NORMANDY & BRITTANY, FRANCE
The dramatic coastlines of Brittany and Normandy are the location for my exciting new ten-day photographic workshop, taking in Finistère and the Pink Granite Coast, by way of iconic lighthouses, fantastical rock formations and wonderful opportunities for sunset shots over the sea, alongside charming quaysides and the magical island of Mont Saint- Michel.
Whether you’re an experienced photographer or a complete beginner, you’ll have ample opportunities to improve your imaging skills in a relaxed, friendly environment in two of France’s most enchanting regions.
Brittany, 4 nights
After rendezvousing at Brest Airport on April 29 we head west, deep into Finistère – which translates as “the end of the Earth”. Bounded by turbulent seas, it boasts the greatest concentration of lighthouses in the world, and our first will be the 19th-century Petit Minou, perched on a ruggedly beautiful point in front of an ancient fort.
Our next stop is the red-topped Saint-Mathieu lighthouse, overlooking the Iroise Sea, the ruins of a Benedictine abbey and a striking signal station (semaphore). A short distance along the coast stands the Kermorvan lighthouse, a squared, keep-like tower reached by a narrow stone bridge.
Heading north, Brittany’s Côte de Granite Rose is a spectacular stretch of coastline, where pink-tinged cliffs rub shoulders with huge, jumbled rocks. It’s home to the Ploumanac’h lighthouse, hewn from coral granite and looking for all the world like a giant chess piece. And no trip to this glorious coast would be complete without photographing the idiosyncratic La Maison du Gouffre, a diminutive Breton house improbably wedged between two massive boulders.
We say goodbye to Brittany in the ancient, walled riverside town of Dinan, arguably the prettiest in the region, where half-timbered houses and stone buildings jostle for space in narrow cobbled streets, watched over by a magnificent 14th-century castle with moat and drawbridge.
Normandy 6 Nights
The second half of our workshop begins with (2 nights) Mont Saint-Michel, the iconic island dominating the bay where Brittany meets Normandy. Crowned by a medieval monastery, with ramparts at its base built to deter the British, this World Heritage Site is at its photographic best in the slanting light of early morning and late afternoon.
Our next port of call is picture-book (2 nights) Honfleur on the Seine estuary, whose quayside is lined with colourful, historic houses and the harbour dotted with fishing boats and yachts – superb for reflections and panoramas, especially at sunset. We conclude our workshop in Étretat (2 nights), much loved by the Impressionists for its striking sea arches and white chalk cliffs before being dropped off in Rouen. If your flights are from Paris Charle de Gaulle airport there is a train service from Rouen that takes about an hour.
Places are strictly limited to three people, to ensure plenty of time for individual tuition and a relaxed shooting pace, and early booking is advised.
The dramatic coastlines of Brittany and Normandy are the location for my exciting new ten-day photographic workshop, taking in Finistère and the Pink Granite Coast, by way of iconic lighthouses, fantastical rock formations and wonderful opportunities for sunset shots over the sea, alongside charming quaysides and the magical island of Mont Saint- Michel.
Whether you’re an experienced photographer or a complete beginner, you’ll have ample opportunities to improve your imaging skills in a relaxed, friendly environment in two of France’s most enchanting regions.
Brittany, 4 nights
- After rendezvousing at Brest Airport on May 1st we head west, deep into Finistère – which translates as “the end of the Earth”. Bounded by turbulent seas, it boasts the greatest concentration of lighthouses in the world, and our first will be the 19th-century Petit Minou, perched on a ruggedly beautiful point in front of an ancient fort.
- Our next stop is the red-topped Saint-Mathieu lighthouse, overlooking the Iroise Sea, the ruins of a Benedictine abbey and a striking signal station (semaphore). A short distance along the coast stands the Kermorvan lighthouse, a squared, keep-like tower reached by a narrow stone bridge.
- Heading north, Brittany’s Côte de Granite Rose is a spectacular stretch of coastline, where pink-tinged cliffs rub shoulders with huge, jumbled rocks. It’s home to the Ploumanac’h lighthouse, hewn from coral granite and looking for all the world like a giant chess piece. And no trip to this glorious coast would be complete without photographing the idiosyncratic La Maison du Gouffre, a diminutive Breton house improbably wedged between two massive boulders.
- We say goodbye to Brittany in the ancient, walled riverside town of Dinan, arguably the prettiest in the region, where half-timbered houses and stone buildings jostle for space in narrow cobbled streets, watched over by a magnificent 14th-century castle with moat and drawbridge.
Normandy 6 Nights
- The second half of our workshop begins with (2 nights) Mont Saint-Michel, the iconic island dominating the bay where Brittany meets Normandy. Crowned by a medieval monastery, with ramparts at its base built to deter the British, this World Heritage Site is at its photographic best in the slanting light of early morning and late afternoon.
- Our next port of call is picture-book (2 nights) Honfleur on the Seine estuary, whose quayside is lined with colourful, historic houses and the harbour dotted with fishing boats and yachts – superb for reflections and panoramas, especially at sunset. We conclude our workshop in Étretat (2 nights), much loved by the Impressionists for its striking sea arches and white chalk cliffs before being dropped off in Rouen. If your flights are from Paris Charle de Gaulle airport there is a train service from Rouen that takes about an hour.
- Places are strictly limited to three people, to ensure plenty of time for individual tuition and a relaxed shooting pace, and early booking is advised.
