Rural Burgundy Life & Food P hotography Retreat

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1 Rural Burgundy Life & Food P hotography Retreat based atthe Château de Magny en Morvan Estate,Nièvre, France with Niall and Charlotte Benvie

2 The Retreat Wild Photography Holidays Photo Retreats are for people who enjoy a house party-style holiday in a lovely setting where they can immerse themselves totally in photography. Niall and Charlotte s seven day Photo Retreat in rural France offers guests a unique opportunity to learn new skills and deepen their knowledge of photography while enjoying fine hospitality at the Château de Magny en Morvan Estate. The concept of a Photo Retreat is a little different from a tour or workshop. The Retreat has elements of both but the tuition is more structured, the outcomes are more focused and a lot of emphasis is put on creating a relaxing atmosphere in which conversation can flow and ideas emerge. Most of the tuition and some of the photography takes place within the Estate itself, with excursions to the villages, woods and fields of the Morvan Natural Regional Park (MNRP) to carry out specific projects. There is a wonderful large studio space available for our exclusive use during the Retreat as, indeed, are other facilities on the Estate.

3 What s on offer Rather than make vague promises to improve your photography, we teach particular skills and ways of thinking that guests can use long after the retreat has finished. This, combined with tutorials and feed-back sessions, can help photographers to make substantial progress in their creative lives, all the while enjoying themselves in a charming setting. These skills are taught under the umbrella of creative food and lifestyle photography. Our subjects and models are drawn from the local villages, woods and markets. The skills we teach are transferable to other fields of photography.

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5 Skills Successful food and lifestyle pictures are a result of careful lighting, intelligent styling and imaginative post-production. These are the core skills we teach and cultivate during this Retreat. We show you how to produce natural-looking light from flash (using the Elinchrom system) with grids, softboxes, reflectors and diffusers to provide consistently beautiful illumination for your subjects. We provide the lighting equipment. When we can, we will work with natural light too, managing it to provide the right look. Styling is a hands-on approach to composition and similar concerns of narrative content and perspective, hierarchy and balance, apply. We find that a collaborative approach, when two guests work together on a shot, works well on a practical, as well as creative, level. We may need to nip out to the odd brocante to pick up props..! And of course, Charlotte will work with us to provide the dishes we photograph and help with the styling. that enhance the impact of the individual photographs. It will help if you are already familiar with Lightroom and Photoshop, even at a basic level. The measured pace of the Retreat gives guests time: time to learn; time to enjoy; and time to reflect. Each day we study established masters in this field, discuss their work and applying some of their ideas to our own. We want you to take away a print of your favourite image from the Retreat and will teach you how to make that at the end of the week (as well as provide a tube for transporting it.) We regard the right post-production as essential for projecting the mood you are trying to create in your work. So, we ll go beyond simple image development and look at how to create the split tone, high contrast images that are popular in this field. Niall is a well-known innovator and will also teach you how to create eye-catching colour transects and composite images

6 The venue The owners of Château de Magny en Morvan have made a large investment in converting a spacious historic barn adjacent to the Château into very comfortable modern accommodation with eight en-suite rooms and a large upstairs studio space. It also houses a professional kitchen as well as dining room and other meeting spaces. Within the grounds there is another studio space attached to the walled garden and we have access to various areas within the Château itself for photography. The Château is in the Nièvre, a Department whose historical backwardness has allowed the preservation of extensive forests, small hedged fields and plentiful wildlife. It s often described as the countryside as it used to be. In the Morvan, the hills rise a little higher, the forest is denser and the population even sparser. The large range of butterflies, amphibians and birds is a testament to the low levels of agro-chemicals in the environment here. The landscape, while lacking the drama of the Alps or the Pyrenees, is lush and attractive and prompts a more introspective approach appropriate to this Retreat. Unusually for France, much of the MRNP is founded on granite rock rather than lime, producing a flora more typical of Scotland, especially in those parts of the park where Douglas fir has been planted. The centre of the mediaeval town of Beaune, with its UNESCO World Heritage Site status, is about one and a quarter hour s drive away and marks the furthest point that any of our excursions take us. This is wine country and home to several Grands Crus. There are other mediaeval towns a little closer, include Bourbon Lancy (40 minutes) and Autun (30 minutes). These, and local villages, are rich hunting grounds for details photography. The climate is very agreeable, with summer temperatures typically in the upper 20 s (sometimes higher), vibrant springs and cool autumn mornings with mist in the beech and sweet chestnut forests. We use organic fruit and vegetables from local suppliers and the Estate has an arrangement with its neighbours for the supply of free-range eggs, game and meat (this is Charolais country) for our house parties. A word about the food Charlotte prepares... At the heart of each main meal is a plat du jour but Charlotte caters for specific dietary needs when asked to do so. She makes extensive use of local produce to prepare dishes that are both creative and satisfying. Charlotte s chocolate work often finds its way into picnic lunches and at the end of an evening. Whenever possible, we will take our evening meals outside in a covered dining area to enjoy the natural soundscape. The house party style, of course, offers a degree of flexibility unmatched by hotels when it comes to planning our days and when to eat. Travel The easiest way or guests from the UK to get here is to fly to Paris CdG then to take the TGV to Le Creusot/Montchanin, 45 minutes from the Château. There we collect guests in a minibus. Dates September 2018.

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10 General information about the Retreat What you can expect to learn: how to select and compose elements of a food still-life, to convey a story and create an atmosphere. the moody chiaroscuro lighting effect popular amongst contemporary food photographers. This you ll do with both daylight and flash. applications of five different types of softbox as well as diffuser panels and reflectors. make atmospheric pictures in ordinary light, with clever post-production techniques. trademark looks, including colour transects. studying the work of photographers in these fields and developing a structured way of thinking about your own work. What s included 7 nights accommodation in the barn conversion at the Château de Magny en Morvan. All meals. Transport to and from Le Creusot/Montchanin TGV station where the Retreat begins and ends. Transportation during the Retreat. Materials for food photography and use of flash equipment. What s not included Travel to and from Le Creusot/Montchanin from your home. Alcoholic drinks. Travel insurance. Admissions to any attractions we may visit. Additional props over and above those provided. Spending money the local towns should you need to buy extra props, pay for admissions - or even to buy wine. It s sometimes more cost-effective to do this than paying by card, which incurs transaction charges each time. Travel insurance It is recommended that you take out appropriate insurance to cover personal accident, medical costs, repatriation and loss of baggage. We will need a copy of your travel insurance at the time of booking. Passport and visa requirements A passport valid for at least six months beyond length of stay is required. No Visa necessary for EEA/Swiss citizens. Language The French owners of the Château speak flawless English, although it is not so widely spoken in this rural area. Niall and Charlotte can assist you. They have a house nearby. Climate The climate here is continental so days can be warm - into the mid-20 s - and nights cool. Regardless of the weather we will be busy, in or outdoors. Rest assured though, that if there are any misty mornings, we will be straight out there! Such moments in the forest are too good to miss and add to the atmosphere of your portfolio.

11 Clothing Generally we would hope that the weather will be warm and sunny, but in early morning and in the woods it can be cooler so bring an extra layer in addition to your normal casual clothes. Lightweight trousers. Long sleeved shirt/tee-shirt. Light wool jumper. Lightweight waterproof jacket and trousers. Walking boots in addition to street shoes. Sun hat. Light warm hat. Pair of light gloves. Light scarf to protect your neck from the sun. Slippers for the studio - it has a wooden floor and we can t wear shoes. smarter to wear in the evenings but no tiaras, please! Photographic equipment Niall does most of this sort of work with just three lenses (on a full frame camera): 55mm; 85mm and 150mm macro but a 24-70mm zoom is ideal. If you were to bring only one lens, a closefocusing 50mm would be the one. We provide guests with use of several Elinchrom flash sets during the Retreat. If you have your own portable flash, bring that along so you can see what we can get out of it. In addition, you will need: A laptop with Adobe Lightroom/ACR, CaptureOne or Alienskin Exposure software. A tripod: there s no avoiding it this time. An electronic release. A remote trigger if you bring your own flash. Reflectors and diffusers, but only if you already have them. A means of backing up your images, such as a large capacity memory stick. Partners Non-photographer partners are welcome. This is primarily a photographic Retreat but it is also a relaxing - if stimulating -holiday in a rather lovely area (the famous wine area around Beaune is about one hour and forty-five minutes away by car). There are plenty of good spots to enjoy around the Estate. The cost is the same for photographers as non-photographers. More Questions? We hope that this information has answered most of your questions about the holiday. If we can help you with anything else please get in touch. Talking to us on the phone (we will call you back) is often the quickest way to sort out individual questions. It also helps us to get to know each other a little before the holiday. Telephone: Gary Beff on +44 (0)