Tours - Magic Travel

Olive Tree Photography - Intermediate level

Duration: 4 Days
Availability: 12 - 15 February 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.

Olive trees are fascinating. Photographing these mythical trees with their often bizarre shapes requires that you know how to set speed, aperture and ISO values. During this workshop you work on composition and handling of light-dark differences. After the daily outdoor photo shoots you view and discuss the results together in a constructive manner. We end each day with a joint dinner in one of the Xirokambi restaurants.

The workshop coincides with the last weekend of Carnival, thus giving us the opportunity to enjoy and photograph the huge bonfires that are lit. We'll celebrate the start of Lent on Clean Monday – traditionally the day the house was cleaned in order to remove all remains of meat – with a special lunch.

Photo shoots take place in:

Valley of the river Evrotas – Olive groves
Ancient Sparta – Ruins of the old city amidst old olive trees
Olive oil factory – Cold pressing of olives in a small scale factory
Xirokambi - The village during Carnival celebrations

In each location we take ample time for photography.

The workshop starts on Friday 12 February and ends on Monday 15 February (Clean Monday) 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.

12 Feb 2010 - 15 Feb 2010