick look at the feedback forms from Saturday - all of which were excellent - so it sounds like it was a very successful day - WELL DONE!!"
Tilly Clark, Burton Art Gallery and Museum

"Thank you very much for an enjoyable day, I feel I learnt a lot in a short time and spent most of the evening and next day taking pictures!"
Dion Mantell  

"Thanks for a really enjoyable day – do you have any other courses planned? All the best"
Alan Mead

"Great to see the pictures - surprisingly good viewing them now!!! Really enjoyed the day, thank you"
Gill George

"I just wanted to say thanks for a great day yesterday we learnt heaps. I am sure when we take photos in the future they will be much better."
Jenny Smy

"Just to say many thanks for last Friday it was really helpful and enlightening."
Wendy Allan

Photographic Workshops 2011

I have a summers worth of photographic workshops and some…

Introduction to digital photography; a practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition; is offered on the following days:

Tuesday 28th June in Bideford

Tuesday 12th July in Bideford

Saturday 23rd July in North Devon

Tuesday 26th July, during the Watersports Festival in Bideford

Saturday 6th August in North Devon

Thursday 11th August, at the start of the Folk Festival in Bideford

Saturday 3rd September, part of Culture Show in Bideford

10.00am - 5.00pm - £50

Photography on the Rocky Shore is offered on Monday 15th August in North Devon 10.00am - 5.00pm - £50

Making the most of a Spring Tide this workshop gives you the opportunity to explore part of the North Devon Coast when the tide is at its lowest. You'll get to learn about my practice that has been dominated by the photography of sea caves over the last 5 years. You’ll also be encouraged to make your own personal response to this landscape.

Especially for artists and crafts makers I’m again offering my workshop Photographing your own Artwork on Wednesday 17th August in Bideford 10.00am - 5.00pm - £50

I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of photographing 2D artwork, jewellery and ceramics and I’m happy to pass this on to artists eager to improve their own image making camera skills. The first part of this days workshop will be spent learning how to optimise your camera for best results; then you'll experience photographing your own work and this is followed by some basic enhancing on a computer to make your images look like the original. One of the best things about this workshop is that I’ll show you how you can make professional looking pictures in your own house without having to invest in a new camera, lots of new equipment and computer software.

I’ve also got a couple of workshops at the Burton Arts Gallery in the autumn. On Friday November 4^th I’m running a Pinhole Photography course through NSEAD especially for art teachers and on Saturday 12^th November I’ll be running a Portraiture workshop there with reference to the Snowdon exhibition which will show in the gallery.