Creative Photography Wales

Nigel Forster ran an excellent 2 day workshop for 6 members of our local camera club which is based in Leighton Buzzard.

We booked into the local Usk-Inn and were given a warm welcome by owner Jill and her husband Andrew. This unpretentious hotel was clean, comfortable and the food was really good. We dined together in the restaurant and enjoyed a superb full English breakfast cooked to order and equally good evening meals. The beer selection was imaginative too.

Nigel arrived on time at 5:30 am for our first dawn session and adapted his very competent programme to the whims of all the club members. I am not sure that we missed much out, except perhaps the night sky session which simply didn't fit in with our full-on day programme of two early starts. Our day included a local landscape study at dawn, a lecture on technique, a visit to another hill top and a very beautiful trip to photograph some waterfalls. The local wildlife was extraordinary too!

Our pre dawn ascent of Pen y Van (Brecon Beacon) on day two was a triumph. In spite of the weather, we did see the sun and some excellent views. Breakfast at the Usk-Inn was never so welcome on our return. But it didn't end there. We did a Heritage trip to three sites in the Ebbw Vale area and enjoyed some humour with some locals enjoying a Sunday afternoon drink.

This was a competently led course. Nigel was always on time, on hand, and ready with advice. Not intrusive; just there when you needed him.

Highly recommended for all competence levels and ages.

Well done Nigel and thank you.

David More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

An excellent South Wales Valleys Heritage photography workshop. A thoroughly enjoyable day despite the weather. Nigel was very patient,( I am a complete beginner),and very enthusiastic. I learned a lot about my camera and how to compose a picture. Definitely recommend and would be tempted to book another of his workshops. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I recently attended Nigel's workshop on the Isle of Skye with a fellow enthusiast and have an enjoyable and fun time. Nigel was keen to understand what I wanted from the workshop and ensured all of my objectives were meet despite the interesting but great for photography
on Skye. My main objective was to learn more about composition and how to be creative with landscape photography building on and enhancing my existing technical skills. If you enjoy getting out and about and don't mind climbing the odd hill to get the shot you are after I would definitely recommend attending one of Nigel's workshops. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I attended one of Nigel's London workshops last weekend and apart from the weather (which he can't control!) had a great time. Nigel tailored the tuition to the individuals in the group, worked with the weather to make sure our time was productive and was always able to find ways I could improve on a given shot. Worth every penny! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I attended last weekend's landscape photography course in the Brecon Beacons along with Mike and David. Perhaps the best recommendation I can give is that I wish I could go straight back out on another of Nigel's workshops! We covered a range of environments - mountain, moorland, waterfalls, industrial heritage - from sunrise to sunset and tried night photography even though conditions weren't favourable. Nigel was tireless in his enthusiasm, energy and encouragement. We also had time to review our photographs and do some post processing. For me, the main challenges came from switching my camera to manual settings, using back button focus and using filters. The advantage of a 3 day workshop was that there was time to get the hang of it! I was a bit worried about my physical fitness for some of the locations, but I was able to plod up Pen Y Fan without feeling under pressure to hurry. I was promised expert tuition and that is what I received - all very enjoyable and at a very reasonable rate. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I attended the 3 day Brecon course and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Nigel was a very natural mentor and with his natural enthusiasm, photography expertise and obvious love of the local area, he introduced us to some great photographic opportunities across a wide range of conditions; from capturing great light in the landscape and exploring the industrial heritage through to capturing motor trails and long exposure techniques. Learnt a lot, enjoyed the company of the others too and really put the fun into photography! Definitely recommended, Mike Scotney (using my wife's account here!) More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I have just completed one of Nigel's 3-day landscape photography workshops with 2 other enthusiasts in the Brecon Beacons.

Nigel is very knowledgeable, a very accomplished photographer and a very good tutor. I picked up a number of really useful tips to improve my photography, improved my fitness (there are some steep hills in the Brecons!) and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Nigel is very personable, made the experience great fun and adjusted his teachings to suit our various levels of skills, experience and equipment. So, if you want to improve your photography in an enjoyable environment, I can thoroughly recommend one of Nigel's workshops. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

My day with Nigel was a Christmas present form my wife, and I have to say it was a great present. Nigel was very patient with me throughout the day. After an initial 'get to know you' session during which Nigel was able to gauge my limited capacities it was off to the local water falls for long exposure photos using full manual controls. Then after a theory session on composition concepts it was off to Mynydd Llangorse for some more landscapes using the concepts covered through the day, and more manual control photos. A great day out and I'd fully recommend it. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Had a days course to learn how to use my camera - great day, learnt lots and Nigel was most helpful and explained everything clearly. The three locations we visited were easily accessible but take your walking boots. The day consisted of theory & practical so it was broken up to make it easy to digest the information given. Highly recommended... More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

A one day session with Nigel to understand my camera. I learnt loads in a short time, did some great shots and really enjoyed the day. Nigel took me to some nearby locations which gave great opportunities for good photos and to try different things. Cannot recommend him enough. Patient and knowledgable with lots of different ways of explaining things that helped me really learn. Excellent! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I had a wonderful (half) day with Nigel and a friend in a wonderful location. Nigel is a very patient man, he had two woman who knew very little about the camera's they were using.
I personally came away not only knowing more about the camera and its functions but feeling far more confident in using "manual mode". (I had a few light bulb moments! Thank you Nigel)
I would not hesitate in booking another lesson/workshop. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

My friend and I booked a half day course with Nigel, just for the two of us, based from his home studio in Wales. We sent a pre-course, completed questionnaire so that he could tailor the course to our needs. As very enthusiastic, though pretty clueless, photographers we felt he had his work cut out with us and to be honest, as the day started in his studio with a little bit of theory and close examination of the camera functions I felt a little lost. "Don't worry" he said, "By the end of the day this will all make sense". And it did.
This course has enhanced and fired up my photographic capabilities. Nigel was patient, knowledgeable and the 'half day' was a generous allocation of time - about five hours. We had the benefit of some theory and practice, going out into the beautiful landscape of the Brecon Beacons to hone some new skills.
Having just the two of us, with a similar skill set (or lack of it) was perfect as we enjoyed a balance of personal one to one tuition and independent practice. By the end of the 'day' after another short burst of theory and the chance to practice in the beautiful garden behind his studio, I was able to apply this new knowledge with increased confidence.
I really enjoyed this course and felt I learnt a lot. I hope to come back for some more. The follow up notes sent through after the day were a useful 'extra' too. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Elan Valley landscape workshop, May 2017 ...

Key points: I enjoyed this workshop; I learned a lot from Nigel and I came home with some decent pictures (despite some indifferent weather).

If you're thinking of booking here's some things to bear in mind though:

1. It's a 'full on' weekend. The itinerary is packed, perhaps too packed.
2. The itinerary - if this weekend is typical - will change quite a bit. Inevitably with landscape photography there's a lot of 'chasing the light' and/or waiting for the rain to stop and it's hard to stick to a strict timetable - so be prepared to be flexible. Nigel also changed a few things in response to participants' requests, which is either customer-friendly or annoying depending on whether it's your request he's responding to! Nigel did put us in the right place for some good pictures, but planning and timekeeping could have been better.
3. The best light for landscapes coincides with typical breakfast and dinner times, so be prepared to be out and about instead of eating first thing and in the evening. Our weekend also squeezed lunch breaks, which was less understandable. I recommend taking plenty of snack food and bottled water.
4. Waterproofs and boots are pretty much essential, although the majority of the locations are quite close to the roadside.

All in all, if you're really after a leisurely weekend in the countryside with good food and a bit of photography thrown in, then you probably won't enjoy this. However if you can commit to sharing Nigel's undoubted enthusiasm for getting out there and taking pictures all day then it's well worth it. He knows what he's talking about and you will learn a lot. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I joined Nigel's beginner workshop in Brecon Beacons in April 17. Perfect for me as although I'd had my camera a few months I hadn't really got to grips with all functionality available when shooting in full manual mode. The combination of desk top tuition and shooting on location were extremely useful trying out different techniques but also being able to benefit from Nigel's expertise on composition and photo editing software to ensure images achieved their full potential was fantastic. Highly recommended. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

2 of us - both beginners - had a great day with Nigel. We were inspired by his enthusiasm and dedication to communicating it, also to his unstinting generosity with his time.

The practical work we did in the beautiful surrounding countryside helped us to understand the theory, and excellent course notes to follow have consolidated that and will be invaluable for reference as we practise what we have learned. Nigel also gave us lots of advice about editing tools and the accessories we need for landscape photography.

It was a great learning experience and has fired us up to develop our skills at photography. Thank you, Nigel, for adapting your course so well to our needs and for giving us such a purposeful, productive day. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Great 4 day workshop on Skye, Nigel puts a lot into the 4 days and the tutorial sessions greatly enhance the practicals. I certainly learned a lot and will take better photographs as a result. highly recommended. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I spent 5 excellent days with Nigel in the Isle of Skye, where I learnt a huge amount about landscape photography (despite thinking I already knew quite a bit! ). Being able to go out on location wit him and understand how he approaches the subject when out and about was a great insight, and his presentations and post processing sessions were enlightening. If you're thinking about doing a workshop with him, I'd say do it! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Had an excellent day with Nigel on a 1 day Landscaped photography course. Despite difficult weather conditions I picked up many tips. Would recommend . Day was geared to our groups abilities. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Nigel gave a day long one to one lesson after travelling down to vist me.
This was a very instructive day and I learnt a great deal both in theory and practice.
I would highly recommend his tuition. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

This is the second day out with Nigel and as usual the weather decided it would not play ball but to be far to Nigel he did. It pushed me to find opportunities within the weather and area's that we were visiting. The lack of sunrise and mist lead to discussing long exposures, the lack of light on the forest led to looking at more abstract views of leaves, bark and trees and the lack of colour on a castle led to viewing the composition in black and white. All in all, not the shots we were hoping for but I learned a more important lesson about working with the light, concentrate on great composition and the image will still have punch. Without Nigel expertise i would not have figures these out. As an intermediate photographer Nigel's approach was not to talk me through every step, but more to challenge me to look for something else, check in with me and correct my thinking when an image didn't work well ( so whats wrong with the image, what do you think you need to do better ). All in all a great day and I still had a couple of images to print, one of which is now on my wall. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I had an excellent day with Nigel to help me get to grips with my Canon EDS 600D. Instead of using all the automatic settings, I now have the confidence to take control and really get far better photos. You need to be prepared to hike around the Beacons to reach amazing opportunities, but that is what made all the difference, it was practical and put me in charge of what was happening. Nigel crammed a massive amount into the one day and I would recommend him to anyone. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Even before booking a course with Nigel, he has been good enough to offer some hints, tips and encouragements on some of my images, which are very helpful. His instinctive visual talent and depth of knowledge makes him a obvious go to person for a course when I can find a slot in my schedule More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Absolutely brilliant three days, I learned so much and saw so much beauty in the Brecon Beacons, that I will definitely come back to join Nigel on another of his workshops. I can't fault the professionalism and personal friendly service I received from Nigel. High recommend to anyone! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Having watched many of Nigel Forster training videos, I was delighted to meet him in person at the Photography show in March, Nigel was promoting his 1-2-1 courses and workshops.
I instantly put my name down for one of the May workshop, shortly after the show I received and email with all the workshop details and on the back of that I confirmed my space.
Booked Premier inn on the flex rate as you never know what is around the corner and having an option to cancel is always a big plus in my book.

I found Nigel to be very professional from start to Finnish, he clearly new his stuff and his knowledge of Landscape photography was incredible, Nigel also new his way around various different makes of cameras as we didn't all have the same make/model.
Nigel started of by showing us a presentation which was very professionally put together, showing us examples of what we hoped to achieve throughout the day, sadly the weather was just too good for us, but the principles are the same. we were taken to various beautiful locations where we were helped with not only the setting up of our camera's but compositionally too. I learn so much on this workshop that I wouldn't hesitate to book again and will be doing so in the very near future.

In short: great workshop, great tutor, fantastic locations, well worth it, defiantly book again!!!

Thanks Nigel, will be keeping a close eye on the website for more workshop dates :-0)

Visited May 2016 More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I would consider Nigel, of Creative Photography Wales, as being one of the most professional people that you could possibly meet. His ethos of his way of thinking is absolutely fantastic. His workshops are possibly one of the most informative, creative, and inspiring workshops that you could attend. Learning so much from him is such an inspiration. I would very highly recommend Nigel and his fabulous workshops.... More...

Reviewed on Google Maps