A Photography Tour: Capture the Beauty of New Forest

Southern England’s New Forest is one of the most beautiful locations in the entire UK, boasting a staggering array of animal and plant life as well as some truly extraordinary scenery. There are many escorted toursavailable, and the New Forest Wildlife Photography Workshop stands out as one of the very best. Read on to learn more about some of the incredible memories you’ll make – and how you can capture them to treasure forever.

The Tour

This workshop is taught by local wildlife photography expert John Combes, who turned his attention to shutters and film after over 30 years lecturing business studies. Since then, he has garnered a decade’s experience taking photos, sharing what he’s learned and offering workshops and escorted tours. On this particular tour, guests will spend four days in the beautiful Hampshire landscape, where Combes will help them produce top-quality pictures.

What You’ll Learn

During your time in New Forest, your experience will focus on the following areas:

n  Seeking out and safely and quietly approaching plant and animal life.

n  Technical skills including composition and framing.

n  Controlling your camera to get the perfect shot.

Guests should also expect to learn a lot more about photography in general, including tips on devising and planning shoots and working with equipment.

Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve

On arrival, there will be an introductory session. The following day you’ll have your first taste of shooting. As with many of the area’s escorted tours, this one makes good use of New Forest’s wide expanses of water. After a quick guided photography session, you’ll be taken to the lake to try out what you’ve learned.

Chalkhill Nature Reserve

Don’t worry if you didn’t get enough shots of water birds, insects and wild waders at Blashford. The day continues with a trip up to a spectacular nature reserve, packed with a variety of plant and insect life.

Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary

After some time at the Keyhaven Marshes, your second full day brings you to the secluded Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary, where you’ll be able to see deer in a preserved natural habitat. Keep quiet and plan your approach, and you just might get some up-close photos of these graceful creatures.

Brownsea Island

While some escorted toursfocus on hiking woodland trails, this one allows you to see more of New Forest than just the woods. This is especially true on the final day, when you’ll travel by ferry to the small island of Brownsea. The day ends with a chance to see a badger set at sundown, but even those who need to leave early can snap some incredible photos. The island is packed with wildlife – its elusive, fast red squirrels are especially photogenic, if you can get them on camera.

Where You’ll Stay

In between these excursions, guests spend their nights at the Moorhill House Hotel. In addition to afternoon tea when you arrive, breakfast, lunch and dinner are included every day of your stay. As with all the best escorted tours, this allows guests both a place to relax and the chance to meet and make friends with each other over the course of their time here.

If you fancy yourself a wildlife photographer or even if you just want to see some of the natural beauty we often miss around us in the UK, there are few better ways to make memories than this guided tour. You never know – you might discover a lifelong love for a new hobby. And if not? You’ll certainly get some pretty pictures.

Author Plate

John Dixon is an experienced world traveller and the Managing Director of Prestige Holidays for over 30 years. Recently his well-received escorted tours, which venture to the far corners of the globe, have been included in Prestige’s luxury holiday portfolio. John tries to visit each of the destinations regularly in order to ensure the quality of his properties, and stay up-to-date about the latest local news and events. He has a taste for the finer things in life and has an interest in arts, history and culture.