Photography courses based in Whitehaven, Cumbria
My courses have been running in West Cumbria since 2008 and have helped hundreds of people to get more out of their photography and enjoy it along the way!
Current Photography courses
- Digital Photography for the Beginner – 5-week course starts 9th Nov 2025
- Muncaster Castle at Christmas Workshop – 13th December 2025
- Birds of Prey at Muncaster Photography Workshop – 14th March 2026
- Bluebells at Muncaster Photography Workshop – 25th April 2026
- Photographing Wastwater Workshop – 16th May 2025
- Landscapes of the Lakes Workshop – 3 weeks from 23rd May 2026
- Smartphone Photography at Muncaster Workshop – 27th June 2026
- Stanley Ghyll (Eskdale) Photography Workshop – 4th July 2026
- Practical Photography for the Serious Amateur – TBC
Digital Photography for the Beginner
This course is aimed towards people who own a digital camera and want to get something extra from it. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about your camera and how to take the photos that you want and not to leave everything to the camera to make the choices for you! You will learn how to get some great effects from easy-to-learn techniques … and no, you don’t need the latest camera with expensive lenses. This course is recommended for people who are fairly new to Mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
A total of 9 sessions over 5 weeks (classroom-based with weekend 4 field trips around the local area)
Total Cost: £115 [BOOKING AVAILABILITY TBC]
Practical Photography for the Serious Amateur
This is a 6 week course aimed at those who may already know little about their Mirrorless or DSLR camera but want to learn some more advanced techniques. We go deeper into subjects including; HDR, Off-camera Flash, Star Trails and Multiplicity with more use of software such as the practical use of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Also brand new to this course we touch on the use of AI which is increasingly helping photographers get the best from their photos.
A total of 11 sessions over 6 weeks (classroom-based with weekend field trips around the local area)
2026 date is to be announced. You can register your interest by sending me an email.
Other Photography workshops
These are informal workshops where you have the opportunity to visit amazing places with your camera. The tutor will be on hand to help you if needed and offer tips and advice on improving your photography. These include trips to locations such as Devoke Water, Stanley Ghyll, Muncaster Castle & Owl Centre, and more! For more information, please visit the Adult Learning website where you can also make a booking.
These are great value, from £18! Concessions available.
Popular courses
FAQs
Please book all of the courses online via the provided links. You’ll find current costs for the Courses & Workshops, along with more details.
If you have any specific questions you can email me here or telephone on 07770520000 and I’ll be happy to chat!
All Courses are run by Dave Wilson, an established & published photography SME. The courses repeat at various points in the year.
Firstly and very importantly, everyone gets their fair share of help. So don’t worry if you feel you need some extra time, you’ll get it.
Most of the courses have classroom sessions and field trips (where we go out and practice what we’ve been talking about). All of the courses include tips on how to improve your technique, learn some of the theory involved in the photos you are taking, what to look out for, and loads of other great stuff which will help you improve your skills.
There’s no such thing. Everyone starts as a beginner, so don’t worry because you will get the help and support to see you taking better pictures than ever! In fact, every person who has completed the courses has gone on to exceed their expectations. I have seen some truly amazing pictures on social media from our learners!
Classroom sessions for the longer courses are usually run on a weekday evening, with field trips usually at weekends, the timing of which is mutually agreed with everyone in the class in order to suit the majority.
The smaller Workshop sessions usually run on a Saturday.
- The longer photography courses have classroom sessions at Rosehill Theatre. The field trips are mostly around the Whitehaven Marina area with some field trips reaching the likes of Eskdale and Calder Bridge.
- The Industrial Heritage Photography courses have visited historic areas such as Force Crag Mine, Threlkeld Quarry and Museum, Florence Mine and we will be looking for the same or other areas to visit.
- The Landscape of the Lakes course will visit locations such as Ashness Bridge, Derwent Water, Ennerdale, Latrigg.
- The Studio taster course will be run at Rosehill Theatre.
- We run most of our smaller workshops at Muncaster’s Castle, Gardens and Bird of Prey Centre.
Wherever we venture outdoors we use locations which are fairly easy to reach and we don’t do any difficult or long walks.
DSLR or Mirrorless cameras are ideal although people have completed the courses successfully with Bridge or Compact cameras. A tripod is recommended for some field trips. An ND (Neutral Density) filter is also recommended, these can be quite cheap – recommendations to fit your particular lens can be given out in the classroom sessions.
For the Studio taster course, you may be able to use your own camera or alternatively you can use the tutor’s equipment, and the lighting is provided.
For the other workshops, you can bring what you like but you need to be able to carry it.
That’s no problem, everyone has other things on, simply let the tutor know. However, we would like you to get value for your money so if you know that you would miss a large chunk of the course because of holidays etc. then we recommend considering an alternative date.