Guided photography outings and one-on-one camera-computer tutoring allow you discover Prince Edward County and the Quinte Region of Ontario. Let your creative eye and documentary passion lead you to out-of-the-way places -- rocky shorelines, back roads, forest trails, city-by-night -- or just take it easy, get some camera tips, and try them out on a ramble around Picton and its countryside.
County Photographer Phil Norton has explored the region by car, bicycle, kayak and on foot and shares his discoveries and helps you capture the scenes in his photographic portfolio. No matter the season or the weather, you will return home with an impressive collection of pictures made alongside a pro.
Custom half-day, all-day and weekend tours available.
Depending on your level of experience we will get familiar with the basic buttons on your camera and review the exposure relationships between aperture, shutter, ISO, and light meter. Indoors and outdoors we will set up shots with varied lighting conditions and use different lenses and shooting angles to improve composition.
Photoshop, Lightroom and archiving software instruction on the laptop with suggestions of the best workflow system for you. Artistic filters and Photoshop tricks. Bring along your favourite images for a gentle critique, and bring your failures that we will digitally turn into great shots.
If you choose to explore the backcountry, woodlands, wild cliffs and marsh life, be prepared to walk and pack rain gear, snack, sunscreen and bug spray. Bring your telephoto lens for birds. For the tamer tour we’ll never be too far from the shelter of the car or hotel. Any film or DSLR camera, point-and-shoot or smart phone is acceptable; tripod recommended but not mandatory. Your workshop images can then be uploaded to an online gallery. Groups may select from one of 4 types of tours or mix and match for a day custom-designed with elements from each --- see below — History/Architecture, Nature/Birding, County Attractions, or Indoor lessons/computer. Stormy day options include local museums and indoor photography tutoring. ** Les sorties et les ateliers sont aussi disponibles en francais** |
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| History/Architecture | Nature/Birding | County Attractions | Indoor / computer |
| • Walking and driving • Towns and villages of PEC • Camp Picton • Crystal Palace • Merrill Inn • Glenwood Cemetery • Bloomfield brick houses • Red barns • Wellington big trees, big chair • Harbour light • Night exposures • John A. Macdonald courthouse |
• Woodlands and shorelines • Marshes and wetlands • Little Bluff and Long Point • Bird banding (in season) • Spring Birding Festival • Lighthouse swallow nests • Flowers • Conservation areas • Beaver Meadow waterfowl • Macaulay Mountain hemlocks • Sunrise, sunset, stars • Lake Ontario |
• Driving tour Prince Edward Co. • Back roads and rural scenery • Loyalist villages • Glenora Ferry • Lake On The Mountain • Waupoos orchards and wineries • Black River Cheese factory • Lighthouse & South Bay church • Early settlers cemetery • Milford pond and falls • Lakeshore Lodge shore cliffs • Sandbanks Park dunes |
• Slide presentation • Slides to music • Portfolio reviews and tips • Camera settings • Basic digital workflow • Camera to computer • Photoshop editing and tricks • Optimizing for websites / email • Archiving • Indoor shooting with tripod • Artificial lighting and portraits • Flash |
What the participants are saying . . . I enjoyed myself immensely and feel I learned a lot from you already. Thanks Phil, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (and the other participants)...it was good fun, a great place to hike, not to mention learning a good deal more about our respective cameras! . . . The weather could not have been better . . . !! . . . all in all, a very nice outing. I can see that you're a natural teacher. . . . Thanks so much for today.....it was Just Great and I never expected to take any photos with my little point-and-shoot camera that would be worth anything....but you showed me otherwise so I thank you so much for that!. Hi Phil, thanks for a lovely evening, this is my first attempt at nighttime photos. Thanks for everything. People such as you make life worth living. It was great to get back "in the saddle" again - out in the elements with camera in hand, with a great group of folks with a like mind. Today was the first such outing I have been on in about 4 years and it was great. |
I went into your blog the other day and I really like how it is looking. Makes our photos look great. Thanks for all your hard work. We are having a great time getting back into photography. I have to pull my wife away from the computer where she is editing her images for hours on end. We are both extremely looking forward to utilizing our new equipment. The outings have been incredibly good for me right down to my soul. It's put me back in touch with nature, brought out my love of photography (even though I still have soooo much to learn), gotten me out of my house and off of my butt, introduced me to some very cool people, de-stressed me and so on. What I'm trying to say is you've done an awesome job. Thanks again for a spectacular weekend. Our intrepid group that shares all kinds of crazy weather and wonderful adventures together; thanks to our talented and energetic leader Phil Norton. Featured in the local media: * The Trentonian newspaper |
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