Course Structure
“remove the mystery, create the magic…" on a 5 day digital photography holiday with Graham Berry in the lovely Lot region of South West France. This holiday will seriously improve your photography!

In 2008 we are offering two levels of courses:

Level One provides an excellent foundation for the newcomer or improver to digital photography. Tutorials and exercises on exposure, creative use of shutter and aperture, colour, form and composition, coupled with image manipulation techniques, will help you to make better photos and bring out the magic in your images.

• Learn how to get the most out of your camera and master the controls
• Understand what can go wrong and how to avoid it
• Get to grips with managing your photo library and using photo softwareAn investment for the future, ensuring that you will always have photos with the ‘wow’ factor

DSLR camera and tripod available for hire, if required.

Level Two is designed for users who own a DSLR or camera equipped with RAW file format, which we choose for more control and image quality. Over the course, we aim to push the boundaries of creativity and technique to discover the artist within.

Key topics include:

• finding a theme and developing your individual style
• working the light
• capturing the moment
• HDR, macro, flashgun techniques and more

Whatever your current level of skill, Graham’s professional expertise and enthusiasm will lead you to greater enjoyment of your photography and ensure that you leave with the knowledge and confidence to make great photos.

What sets the Images of France courses apart from the rest is the amount of instruction and personal attention that you will receive and the well equipped digital darkroom with a computer for each guest.

Typical Itinerary:
Courses usually run Saturday to Thursday

• On the first evening we have an introduction to the course and get to know each other over aperitifs
• The next four days are a mixture of tutorials, practical assignments, discussions and work in the digital darkroom
• Each day we will visit locations offering abundant subject matter to challenge and inspire you
• With small groups (maximum of 6 students) there is time for one-to-one discussions and reviews
• On the final evening, we have an exhibition of your best images, printed out on A4 photo paper
• On the last morning we review what we’ve covered and there’s time for another one-to-one with Graham and for any last minute computer work before we record your images onto DVD to take home, together with a handy manual outlining all the points we have brought up so that you have an easy reference for the future

You will leave with new photographic skills that will take your future photography into a whole new dimension.

Pricing	In £'s Sterling
Per student (no single supplement)	£695
Non participating guest sharing room with student	£225
Extra days accommodation, if required to meet flight schedules, per person / night	£35
No single supplement. Includes: All meals - continental breakfast, tea/coffee breaks, lunch, 3 course dinner. Special diets catered for. Transfer to and from Bergerac airport and all photographic outings. Daily tuition. Exhibtion prints on glossy A4 paper. DVD with all images and course notes.

Accommodation
Comfortable accommodation with excellent home made food make this holiday extra special.

The course is run from our old stone farmhouse where we have a digital darkroom equipped with Pentium 4 PCs with 24” colour calibrated flat screens with inbuilt card readers. We use Photoshop Elements and Adobe Lightroom software for image management and manipulation.

Your accommodation is in the charming and spacious cottage, which is immediately adjacent, where we have 3 bedrooms (one double with ensuite bathroom and two twin-bedded rooms with a shared bathroom). There is a fully equipped kitchen and a comfortable living room, where you can relax and enjoy the views over the beautiful surrounding countryside.

Central heating and a wood burning stove ensure that it is cosy in early spring and autumn, while the thick stone walls keep it beautifully cool in the summer.

You are not required to share a room unless you choose to bring another photographer or guest with you. Consequently, there may be only 3 photographers on the course, allowing for plenty of individual attention.

After a great day’s photography, there will be time for a refreshing dip in our solar heated pool, a game of boules or table tennis in the garden or a gentle walk, before dinner with your hosts.

Tutor
Graham Berry is an award winning film and TV Cameraman, best known for running after Anneka Rice on the Channel 4 series “Treasure Hunt” and acclaimed for “Powaqqatsi” a feature film of mesmerising images in the third world.

His passion today is for photography and the digital darkroom and to ensure that you will be informed, inspired and confident in your ability to simply take better photos.

Belinda Berry catered for music events and films before spending many years as a software developer. She will share her computer expertise with you and treat you to regional and international cuisine using the best of local produce.

Graham and Belinda’s down to earth approach and friendly manner will quickly put you at your ease.

Location
Our property with its 3 acre organic garden and meadow is in an idyllic rural location and is a haven for wildlife.

We are in Quercy Blanc, where the old houses made of pale limestone reflect the sunlight and rest in harmony within the many colours of the arable landscape.

The medieval towns and villages with their traditional way of life, enlivened by weekly markets, fetes and wine fairs, the picturesque canals and rivers and the stunning scenery of the Lot offer superb photo opportunities and quintessential French images.

Excellent roads with little traffic make getting about the region simplicity itself.

For more information please visit our website detailed below.

How to Get to Us
Flights to Bergerac (RyanAir from London Stansted, Liverpool, Bristol or East Midlands or Flybe from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds Bradford, London Gatwick or Southampton).
Flights to Toulouse (British Airways or EasyJet from London Gatwick)
Trains from Paris to Cahors.
Car hire is available at the airports and train stations, if desired.
Driving time from Calais is 8 – 10 hours.

Pick up from Bergerac airport or Cahors station is included, so once you have arrived there is nothing you need to spend money on - unless you can’t resist temptation in the market!