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The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales is a stunning location for landscape and wildlife photography. Over the course of this weekend workshop, the group will visit some of the best locations the area has to offer, and will have the opportunity to indulge in some spectacular outdoor photography under the expert guidance of John Archer Thomson (Senior Assistant Director of Centre, Dale Fort Field Centre) and Simon Stafford (Technical Editor – Nikon Owner magazine).

John Archer Thomson will lead the group to venues that he has spent more than twenty years getting to know . He will provide an overview of the area’s natural history and help with plant and seabird identification, as well as giving tips on how to photograph locations.

The Gwaun Valley © John Archer-Thomson	Bronze-Age megalith at Pentre Ifan © Simon Stafford
Prostrate Broom, West Dale Bay © Simon Stafford	Atlantic Puffin on Skomer Island © Simon Stafford

Rocks, lichens, flowers, Skomer Island
© Simon Stafford

The exact itinerary of events will be weather-dependent and flexible to meet the requirements of the attendees; a provisional timetable is outlined below.

Friday 7th May:
Arrive at Dale Fort Centre for mid to late afternoon. Dinner 6.30 p.m., followed by an introduction and welcome from Simon Stafford and an illustrated talk on the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park by John Archer Thomson.

Saturday 8th May:
After breakfast, the group will depart for Skomer Island National Nature Reserve. John, assisted by Simon, will lead the group around the Island pointing out subjects of interest and photographic potential. A packed lunch will be provided. Return to Dale Fort Centre is scheduled for late afternoon. Following an early dinner, John and Simon will lead everyone to one of the nearby bays to photograph the sunset.

Sunday 9th May:
After breakfast, the group will head north from Dale Fort across the Pembrokeshire National Park to the beautiful, steep-sided verdant Gwaun Valley , which was created by torrents of melt water from the retreating ice during the last Ice Age. During May the valley is filled with profusion of plants, including wild garlic that grows in abundance. En route there will be a stop at Pentre Ifan to photograph probably the finest Welsh hilltop the Bronze-Age megalithic site that dates from at least 4000 B.C. During the course of the day Simon will deliver a practical tutorial on using the Nikon wireless flash system in the field.

Guest will depart from Dale Fort Centre during late Sunday afternoon.

Total fee: £295.00 per person for Nikon Owner subscribers and £350 per person for non-Nikon Owner subscribers. The fee includes all meals, accommodation, and local transport during the course of the weekend but excludes landing fees for Skomer Island and incidental expenses, which will total no more than £15.00.

Please contact me by telephone on: +44 (0)20 7828 8971 between 2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday to book your place, or send me a return email with your landline and mobile numbers. If you are not a current Nikon Owner subscriber and would like to find out more about this course and other training sessions we organise, please contact me by email with a daytime telephone number.

With very best wishes

Gillian Greenwood
Features Editor / Events & Training Coordinator

DISCLAIMER: Simon Stafford and Nikon Owner magazine are only taking the initiative of organizing and facilitating this workshop on the strict understanding that they are solely acting in an introductory capacity and anyone booking to come on any such workshop will be deemed to have agreed that they fully understand and agree to this condition of booking. Any contractual relationship and legal liability, if any, shall only be directly between participants and the Field Studies Council as a body. The workshop can be expected to involve travel by foot, small boat, and motor vehicle, while photographing in locations throughout the Pembrokeshire National Park.

Each participant will be deemed responsible for ensuring his or her own safety at all times and no liability whatsoever is accepted either by Simon Stafford, or Nikon Owner magazine in this regard. In other words we shall all act reasonably, safely and responsibly and each person will join the party on the understanding that they do so entirely at their own risk.