Tours - Magic Travel

Autumn Photography - Intermediate Level

Duration: 4 Days
Availability: 28 - 31 October 2010

Improve your photo skills, shoot great images, have fun and do nothing but photography!
Photothema and Magic Travel welcome you to the Peloponnese. We organize outdoor photography workshops throughout the year in the vicinity of Sparta, Greece.

Joining a workshop means working indeed. It will be photography from morning till evening with plenty of photo shoots on great locations. After the shoots, photos are viewed and discussed together and in a constructive manner. Learning from each other, while enjoying Greek culture and country life, is the key in our workshops.

All workshops have a maximum of 6 participants and are open to everyone who shoots digital. Both compact cameras and DSLRs are welcome.

Greece is beautiful in autumn. The slopes of the Taygetos Mountains show their vibrant colours, while oranges slowly colour and the chestnuts burst out of their husks.

During this 4-day workshop you improve the use of your camera and learn to evaluate your photos, so that they increasingly match your expectations. After the daily outdoor photo shoots you view and discuss the results together and in a constructive manner. In the evening we go for dinner in one of the Xirokambi restaurants.

Learning from each other, while enjoying the Greek countryside in autumn is key in this workshop. The programme coincides with the remembrance of the Greek start of the Second World War (28 October – Oxi-day) and the celebration of the chestnut festival in the mountain village of Arna.

Outdoor photo shoots
Xirokambi – Village and surroundings, parade on Oxi-day
Arna – Mountain village during the preparations of the yearly chestnut festival
Mystras - Churches and ruins from the heydays of the late Byzantine Empire (13th century AD)
Anakolou gorge – Gorge above Xirokambi with a Hellenistic bridge dating back to the 1st century BC and impressive rock formations; designated nature area

In each location, we will take ample time to photograph.

The workshop starts on Thursday 28 October (Greek holiday), and ends on Sunday 31 October after lunch.

Location

Xirokambi is a lively Greek village, nested at the foot of the Taygetos Mountains, 15 km (9,3 miles) south of Sparta in the Peloponnese.

The surrounding area of Xirokambi is paradise for photographers who love the enticing combination of nature and culture. The Evrotas Valley borders with the high-rising Taygetos Mountains in the west and the more sloping mountains of the Parnonas in the east. The gorges and the endless olive groves hide small ancient sites, Byzantine churches and monasteries, and traditional villages. Furthermore, the Byzantine cities of Mystras and Monemvasia, the tower houses on the desolated Mani, Ancient Sparta, and the lively harbour town of Gythio offer a dramatic stage for photography.

Photothema is located in an old stone house, surrounded by olive and citrus trees, and a large patio under the vine leaves. Before and after the outdoor photo shoots you gather in our workshop accommodation. Here you can use your own laptop or one of the available computers for the storage, selection and editing of your photos.

28 Oct 2010 - 31 Oct 2010