DAY TRIPS

QUOTE

 

'Thanks very much. We had a wonderful time yesterday; it was the experience of a lifetime.'
 


Scott Verges and Britta; July 2010


Most weekends I run photographic day trips  from Phnom Penh to Silk Island on Saturday's and Kompong Chnnang and Udong on Sundays.


THE DAY

The Day Trips comprises of 2 parts in total:

Part 1) a workshop Part 2) a field trip.

1) The 'workshops' cover information and advice specifically designed to help you take better travel pictures or improve your technical control of a camera and should appeal on many levels to beginners and aspiring pro's alike. See a more detailed description below.

2) The 'field trips' take you to photogenic places to offer you a fun and stimulating environment to practice what I teach,with many more opportunity's for me to impart handy hints.

The Saturday trips to Silk Island tend to be more light hearted, as we visit very friendly communities and meet local villagers and silk weavers. They are suitable for all level of camera users - compact and SLR users alike.

The Sunday trip to Kompong Chnnang and Udong is certainly fun and interesting but tends to be a bit more technically challenging as we deal with different lighting conditions and our own perpetual movement on the water. Again they are suitable for all levels but certainly offer a challenge to even seasoned pro's. This trip is good all year round but especially good in the rainy season as the river water levels rise and more action tends to happen on the river.See more specific location descriptions below.

If you are only interested in the 'workshops' or the 'trip' part of the day then that is possible.

For the workshops we meet 10am at my studio ( 1st floor, No 126, 136 St) . For the field trips we meet 12.15pm at my studio or 12.30pm on the River Front opposite the corner of my Street 136 St  ( Look for Paddy Rice bar)





WORKSHOPS

(9.30am my studio, 1st floor , No 126, 136St)
Runs both Saturday's and Sunday's
Cost $40 ( includes a free B &W print out of 100+  page presentation)

A photo orientated presentation from my computer using my own work as example gives a firm foundation in all aspects of Travel Photography. I cover many technical, aesthetic and ethical issues that will help you take control of your camera, learn to look for better pictures and approach complete strangers a bit more comfortably  before taking their picture.

On the Saturday the workshop is designed not to be technical but a fun in depth look at issues that help you both look for better pictures and approach people in a more rewarding ways.

I)AESTHETIC - Travel photography is as much about seeing a good picture as it is capturing it technically. Here I talk about all the things you can capture in a camera by thinking aesthetically rather than mechanically.
I demonstrate how to see and use natural light, how to compose pictures using certain rules, how to use frames within frames, how to use strong geometry and colour, within your overall composition before improving your timing.

II)ETHICAL - We have all been there; not knowing the boundaries of how and when to take a picture of a local person (who usually remains a 'stranger') in a foreign country. This often leaves us not taking pictures we wish we could take. Here I explore the issues and again recommend a working method to take more engaging portraits of people we meet on our travels.

The Sunday workshop is much more technically minded where I teach digital photography technique and more advanced skills to help all digital camera users become more creative. SLR users will get the most out of my technical teaching but I call it a 'workshop' rather than a 'class' as i try to be responsive to individual needs (even if you bring a compact camera).

I)TECHNICAL - The large number of buttons, menus and sub menus on modern cameras can often send us into such a spin that we loose sight of what we trying to achieve with our photography. Here I take a technical overview of the modern day digital camera to clarify modern jargon and recommend a suitable working method specifically for Travel Photography. I break down your manual and semi manual settings employing your versatile digital ISO's. We also look at metering methods , exposure compensations, lens choices, White Balance, file choices and picture enhancements.

*Note. An invaluable free photo copy of the 100+ page presentation is given out at the beginning of the class with room to make notes as we go.

AFTERNOON TRIPS

SATURDAY TRIP TO SILK ISLAND 

Afternoon trip: to Koh Dach. Known in English as ‘ Silk Island ‘ a tranquil Island in the middle of the Mekong River. Only a 20 minute ride from the city of Phnom Penh the Island offers endless photographic opportunities, as well as a fascinating insight into a traditional Cambodian village life. As it’s English name suggests the Island is famed for Silk products, still hand crafted on looms under the traditional wooden houses that line the river-side. After a couple hours learning learning how to take better pictures by walking through silk weaving villages, and having fun with the locals I do let people buy Silk products (Not compulsory but it shame not to - they are so cheap directly from the people who make them). After all that we can stop off at another Phnom Penh secret; 'Snowy's' a river side bar on the other-side to Phnom Penh that often affords great sunset shots. We should be back to Phnom Penh by 6.30pm at the latest and earlier if you need to be.

Runs: Book now for  04.09.10 or inquire for dates in the future.

 

Times:12.00 pm at my studio or 12.30pm riverside corner of 136 St for (look for Paddy Rice bar - and let me know in advance if you will be there)

Cost: Afternoon trip $40 or combine with $40 workshop for just $70 for both.

10% Discounts for small groups of 4 (or more) and couples.





 * Gift Idea * If you would like to give this workshop or a day trip as a birthday, Christmas present etc a Gift Voucher can be provided in advance of the date.

See MY PORTFOLIOS > TOUR GALLERIES > Silk Island Day Trips for pictures taken on these tours.

SUNDAY TRIP TO KOMPONG CHHNANG & UDONG

Afternoon trip: to Kompong Chnang, a surprisingly little visited floating village just an hour and half from Phnom Penh, where upon we will take a 1hr slow boat trip around the fascinating village life on water and learn how to cope with difficult light and constant movement. We then leave in time to casually climb the amazing views offered by Phnom ( hill) Udong, which served as the capital of Cambodia between 1618 and 1866. Two hills littered with Stupa's make a great place for me to teach you how to take the perfect sunset shots. We leave after sun down to return to Phnom Penh around 7.00/7.30pm.
 
Runs: Book now for  05.09.10 or inquire for dates in the future.
 
Times: 12.00 pm at my studio or 12.30pm riverside corner of 136 St for (look for Paddy Rice bar - and let me know in advance if you will be there)

Cost: Afternoon trip $60 or combine with $40 workshop for just $90 for both

10% Discounts for small groups of 4 (or more) and couples.



 

* Gift Idea * If you would like to give this workshop or a day trip as a birthday, Christmas present etc a Gift Voucher can be provided in advance of the date.

See MY PORTFOLIOS > TOUR GALLERIES > Kompong Chnnang/ Udong Day Trips for pictures taken on these tours.


BOOKING

Please ask more question or book direct with me by e -mailing me at nathanhortonphotography@gmail.com or calling me on 092 526 706





See MY PORTFOLIOS > TOUR GALLERIES > Kompong Chnang Tours & Udong Tours for pictures taken on these tours.


 
 

Phnom Penh Post Article

What follows is a press article written in Cambodia's Phnom Penh Post

Life-Style/Travel... Travel photographers learn to seek 'poetry' in the chaotic Written by Christopher Shay Monday, 17 November 2008

Daylong photography tours of Cambodian countryside led by professional shooter Nathan Horton offer shutterbugs opportunity to put theory into practice ATOP the hills of Udong, Cambodia's former capital from the 17th to the 19th century, photographer Nathan Horton leads a small group of aspiring shutterbugs through stupas set against the sunset. As the group photographs the panoramic scenery, Horton encourages them to experiment with their cameras. "When you're shooting silhouettes, look for strong shapes," he said. "Try shooting this on the ‘cloudy' setting of your white balance. It makes the picture warmer." Horton, a professional photographer for 22 years, has run daylong workshops every Saturday and multiday photography tours of Cambodia since 2006, during which he shares his considerable store of photographic tips. The theory Horton began this day's tour with a three-hour session during which he explained the technical aspects of photography, compositional techniques and the ethics of travel photography. Horton's tours are aimed at novice and experienced photographers alike, and he balances his talks with basic information about how a camera works - f-stops and shutter speeds - and more advanced, technical information, such as dynamic auto focus versus single-area focus. Where his workshop really shined, however, was with the nontechnical advice he offered. "Travel photography is about going into the chaotic world and looking for a bit of poetry," he said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- It is up to the photographer to step out and find something different. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- "A photographer needs to be sharp, predict what's going to happen and be able to observe light.... There are lots of good pictures out there, but you have to go look for them," he added. Students do not need a fancy camera to join Horton's classes or to take good photos. He admits that expensive cameras give photographers more control but emphasizes that "cameras don't take photos, people do". One key to being a good travel photographer, he said, is to really engage with the environment and the people you are photographing. His first tip to being a successful photographer was a simple one. "You need to go for a walk. You can't get to know a culture or properly photograph it through an air-conditioned cab," he said. His emphasis on the importance of responsible engagement is related to his belief that a camera can be "a key to get into places and discover new things". In his experience, travel photography allows greater access to local culture, so long as "you don't shove your camera into the local's faces without asking". Shooting 'poetry' The first stop on the photography tour was Kampong Chhnang, at a floating village about an hour and half outside of Phnom Penh. While Horton imparted a lot of information at his studio, it was not until everyone was out shooting that the ideas became clearer. Armed with digital cameras, the group traveled by boat through a small, floating fishing village and learned how to photograph reflective surfaces and make clouds look more dramatic. "Look how the light coming from this direction brings out the colours," he said as he compared backlit houses on one side of the river with houses illuminated by warm, evening light on the other. From Kampong Chhnang, Horton led the group to Udong, Cambodia's capital from 1618 to 1866. Located on a series of hills, Udong is an ideal place to view sunsets, as it affords a photographer 360-degree views of the countryside. Horton assisted students in the class with technical aspects of their camera and demonstrated how these technical decisions were also aesthetic ones. Soraya Verjee, one of the students in the group, praised Horton's class. "I thought it was a good introduction. It was really useful. At the very least, it was quite nice to get out of the city and see another part of Cambodia," she said. Horton concluded the day's tour with a final word of encouragement. "It is up to you as a photographer to step out and find something a bit different," he said.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2008111722707/