DPS & TDactive Returning to Romania & Transylvania Sept 16th 2018

10/09/2018/in Blog, Documentary Photography, dublin photography school, dublin photography tuition, photography holidays, Romania Photography Holidays, transylvania photography holidays, travel photography /by DPS_Admin

Dublin Photography School have yet again teamed up with TDactive one of Ireland’s premier adventure holiday providers, as we head on another adventure of a lifetime to one of Europe’s most untouched and mysterious places Transylvania! We will be documenting our trip every step of the way on Facebook, Instagram and twitter, with shots, pictures, videos and snippets.

This time we are taking a band of 15 photography enthusiasts of all levels from complete beginner to advanced, and helping them hone their photography skills in this stunning location that can only be described as photographers playground. The trip will include everything from composition, camera techniques, to street portraits, reportage, documentary, landscape, night and dusk photography.

If you missed this trip fear not as dublin photography school have announced a new date for 2019.

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Don’t Miss Out!

Transylvania Holiday September 12th 2019

Come travel with us to Romania the largest of the Balkan nations. It is a land of stunning mountain scenery, unspoiled countryside and historic towns, making it a fantastic holiday destination for anyone looking to develop their documentary, street and landscape photography skills. Based in the charming, historic town of Brasov for four nights, you will have the opportunity to photograph the remarkable landscapes of the Transylvania region as you travel high into the Carpathian Mountains, taking in impressive vistas and lake views. You will also visit the picturesque medieval town of Viscri, famous for its traditional houses and Saxon fortified church, and Sighisoara, with its impeccably preserved hilltop citadel. Of course, no stay in Transylvania would be complete without a visit to the imposing fortress of Dracula’s Castle.

Montenegro Photography Holiday Highlights with TDactive holidays

23/04/2018/in Blog, Documentary Photography, dublin photography school, dublin photography tuition, photography holidays, Romania Photography Holidays, transylvania photography holidays, travel photography /by DPS_Admin

In April 2018, the DPS team set out with 16 fellow photographers of all levels to one of the most rugged, untouched and unique areas of Europe, Montenegro. We landed in Dubrovnik, Croatia as the sun was blazing in all it’s glory offering us a balmy 21 degrees with clear skies. It was so refreshing after such a cold and dreary Irish winter that seemed to refuse to leave! We quickly grab our luggage, meet our guide and board a bus to one of the most beautiful places in the world. After just over a 20 minutes coach ride we are whisked to our destination, where we will spend our first evening at leisure exploring the amazing city of Dubrovnik, where the commanding views from it’s walls hint at the amazing scenes to come.

Settling in for the night our advice is very simple, “have your memory cards empty and your batteries full, as we will hit the ground running in the morning”.

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Don’t Miss Out!

Transylvania Holiday September 13th- 17th 2018

Come travel with us to Romania the largest of the Balkan nations. It is a land of stunning mountain scenery, unspoiled countryside and historic towns, making it a fantastic holiday destination for anyone looking to develop their documentary, street and landscape photography skills. Based in the charming, historic town of Brasov for four nights, you will have the opportunity to photograph the remarkable landscapes of the Transylvania region as you travel high into the Carpathian Mountains, taking in impressive vistas and lake views. You will also visit the picturesque medieval town of Viscri, famous for its traditional houses and Saxon fortified church, and Sighisoara, with its impeccably preserved hilltop citadel. Of course, no stay in Transylvania would be complete without a visit to the imposing fortress of Dracula’s Castle.

Picking The Right Photography Course For You

06/01/2018/in Blog, DPS Thursday Talks, dublin photography school, dublin photography school news, dublin photography tuition, mirrorless camera courses dublin, Photogaphy Equipment, Photography Course Guide, Photography Courses, photography courses dublin 2018, Photography Courses Explained, photography holidays, Photography Lectures Dublin, photography tips, Uncategorized /by DPS_Admin

You have a brand new camera, your memory card is empty, your battery is full, and you are burning with enthusiasm and ready to get to grips with all that photography has to offer. You might start by checking out a few YouTube videos, reading a few books and after a couple of blurry shots too many, you decide to bite the bullet and take up a photography course. So where to start?

Our photography courses, workshops and masterclasses are broken down into the following categories:

4-5-7 Week Photography Courses

These are short photography courses that take place on a week night at DPS HQ in Dublin City Centre. These evening courses are designed to get you up to speed, not just with your camera but with the principals of photography. They cover everything from complete basics, to more advanced concepts. They are ideal for beginners and form the back bone of any future learning in photography. They do this by helping you get the basics in place, by dispelling myths, by busting jargon, and getting you comfortable with your camera. Our aim is to combine classroom based camera and photography techniques, with at least two classes out on location where you will apply what you have learned in theory. As we say here at Dublin Photography School, “you can’t learn to drive just by reading the rules of the road”.

Level: Complete beginners, experienced novices, self taught photographers looking to formalise their photography knowledge and photographers returning after a long break.

Course Frequency : Depending on the time of the year we can have up to 4 start dates a month depending on demand.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Tripod, Remote Control.

See Evening Photography Course List Here

1 Day Photography Courses

Our one day photography courses are aimed at anyone looking to make a quick start or for someone who cannot commit to an evening or part time course due to their own commitments. These courses tend to be similar to the 5-7 week courses but with out the on location shoots, however in line with our ethos, we still provide a practical element later in the day.

Level: Complete beginners, experienced novices, self taught photographers looking to formalise their photography knowledge and photographers returning after a long break.

Course Frequency : Depending on the course anywhere from 3 times per month to twice per year.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera

See 1 Day Photography Course List Here

1 Day Photography Workshops

Photography workshops slightly differ from photography courses, in that they tend to be a little shorter in duration. The can run anywhere from 4.5-6.5 hours depending on the workshop. The subject matter tends to be a little more specific to particular types of photography e.g. flash or studio photography, black and white photography, street photography, smartphone photography, travel photography, macro photography and wedding photography.

Level: Experienced novices, self taught photographers looking to formalise their photography knowledge, photographers returning after a long break and students after completing a 1 day or 7 week course.

Workshop Frequency : This is workshop dependent.

Equipment Needed: This is workshop dependent.

See Photography Workshops List Here

Photography Masterclasses

A photography masterclass is an intensive short class 3-4 hours long that solely focuses on a single topic of photography, from Composition and Lighting to Semiotics and Visual Metaphor. These classes tend to more lecture based with more of a focus on refining work, showing samples of how, when and where to use techniques, as well as identifying and refining work already produced.

Level: Experienced novices, xxperienced photographers, camera club members, students after completing a 1 day or 7 week course with DPS. All levels above beginner.

Class Frequency : There are 4 masterclasses scheduled for 2020.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera,

See Photography Masterclass List Here

Photography Location Shoots

Photography shoots are a great opportunity to get out and about with the camera and meet other photographers. They are about a social and peer group as much about learning new practical photography techniques. Each of our Photography Shoots has a different theme or techniques depending on the location or time of year and can take the form of a photo walk or Meet up that will visit several locations or be just confined to two or three spots depending on the location and techniques.

Level: All Levels

Location Shoot Frequency : Depending on the time of year we can have location shoots or location workshops happening up to twice a month (depending on demand).

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, various.

See Location Shoot List Here

Photography Excursions

Photography Excursions tend to be day trips or overnight stays in various locations around Ireland, and are all practical based outings. Some examples of the excursions and photography day trips we have run in the past are Copper Coast (Waterford), Hook Head (Wexford), Kilfane Glen and Waterfall,(Kilkenny) and White Coast, Co Antrim to name a few.

Level: All Levels

Excursion Frequency : Photography day trips and excursions tend to run 1-2 times per year.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Tripod, Remote Control.

See Excursion List Here

Photography Holiday

In 2013 we teamed up with Travel Department & TDactive to bring you a series of photography holidays to some of the most stunning photographic locations in the world. These 3-5 Day trips are designed for all levels and are an outdoor classroom that bring you to handpicked locations by the DPS team and show you how to get picture perfect images that you would see in any travel book or brochure. Its a great experience with photographers of all levels catered for, thanks to the fact that there are 2 DPS trainers on every holiday allowing us to focus on all levels from COMPLETE beginners to ADVANCED veterans. The DPS crew pride themselves on creating a warm, fun and inclusive atmosphere where photographers of all levels can flourish and take advantage of the outdoor classroom. With Destinations including Romania, Italy, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco and India, There is something for everyone.

Level: All Levels

Course Frequency : We run up to 5 photography holidays a year depending on demand and locations available.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Tripod, Remote Control.

See Photography Holiday List Here

Photography Talks

DPS run a series of FREE photography lectures during the year called “Thursday Talks” With a mix of in house and guest speakers on a wide variety of subjects in and around photography. These talks have proven to be very popular over the years and tend to be a full house everytime.

Level: All Levels

Photography Talk Frequency : Up To 4 Times Per Year

Equipment Needed: None

Keep an eye on our photography Blog here or DPS Facebook Group Page Here for upcoming Talks in 2018.

Online Photography Courses

At Present Dublin Photography School do not run any online photography courses. We feel that photography is a hands on practical subject that requires a “look and feel” approach to learning. The art of photography has always been more than just dry technical specs, no matter how import technics are in photography, they are just one important thread in a very rich tapestry of learning photography. With that said DPS has plans for an “Online Campus” that will supplement the classroom based learning process and not replace it.

Keep an eye on our photography Blog here for upcoming future developments.

Romania & Transylvania Photography Holiday Highlights

03/10/2017/in Blog, Documentary Photography, dublin photography school, dublin photography tuition, photography holidays, Romania Photography Holidays, transylvania photography holidays, travel photography /by DPS_Admin

In September 2017, the DPS team set out with 22 other photographers of all levels to one of the most remote, untouched and unique areas of Europe, Romania. Landing in Bucharest as the sun was setting, we quickly grab our luggage and board a bus to one of the most beautiful places in the world. Through the coach window we see jagged cliffs and the outline of slopping wooden tiled houses as we are whisked to our destination. Up and up we travel, corkscrewing our way through small mountain villages until we reach the Transylvanian plateau, which is our base for the next four nights, the old Saxon stronghold town of Brasov.

Settling in for the night our advice is very simple, “have your memory cards empty and your batteries full, as we will hit the ground running in the morning”.

We wake to a stunning sunrise where the weather is still fantastic in September in Romania, 25 degrees and that is the coolest day! Our day starts with a short tour Brasov. The city is located at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains steeped in history and old world charm with fascinating scenery. The tour takes in the old town hall square, St. Nicholas Church ( the oldest Romanian Orthodox church in the country) and the first Romanian school of Schei, which dates back to 1495, and the Gothic Black Church. We firstly stop at Biserica Sfântul Nicolae a stunning orthadox church and in a secluded area in the back of the grounds we have our first outdoor lesson.

For 30 minutes we make sure that everyone is up to speed by covering some basic settings and composition skills.

Once in Brasov old town square, we break up into smaller groups and the DPS team spend some time with each group and give advice, feedback and direction.

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Don’t Miss Out!

Transylvania Holiday October 11th- 15th 2017

*** Only 3 Places Remaining ***

Come travel with us to Romania the largest of the Balkan nations. It is a land of stunning mountain scenery, unspoiled countryside and historic towns, making it a fantastic holiday destination for anyone looking to develop their documentary, street and landscape photography skills. Based in the charming, historic town of Brasov for four nights, you will have the opportunity to photograph the remarkable landscapes of the Transylvania region as you travel high into the Carpathian Mountains, taking in impressive vistas and lake views. You will also visit the picturesque medieval town of Viscri, famous for its traditional houses and Saxon fortified church, and Sighisoara, with its impeccably preserved hilltop citadel. Of course, no stay in Transylvania would be complete without a visit to the imposing fortress of Dracula’s Castle.

DPS Bites: 5 Tips For Better Travel Photography

10/07/2017/in dublin photography school, how to, photography holidays, photography tips, travel photography, Uncategorized /by DPS_Admin

5 Tips For Better Travel Photography

When we think of travel photography we often think of the famous landmarks, monuments & attractions of the city or country we plan to visit. However for many people these famous sites are just the tip of the iceberg when visiting a new destination. To us here at DPS travel photography is so much more than just landmarks. To us it is a sub-genre of documentary & reportage photography that involves looking at landscapes, cultures, customs, people & their history. It conveys in an image a feeling that expresses the feeling of a particular time and place.
When we return from a holiday often it’s not the big things e.g. the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa that stick out in our mind but the smaller things. Details & quirks of the trip that spring to mind are e.g. small coffee shops, local markets or the artisans that ply their trade on the roadside. Food & art are things that make a culture unique. When we go away what we are looking to find is not what is similar to our own culture, but what is different. With all of this in mind, here are a few simple tips on what to look for when photographing on your adventures & travels.

Plan Your Kit:

This is one of the most important considerations and one of the first things we teach on our travel photography workshop. Think about what kind of shots you want & make a list. If it’s mostly scenic landscapes then pack a wide angle lens, if it’s people a 50mm fixed or if it’s a mix of both, consider a zoom lens. Remember that it’s not always about what is in your kit bag!, a good compostiion can be achieved on a camera phone or a compact camera, will still look great on a web album or e.g. Instragram.

Be Prepared For Low Light:

A lot of the action takes place in the evening, especially in hotter climates where the heat of the day can be a little over whelming. Be prepared for shooting in low light & carry something portable that you can use as a tripod to create slow exposure effects. A mini gorilla pod or a table top tripod are small & portable & they will fold up neatly into your kit bag. They are ideal for use anywhere. However if you are stuck, then you can use a bean bag, a wall or a rolled up t-shirt.

The 1/640th Rule:

When travelling we are often looking for a shutter speed that will freeze about 90% of everyday action. Try setting your camera to 1/640th of a second, while this will not freeze every scene, it will freeze most day to day scenes that you will come across where people & moving subjects are part of it.
Start walking around with your camera in TV or S mode. This will allow you to focus on framing & composing your image.

Buy Something For A Portrait:

A great way to break the ice with a local trader for example is to buy something small from them, then ask if you can take their portrait! Get chatting to them. Even if language is a barrier they will see from your body language that you have no alterior motive & they will often allow you to take their photograph. Stall holders, shop keepers & street musicians are often asked by travellers for photographs & will generally be willing to have their portrait taken. If fact many of them often play up for the camera.

Get Up High:

High vantage points can be found almost everywhere. Even if your only photographing down-hill, it will make a massive difference to your images.
Get great scenes by getting up high, this can be as simple as photographing from your hotel window or by hiking up a hill, or even taking a drive into the mountains. Try to a have a point of interest in the foreground as a focus point so as to make the shot more interesting.

Bonus Tip:

Why not Take a travel photography workshop or photography holiday with DPS. While it is not exactly a tip, it will teach you all the skills you need to know to capture that trip of a lifetime!

DPS & TDactive Holidays Italy Adventure – Part 2

19/04/2017/in Blog, Italy Holidays, photography holidays /by DPS_Admin

Day 3: Wild Flowers, Vineyards & Reportage Photography In Florence

On our final day the crew hit the ground running. We are up early to a fantastic day with clear blue skies and glorious sunshine. We depart our hotel and are soon on the A11 bound for Florence. On the way we stop in a beautiful national park known as ,‘Area Naturale Proterra Del Monteferrato’ . This protected area is a mix of organic orchards and groves set on a stunning mountain-side littered with spring wildflowers, olive trees, waterfalls and of course stunning views of the surrounding countryside. After a brief talk on how to shoot flowers and some tips on composition and how to use circular polarizing filters, the guys break up into small groups and explore the grounds of this wonderful spot. After an hour we are back on the bus and stop of at a local cafe for a quick pick-me-up coffee before we are Florence bound once more.

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Arriving in Florence, we are escorted by our guide, via a short walk into the ‘Piazza Del Duomo’. Here we are greeted by the towering ‘Cattedrale Di Santa Maria Del Fiore’, or as most people call it ‘The Duomo’. We have a quick chat about what are the best settings for reportage and documentary style images and we all break up and start exploring.

As we enter the three biggest markets in Florence, the ‘Saint Lorenzo’s Market’, ‘Saint Ambrogio’s Market’ and the ‘Central Market’, there is a stunning array of local produce, artisans and tradespeople plying their wares and presenting some fantastic and unique photo opportunities. After about two hours in the markets making sure that everybody has gotten the most out of the experience, we then have the rest of the afternoon at leisure, allowing everyone to soak in the sunshine and breathe in everything beautiful Florence has to offer, before we gather at our meeting point and we head towards the ‘Terzo Giardino’, to our waiting coach.

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Aboard our coach we head of to our next destination, the ‘Piazzale Michelangelo‘, which offers us stunning panoramic views of Florence. After a short tutorial the guys take about 20 minutes photographing all that these views have to offer.

Back on the bus we chase the sunset to our next location, a local vineyard outside Lucca.
Here we give a quick run over tripods, filters and composition and photograph the evening sunset, leaving only as the the last of the light has gone for the day.

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We arrive back in Lucca tired and even a little sunburnt after the day. We soon all assemble again for dinner and head to a local restaurant. Chatting and banter is in full swing about the highlights and delights of the last few days. After food and some lovely local vino we head for bed with the comfort of knowing we have a late check-out the next morning and a leisurely drive through the Tuscan country-side back to Bologna airport.

DPS & TDactive Holidays Italy Adventure – Part 1

07/04/2017/in Blog, Italy Holidays, photography holidays /by DPS_Admin

In March 2017, Dublin Photography School and TDactive Holidays took a fabulous four day photography adventure to Italy. The trip balanced fast paced street action, famous landmarks, detailed landscapes and stunning vistas, with good food, mostly sunny weather and the odd carafe of vino!

Sunrise in Dublin airport was punctuated with blurry eyed photographers busily shuffling toward their flight gates, with boarding passes in hand and lugging behind them their various camera bags and luggage. A quick 2 hour 20 minutes flight later we gather in the baggage claim area of Bologna Airport, head through to clear passport control and are greeted by our local TDactive Holidays guide Paola.

Looking around our group of intrepid photographers, they come from all walks of life, different ages, different levels. some are couples, some traveling with friends and some traveling solo. All brought together with their common love of photography and travel.

We load up our coach for our fantastic scenic drive through the Tuscan countryside. There is a air of excitement as we drive our way through the terraced hills, deep valleys and dusty roads. We continue on to the city of Lucca, which will be our base for the next few days. Lucca is perfectly positioned as our starting point for the trip. The city itself is a photographers playground, with it’s renaissance architecture, churches and winding cobbled streets. After an afternoon at leisure to allow the guys sometime to explore the town and get their feet on the ground, we set off to dinner in a local restaurant as arranged by our partners TDactive Holidays. Over dinner the guys get to know each other and after a few glasses of vino and some very well priced beers we retire for the evening.

Day 2: Landscape & Street Photography In Cinque Terre.

The second day of our Italian adventure finds us hitting the ground running. We take our coach to the train station in La Spezia, as there is only one way into the string of five villages that make up the UNESCO site of Cinque Terre (Five Lands) The five villages are, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, each with it’s own unique charm and character. After a 30 minute photography lesson in the open air classroom of the local plaza outside the train station (whilst waiting for our train), we bring everybody up to speed on the different settings and techniques for capturing street images. We climb aboard and head for our first stop, Monterosso al Mare.

I could describe in minute detail the fantastic and quaint character of the villages that feel like they have almost stepped out of time, but as we say here at DPS, I will just let the images do the talking.

There is only one way into the string of five villages that make up the UNESCO site of Cinque Terre (Five Lands) The five villages are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, each with its own unique charm and character.

After a brief lunch in Monterosso al Mare, we re board our train and head for what I consider to be the jewel in the Crown. Arriving in Vernazza, we quickly make our way up a set of steep steps and pass through the narrow cobbled streets as they zig zag up the hill to the cliff-face overlooking the village. Before long we are over- looking the jewel in the crown of Cinque Terre. We start with a quick talk on settings, ND, ND Grad and Circ Pol filters and tripods and we move along the line giving advice on composition and fine fine tuning. Everyone is now set up and then its “lights, camera, ACTION!”

We spend 40 minutes shooting this stunning vista before we head down into the town to explore the craggy shore line with breaking waves and hidden caves that open into secluded inlets. Then we head back to the train station to journey to Lucca. After a quick freshen up we head out to our night shoot around the town.

Part 2: Wild Flowers, Vinyards & Reportage Photography In Florence.

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